Hollywood Studio Magazine (September 1972)

By Marilyn Estes Smith COLLECTOMANIA “It is perhaps a more forturnte destiny to have a taste for collecting. . . than to be born a millionaire. ” Robert Louis Stevenson f Here we come: Bottle nuts and button hounds. Can hoarders and key buffs. Pure-in-heart junk collectors, we do not concern ourselves with “old and rare” but with the “middle-aged and common” — antiques of the future; the stuff that usually gets carted to the dump when the householder gets around to cleaning the house and garage. Junk collecting, to those of my stripe, is more fun than any other hobby because it is so all encompassing. Collect anything you want. If you like it, collect it. There are no limitations. Every man is truly his own authority. To start a junk collection, all you need are two different items in the same category and one to trade — if you’re the trading kind. And it may be quite awhile before you find the one to trade! Some people make rules, such as, (1) it has to be free; or (2) it can’t cost more than a dollar. But make your own guidelines. It’s your collection. I will make no attempt to cover all the collectibles. People are collecting old cardboard cigarette boxes, schmaltzy old jewelry, doll dishes, paper dolls (some even specialize in only Dionne quintuplets or Shirley Temple), newish Avon bottles and old rusty farm implement seats. Where to Find Good Junk The easiest source of junk is second hand Stores, Goodwill and Salvation Army outlets and the like. A burgeoning number of “swap meets” are, of course, paradise to the junkie. These meets are being held in drive-in theaters, stadia and the like all over the United States. The so-called garage sales are becoming increasingly populär. Even though I am not a bottle collector, I recently bought five Avon bottles for a quarter at a garage sale. The lady simply did not know what she was selling and I did. If you have access to old garages, barns or attics, you’re in luck. Private or family dumps are excellent locations if you can get permission to dig. And please do. I had a dreadful experience when I did not ask permission. As I stood hip deep in rubbish with sweat trickling off my nose, I looked up to see a man peering down at me. I have no idea how I explained my presence in his dump but I do know I left in a hurry. Many towns do not burn or bury trash and are, of course, excellent sources if you dig deep enough. I know one man who searches dumps for old repairable fumiture - he makes a good living by selling the pieces he refurbishes. Old bottles are among the prime collectibles today. It has been brought to my attention that there are thousands of excellent untapped digging sites for old bottles.- Virgin soil, you might say. In every backyard, well into this Century, there was a small wooden structure on every property. It was erected over a pit about four by five feet and up to ten feet deep. For some reason, bottles - especially embossed medicine bottles — were frequently tossed into the pit. Okay, bottle collectors, I’ve given you a free tip — go dig. I feel free to pass on this advice as I do not collect bottles so I am not losing out on anything valuable to my own collections. I have a friend who collects what she calls “S.A. Blue.” In the forties, a pottery called Fiesta Ware was populär for breakfast use. Odd pieces of this bright colored pottery may be found in second-hand stores. My friend collects the blue pieces, hence the name - Salvation Army Blue. She has Service for twelve with many accessory pieces such as platters, casseroles, vases and such. The whole set cost less than ten dollars. The pieces she buys seldom cost more than a quarter. Much of it has been given her by friends who always have one eye open for S.A. Blue for Betty’s collection. Sometimes you can hit on something that turns into a big collection simply because there are so many available free - such as single candlesticks. Almost every home has at least one candlestick that has no mate, but, “It seems a shame to throw out something in perfectly good condition.” That’s your cue to announce your collection. Most of the unwanted stuff in every home is only there because the owner would feel guilty throwing it out. If you can take the junk off their hands, you’re doing a personal Service — at least, that’s the collectors way of looking at it. What is Being Collected Some of the things people collect really baffle me — such as the little paper sugar sacs you find in restaurants. Do you know there are clubs dedicated to =and founded upon sugar sac collecting? But, of course,