RETRO KIMMER LOVES INCURABLE COLLECTORS

 Guinness World Record holder for the biggest Vintage Barbie Collector

What is a collector? The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector. 

Collecting is a huge global hobby...Around the world people collect everything from the tiniest postage stamps to luxury automobiles and jets.  And beyond...

Usually collecting begins in childhood and is left behind as we grow up..ala rock collecting, insect and butterfly collecting, dolls, miniature toy cars and thousands of other items were coveted by children.

But as the "baby boomer" generation has grown older their vintage collections are still a huge hobby for many.  From the very inexpensive collections of things like swizzle sticks and match books to the more high end vintage Barbie's and Star Wars collections, we are a generation of collectors....

This man is a true Barbie lover.  Notice that all of his Barbies are out of their boxes.  That makes his collection less valuable but loved by the collector none the less.

Actress Debbie Reynolds amassed a huge Hollywood memorabilia collection over the years.  The Ascot dress from "My Fair Lady" is one of her pieces. Debbie sold her collection in 2011 for over 18 million dollars!

"The Incurable Collector," A&E TV show, had no problem finding people who collected interesting, unique and bizarre items.  This was one of my favorite tv shows but sadly it went off the air.  There are a few video clips which I'll share in this story.

One show featured the woman who collects swizzle sticks. "She has a thousand swizzle sticks," said the series' executive producer Pam Burke. "It is one of the more inexpensive [hobbies] to get involved in."

Each episode featured three experts: "Garage Sale Susan" Goldberg, "The Instant Appraiser" Niles Grace and Usha Subramanian, who focuses on "fantastic finds."

Host and narrator was Emmy Award-winning actor John Larroquette, who is an incurable collector of first editions by 20th century writers.

Larroquette has approximately 3,000 books. "Everything is well-protected and on display," he says. "I love reading them. My wife gets irritated sometimes when I fall asleep in bed with a signed William Faulkner on my chest."

A lot of boys in my neighborhood collected Match Box cars.  I recently interviewed a 60 year old Hot Wheels car collector!

I have never met an unhappy collector!  Most people who are incurable collectors find great joy in finding new things and displaying them in their homes.

A mighty happy Wizard of Oz collector.

I have a some W of Oz  things , a Wicked Witch of the West clock, Ruby Slippers snow globe, an 18" tall Tin Man,  and lots of refrigerator magnets. I also have a small Barbie Collection, glass animal figurines, rock memorabilia/posters most autographed.  What do you collect??

Some of my favorite episodes featured Wizard of Oz collectors as this video shows...