More Than One Of Everything

I have been working on some new pieces but they are not finished yet so thought I'd post a small but fun one for you. While most of Dad's friends and family were aware of his obsessive collections, I am unsure any of us knew just how much so. Everyone knew he collected shot glasses, stamps, canning jars, various antiques, etc. We found some hilarious and baffling things in April when we first started going through his belongings. Here are a few:

I am not sure if Dad kept every whiskey bottle he encountered, but he sure kept a lot! When I opened this large box full whiskey boxes/bottles I could hear Dad say "But they'll be worth something someday!".


There should actually be quite a few more of these: insulators. These were used on old power lines, etc. I remember seeing these on Dad's desk over the years. These are a perfect example of something that has little to no functional purpose any longer (in Dad's home they were often use as a paper weight or door jam if not only admired), but what Dad valued in spite of that. They are beautiful.

Some of you will recognize these: Dad's pencil sharpener collection. These are the kind that mount to a wall and are most often seen in classrooms. Some time in the last decade Dad started collecting them. At one house he had them lined up on the highest shelf of one of his many book cases. During when of my visits from NY I spotted them and asked what on earth was he collecting them for. He said they would be worth more as a collection, instead of by themselves. That is what some of Dad's collecting was I think, a sense of bringing purpose or value to something he found interesting that was over looked by others.

Many of you will also recognize these: beer mats. I have always snagged them as well, but actually use them at home. When ever I traveled I would often save them to send to Dad since I knew he collected them. We found more than one container full of them, and various scattered in other files and boxes.

Martha, Krista and I laughed out loud when we discovered a container full of bottle openers. Some were antiques, but many were just regular old bottle openers. Dozens and dozens of them!

We also laughed when we opened this up. This container is bigger than this picture indicates and its packed full of old bottle caps. It was discoveries like this that made me want more than anything for Dad to be able to explain to us. What was he going to do with them?

There was a ton more but some things I am saving for other stories. We found boxes and boxes of old newspapers and magazines. Of course, hundreds of canning jars and shot glasses. I promise to share those in coming entries.