Search Results for: matches

Just today, while going through some old drawers, I stumbled upon a stash of vintage girl scout "The Collector" badges. These deserve to be awarded and enjoyed, so here's my idea...

Email me a photo of a collection of unusual or mundane things you have curated, horded, or assembled and I'll send the first twenty of you one of these special badges to commemorate your gathering. Just be sure to include your mailing address in your email submission.

Earning Your Badge
I won't require that you follow the original girl scout program to earn the badge, but isn't it fun to read nonetheless? Here are the classic instructions:

• Start a collection or add to one you have already started.
• Figure out a way to arrange your collection at home. Use scrapbooks, shelves, boxes, or whatever seems best for the collection
• Group or label the objects in your collection so they will be interesting to other people.
• Choose three objects and write a display label for each telling such things as: Where you found it. Age of object. How it was made. Story about it.
• Find out more about your collection in one of the following ways: Visit another collector to see his or her exhibit. Read books or magazines. Talk to someone who knows about what you are collecting.
• Show your troop your newest addition and one of your favorite pieces in your collection.
• Display your collection at a troop meeting or hobby show, or invite some troop members to see your collection at home.

I particularly like requirements three, four and five because they encourage you to be a curator and connect your collection to other people and the wider world around you.

My Favorite Collections
Here are two examples from my own varied collection of collections: vintage feature matchbooks and miniature postal items.

Feature matches were used for advertising and promotion for all kinds of businesses, and first appeared around 1935.

The matches themselves are printed, often in very imaginative and sweet ways.

Update 8/10/2012 - Inspired by my collection, Lisa Hix of Collectors Weekly just published Playing With Matches, a wonderful article tracking the evolution of feature matches. Lisa's write-up includes plenty more fun examples of creative matchbook concepts.

Second up is my "small" collection of vintage postal related items. The paper truck and mailbox are constructed from cutouts from an old magazine. And check out the tiny girl scout epistolary badge! The three tiny birdies with even tinier letters in their beaks (look closely!) were a 30th birthday gift from my mom last year: one for each decade.

What do you collect? I'd love to see!