Bill LeslieBill Leslie's Carolina Conversations
People are always asking me where to take vacation. What's a cool place? What's the most scenic drive? Carolina Conversations attempts to answer those questions and others.

Old Stuff

Do I look like a guy who collects a lot of old stuff? I must. Just yesterday I was contacted by two people who wanted to give me their stuff. One gentleman from Chatham County inherited a huge collection of big band records from the 1940’s. He thought I would like to have them. I thanked him for the gesture of generosity but explained that I just don’t have room at home. Later I was sent an email from a woman who wanted to share with me her collection of vintage WRAL t-shirts including one from the environmental campaign “Save Our Sounds.” As she put it: “They are actually still in pretty good shape - no holes, stains, tears, or yellowing. Not bad for being probably 20 years old or more!”  I had to pass on that as well. My t-shirt collection at home is already a closet buster.

Okay. Now it’s my turn. I have something to give away. It’s a collection of knobs, meters and audio jacks. I’ve got this 32 channel Tascam audio console that I have used in my home studio for eight years. I am getting rid of it to make way for a new digital system. The Tascam console is in great shape and works well. I’d be willing to donate it to a church or some other charity. Let me know if you’re interested. My email address is bleslie@wral.com I’m under heavy pressure at home to remove this fine piece of equipment from my garage.

Today’s question: what do you collect as a hobby? The person who comes up with the most creative collection will win a Blue Ridge Reunion CD, which, by the way, was recently voted Best Instrumental Acoustic Album of 2008 by international radio hosts.

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Bill, sorry to say sometimes old radio and studio equipment becomes good boat anchors. I have an attic full and hate to toss out. I know a guy that collects old microphones.

Hi Bill I collect the turtle seashells you buy at any beach shop. My grandkids call them my new family and they keep growing by leaps and bound. Also collect ducks we probably have over 50 different kinds from stuffed to glasses.

Coincidently, my wife and I collect old radios - vintage 1930's to 1950's. Wood cabinets as well as bakelite. We have about a dozen now, in various places in our house.

All have their cabinets restored, some are beautiful mahogany and other beautiful woods. Most work, some do not, but I hope to get them going after I retire. Refurbishing old radios will be a good hobby for me then.

The radio in my office at home was a gorgeous 1941 Airline model. We donated it to our church to sell for a mission fund.

You can't beat that wonderful tube radio sound!

I collect cook books. I have enough that I am pretty picky, concentrating on older cookbooks, especially from pre-1970. But I'll pick up newer ones if they strike my fancy. Fundraiser collections are fun, but once again, I generally look for older ones, OR, I'll get newer ones from unusual places or unusual groups. For instance, I just found one at a used book store from Oolenoy Baptist Church in Pumpkinville SC which just sort of captured my interest; it was older too, which was a plus and it even had a page insert with some corrections--I love that kind of stuff. Getting cutouts or personal recipes tucked into the pages is always a plus.

My dad collected recipes from the newspaper (back to the 50s!) and he recently gave me all of those. Trying now to catalog them and put them together. Funny, he almost never cooked. I might put out my own cookbook one day "Things my dad never cooked" or something like that. Ah, the food section of the newspaper used to be great!

I collect WWII Navy items.

Hi Bill. Just thought I would share my collections. I collect "Snoopy's". Anything with Snoopy on it, I've just got to have it. I was once at the flea market in Raleigh and saw a filthy stuffed Snoopy at one of the vendor spots and grabbed it so quickly you would think it was something someone was going to fight me for. The vendor even said, "You want that?" He took $2 and I went home, threw him in the washer and would not take $200 for him now. I also tend to collect horses:) (Real, alive ones) Only 2 people ride and we have SEVERAL. I just can't seem to part with any of them. So, in a sense, I have accumulated so many, I would call it "Collecting":)

My dad collects playboy magazines. He's got every one from the first to the latest.

I collect lots of things - I have refrigerator magnets from all of the cities and states that I've been to, plus some extra non-specific ones. I love cookbooks, and have over a hundred plus lots of loose recipes. I have animal figurines of all descriptions, and my office at work is full of all things beach related and fishy, including 7 stuffed fish and up until last month a live Betta. He died and I haven't yet gone to get another one, but I'm sure I will. Apparently I also collect paper, because I can't see either my desk at work or home for it!

Collections...a wonderful thing AND pet peeve!!! My husband and I started collecting shot glasses when we started dating 30 years ago. We have over 300 (not near as many as other collectors) neatly displayed on glass shelves in the hall, out of the way. They are easy and cheap to collect, give you a memory of your travels, and take up very little space. However, on the other hand, I have somehow become a collector of nativity scenes, Santa Clauses, Angels, and flip flop "stuff". While I admit that I like these things, who in the world needs 100 angels of various sizes??? I really do not have any idea how this has all happened, but it sure does take a lot of space to store all of things!

My wife and I have stopped collecting except for her Noah's Arc Sets and my tobacco pegs. The pegs are a sort of dibble made by farmers during the early days of tobacco. Usually of pine lightwood knots they were shaped for each male family member and used to reset or early on to set whole fields of tobacco after rain. They represent truly hard work and remind me of how people did what they had to do to make a living in those days. Anyway it goes to show people like to collect things that help them remember their past.

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