Collecting

    Collecting is something that I have been doing for many years. (Borderline hoarder I suppose) My interests in collecting vary, but tend to lean towards the old and or unusual. When I was a child, my grandmother got me interested in coins, stamps, and rocks of all things. With the exception of the rock collection, I still have the majority of the coins and stamps. Oh, I still have some quartz and agates, but most of my rocks have been lost. (Comes with age I suppose, Ha)
     Throughout the years I have acquired numerous items. From garage and yard sales, to thrift stores and auctions. I have even been fortunate to peruse through local scrap yards (junkyards) and find trinkets that would have otherwise been recycled for their metal content. Also, many of the neighboring towns in my area have what they call "cleanup days". You would be amazed at what some people will throw away. Many items I have were given to me by family and friends as well, of which, regardless of value I hold most dear.
      Smaller items are best, especially if you are limited on space as I have been for many years. However, at this point in my life I have approximately 20 totes with collectable items in them. You just have to love basements, attics, garages, sheds and lots of shelving as well. If I had the money and the room, I would love to have display cases and cabinets to show off  a lot of my collections. Someday soon I hope. But for the time being a few shelves and a couple of bookcases will just have to do. However dusting is quite a chore.
      Alright, on to the collections, but where to begin? I suppose I will start with what I have acquired recently. A Cook Book, vintage is 1890 and is titled "White House Cook Book" First printing was in 1887 while our 22nd president Grover Cleveland was in office.

 
Sadly it is in terrible shape, missing part of the spine and some of the pages have become so brittle that they are breaking off around the edges. But it is truly an awesome book of 568 pages with everything from carving meat to how to remove freckles(yeah right) and everything in between. A dear friend gave this to me knowing how I feel about discarding old treasures, especially old books.
    I recently wrote a fellow collector inquiring as to the value of another cookbook. It is a signed copy of  "Granny's Hillbilly Cookbook" by Irene (Granny) Ryan and Cathy Pinckney.
                                             

Who doesn't remember the Beverly Hillbilly's

I had searched and searched but only found copies that were not signed and they were valued in the $30-$50 range. My new found friend told me that a signed copy could be worth around $150 or more. Well after several emails it looks like I may be doing an interview for her companies website. How cool is that! I haven't asked her yet, but I suppose she won't mind if I direct you to her website that I stumbled across while trying to value this particular cookbook. It is www.cookbookvillage.com  Great site and she was quite helpful and very personable. So if you are interested in vintage cookbooks check it out.
     I do have quite a few other cookbooks such as some old Betty Crocker's, Better Homes and Gardens, Good Housekeeping, and numerous church and other organizations. Just to name a few.

     Collecting cookbooks really came by accident. I mean that I enjoy cooking and having a good cookbook is almost essential in the kitchen. If for nothing else but to reference and or for ideas. But since I hate getting rid of anything they have accumulated. Hence, A Collection!

      I hope you have enjoyed a glimpse into one of my many collections. I will be taking some more photo's and writing about my other collections soon. So stay tuned and Happy Collecting.
   Old Soul


     Images and Information about the collections will be on separate pages, so just click above on the one that interests you. I will be adding more information to all the images as I acquire it, so please stop back from time to time and check it out. And, if you happen to have any information about any items please leave a comment.

Thank you all
  Old Soul