Many collectors are interested in objects that were once very common but for various reasons have fallen into disuse and become scarce. No doubt many things that are a matter of everyday use to us now will in a few years be prize packages for collectors. If you knew just which things these were, you could make your grandchildren rich by putting away a good supply. Buttons, for example, may become scarce because of zippers, hooks and eyes, and other more convenient fasteners.

One of the richest fields for the collector is old glass of various kinds. Until about a hundred years ago, all glass objects, such as bottles and glasses, were blown by a very tedious process demanding unusual skill. For this reason glass objects made during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries are prized by collectors. Articles made during this time contain unusually good glass, and it makes the heart of a collector beat faster to see a good piece which was turned out by these early craftsmen. Such things as bottles, plates, wine glasses, and engraved ware are especially appealing to glass collectors.

As you can probably guess, there are many different kinds of glass, and the collector must be "on his toes" in order to distinguish among them. For example, blown glass has a rough scar on the base known as a pontil or punty mark. This mark was made by the breaking away of the iron rod upon which the glass was mounted for working. Not all glass with this mark is blown, but all good pieces of blown glass have it. This is only one of the many things that the skillful collector learns to recognize.

There are also many interesting and unusual collections made of articles used on the table. One woman has made an interesting accumulation of pitchers. Starting with three beautiful pitchers given to her by her mother, she gradually added to her unusual collection. She has found pitchers of all shapes and sizes. The most common type of pitcher in this collection is shaped like an animal with the spout coming out of the mouth. There are lions, tigers, elephants, and cows in her collection. Along this same line, such things as salt shakers, sugar bowls, and other household articles have found the fancy of collectors.

For centuries bells have been used by man for various purposes. Obviously, it is not possible to collect church bells, but it is possible to get together dinner bells of various shapes and tones. This is a good hobby for anyone who has a friend who travels, because every country has its own way of making a bell. If a collector starts assembling bells, he will find that there are brass bells and nickel bells as well as copper, silver, wood, terra cotta, majolica,* and iron bells. If his collection grows, he may add bells shaped like dolls, others like flowers or birds.

Collecting Bottles is an inexpensive hobby if you do not go in for rare ones.

One of the most fascinating subjects in the collection field is the mechanical bank. Years ago, it was quite customary to give children small banks with all kinds of mechanical attachments on them to encourage saving coins. For example, there was the "Presto" bank, shaped like a house. When the coin was inserted, a mouse popped out on the roof. The idea was to encourage children to put their pennies in to see the mouse jump. Another interesting contraption included Jonah and the whale. When the whale opened its mouth, Jonah would throw in a penny. The monster would then swallow the penny and leave Jonah alone. Of course, someone had first to give poor Jonah a penny.

Now a very interesting thing about some of these mechanical banks is that no collector has as yet succeeded in getting his hands on one. "How in the world then," you may be saying, "do they know about them?" The answer is easier than you imagine. Old catalogues carrying pictures of these banks lead us to believe that hundreds of them were sold at one time-Perhaps if you rummage around in your attic, or talk to your grandparents, you might get on the trail of one. It is worth trying, at least.

Many people enjoy collecting articles used by American Indians.

*Terra cotta means hard-baked pottery. Majolica is pottery with a dense glazing.