Weird collections - Number plates etc. Show us yours too.

[Grizz1963]

I collect various things, mostly mad and senseless, and mostly endorsed by Nicola, my wife...... but then, she collects too.

I am always looking for more plates from around the world to add to my mad collection and on www.garagelournal.com there is an active number plate swopping and also a showing thread.

Thought I would post up a few pics taken today, and also some pics of Nicola's collection.

Today was not a good day for me, so rather than rip a head off, or sit in a corner crying, I thought I would do some woodwork in the shed, but before I go there, I ended up in the garage, sorting out and grouping my "newest" number plates for my collection.



Then I took some of the plates that did not "fit" off the rafters



Followed by a significant change, including removal of all the metal signs.
They will be refitted later when I have revised the current layout of the garage interior.
This includes removing the up and over single door, and boarding up that side and fitting a large hardwood door, or a door and a half if I can find one.

After a few hours I was happy.

One side....



And looking from the other side.



I have some more room to fit some of my traded plates, and will look out for some special ones in the mean time to add.


Next up, a section copied from a thread I started in 2011

Had to go to the Post Office to get a motorbike spares parcel out to South Africa urgently.
Stopped in the carpark and found this plate there against the fence in the weeds, It had been driven over and there was a bunch of oil on it too, thought it would add to Micky next doors pile of brass that he sells on.

However, when I picked it up, I noted the picture on it.

Nicola has been collecting old smoking pipes of various vintages for some time now, since we went for a "romantic" walk on the Medway riverside one low tide.



Note her grubby paws tightly holding all the bits of clay pipe in a small bag that we had found in an hour of walking the shore.
Keep in mind, the Medway had a load of wooden hulled Prison Ships years ago, and many of these clay pipes were disposable "penny pipes"



Brass plate as found.



Straightened out, polished and now wrapped up for Christmas.... ;D



And there I was worrying that I did not know what to get her for Christmas.

Unfortunately many of these pipes are very fragile, and some get here via courier/postal service, broken. Which is a pity.
Yesterday she got a couple of rare, Order of the Buffalo ceremonial pipes and one was broken in 2 places, problem is the money is not the issue here, its the fact that they are pretty much irreplaceable.

Today, this one which she had been looking for, for a long time came..... bad packaging, resulting in multiple breaks, so worthless in the investment market. I will try to fix is and the Order of the Buffalo pipe. Unfortunately the seller did not know what he had, did a BIN for £5.00 which Nicola grabbed, but his packing was atrocious.

Anyway, what do you have or collect that is slightly, or very "Left Field" ?

Worth a lot more before it was broken.



Some of the collection.
Also the tobacco jars and some other paraphernalia are part of her search, some Victorian ones like the blue on the top right shelf are worth a bit.






Last pic, the two ceremonial pipes. Nicola's favourite, the revolver , a traditional "Penny pipe" her dad found for her, a dope pipe my brother sent her and a Chinese pipe off Ebay.

Digestive biscuit just for size persective at about 85mm diameter.




Please feel free to add pics , comments and opinions of your own weird collections.


After posting the weird collection thread recently, I had a PM from David aka PodBod on the UK Teardrop site, to see if I was interested in buying some Meerschaum pipes.... pics followed and a very reasonable price agreed, he also very generously threw in 3 pipe stands.
Interestingly, Nicola had just started looking for another pipe stand for some of her better clay pipes, so these were perfectly timed.

I let her unpack the "late Christmas/early Birthday" prezzie..... and the look on her face was worth the price.

Pics to tell the story.



Turban guy, used, very nice.



Pattern, new, unused, very nice.



Indian head/Native American chief head, used, lovely.



Used, magnificent detail, my favourite.




Weird collection, undoubtedly, value to me having a happy wife? Priceless.

I guess this posting will straddle two different threads as it comes from one place and passes another toward an outcome.

Recently Nicola has been helping her mum clear up their house of the clutter one collects over a lifetime (mum is 80 )

This week she found an old tobacco jar that dad used a looooong time ago, but it had no lid, Nicola says she remembers it from a long time ago, never having a lid, so maybe it was porcelain and got broken.

When I saw it, I loved the ships on it, and decided to have a go at making a wooden lid for it, so that she could add it to her collection.





There are three different ships around it.

Enter a bit of wood, measured, cut and mounted.



Not sure how long it took, but happy with the result.

I had planned on putting something on top of the lid, like a small handle, but while I was rummaging for something, Nicola surprised me with a cuppa and some biccies, and of course saw the surprise I was making for her and asked me to leave it plain and simple as it was at that point.

This was the result, also good to be back on the lathe for a change, as I have not done a thing for some time.



I also burned the top of the lid to create some contrast, and it was meant to focus ones attention on the small handle/item that was going to go on top.

A rather special pipe I found last year while touring around Europe on my motorbike..... brought it home and found a happy wife as a result.



Nicola had started collecting Victorian hatpins for a while but pulled out of that to focus on her pipes and bits that go with smoking pipes and cigars.





Please do add your own collections and descriptions onto this thread if you feel like it.