What Typically Happens with New Collectors

When an adult decides to collect something, most of the time, they are very enthusiastic and want to collect every item in the area of their collection, that exists.  When I decided to start collecting mini bottles at that liquor store in Las Vegas, I was filled with that same enthusiasm.  After we got back to Wisconsin, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Wisconsin sold mini bottles.  I started to buy every mini bottle I could find with the small amount of money I had available for discretionary spending at that time.  Our second child was born in 1965 and I was earning a whopping $88 week so I couldn't buy too many, but the collection started growing.

Also, in 1995, my father was talking with his dentist about my crazy hobby.  By the way, I was sure that I must be the only crazy person in the world who was collecting mini liquor bottles.  His dentist mentioned that his neighbor had some of those little bottles and would like to sell them.  My dad told me about and I contacted the guy.  He had 500 bottles and a display cabinet and he was willing to sell them to me for $200.  I was ecstatic!  I talked it over with my wife and I borrowed the money from my dad and bought the collection.  I now had close to 900 mini bottles I had been collecting just over two years.  And, a display case to display most of them.  I was collecting every kind of spirit available....whiskey, gin, vodka, rum, tequila, cognac, cordials, liqueurs, beer, figurals and wines.  It made no difference to me.  As long as they were mini bottles, it was okay with me.  As I filled up the first display cabinet, I began to put mini bottles on shelves, on table tops, in book shelves or anywhere I could find a flat spot.  A few years went by and I had really grown my collection.  I was up to about 4000 bottles when I realized that there must be 1,000's and 1,000's of mini bottles out there in the world and I did not have room for all of them.  I would have to specialize.  This is the point that most collectors reach somewhere along the way.  They have no room for their growing collection, no matter what it is.  My wife is a quilter.  Any of you who have a quilter in the family know that there is no such thing as too much fabric.  We have fabric all over our house.  She has not gotten to that point yet:)

Next time I will talk about what I decided to do.