Among some of the unusual collections are those that center about clothing of one kind or another. Even bed clothing is no exception to this. Collecting fine old quilts is a hobby that many housewives find most fascinating. Quilts made long ago at old-fashioned quilting parties are especially worth while. It may be that you can get your hands on one that has a family history behind it. If so, don't hesitate to acquire it.

Indian goods, including pieces of Indian clothing, attract some people. Beaded moccasins or buckskin jackets with the smell of the tepee still in them are interesting as well as valuable. Then there are the many other types of Indian craftwork that can be gathered from all parts of North and South America: baskets, jewelry, weapons, blankets, Navajo rugs, and pottery - all interesting as well as useful. One man has made a very extensive collection of Indian arrowheads. From all parts of America these stone points have found their way to his display boxes. They are beautiful and, incidentally, very valuable.

Closely related to the Indian crafts are the tooled leather goods that may come from various parts of the world. Letter cases, desk pads, book covers, and wallets are a few such things that are fun to collect. The whole field of crafts is interesting for the collector. Tin working, copper hammering, wood carving, and rug making have produced a wide variety of useful articles from which to choose.

Odds And Ends

It may seem strange to speak of collecting string. One thinks of birds gathering string for their nests, but to think of a human being going through life looking for pieces of discarded cord one may need to stretch his imagination. Yet, when you understand how many interesting things there are about such a hobby, it is not the least bit strange. String, like anything else, can have romance and meaning if you know how to go about finding it. One woman who has such a hobby, for example, has gathered string from the four corners of the earth. You would be amazed at the different kinds of string she has managed to collect. Not only does her collection represent every color in the rainbow, but it represents scores of different kinds of material.

Then, too, there is fun in gathering pieces of string with a history. The string tied around a Christmas package presented to the President of the United States; a string used by Charlie Chaplin in one of his famous comedies; a string that has been flown over the Atlantic Ocean or across the broad Pacific on the China Clipper - these are some of the possibilities in this field. No doubt you can think of many others.

So it is with many odds and ends. They can have romance if there is some reason behind the collection. Many people collect snapshots of their friends and mount them in albums.

Doll Collections are interesting, especially when the dolls are dressed in native costumes, or when they date back to a specific time in history. At the left are Czechoslovak dolls in typical Czech outfits. At the right is an American Indian doll.

At the left are American dolls of the 1860's, made during the period of the War Between the States. At the right is a French doll dressed in the Parisian style of 1872.

Others find joy in saving newspaper clippings of various kinds, while still others like unusual postmarks on letters. One man has collected several hundred neckerchief slides. He is a Boy Scout leader, and astounds his friends by never wearing the same one twice. Then, there is a teacher who has made an unusual collection of excuses handed in by pupils. Some of these, you can be assured, are very comical. You could save all the "boners" made in class from now on. Perhaps you could start by recalling some past ones. As you know, there are several books full of "boners" made by students which make hilarious and entertaining reading.

Even bones do not escape from collectors' fancies. Since there are many different kinds of bones, you can readily see that this is a rich field. In fact, there are so many possibilities in a bone collection that it is usually good to specialize in some particular kind of bone. One woman, for example, has collected wishbones for many years. These she boils and sterilizes, then inscribes and sends to her friends on special days. She uses them instead of greeting cards. She has even found a considerable market for these bones because other people, hearing of her hobby, have ordered wishbones from her.