Lately I’ve been thinking about collectibles. Collectible is defined by Merriam Webster as an object that is collected by fanciers, especially: one other than such traditionally collectible items as art, stamps, coins, and antiques. And I have plenty of these things.

COLLECTIBLES I STARTED

Turtles. The ranch is named Las Tortugas in honor of my father. He loved to say, “Like a herd of turtles in a cloud of dust.” Once I named it, turtles were given to me, and I have collected them in all forms. Glass turtles, wood turtles, turtle earrings, turtle pictures, turtle jewelry, turtle dish cloths. You name it, I’ve gotten it.

Beanie Babies. Yes, I have a number that were given to me, including Beanie Baby Turtles.

Shot Glasses. OMG! I have an ample collection of these. We usually buy one on our travels as a souvenir. My children will bring us back ones from their trips as well.

Mugs and Alcoholic Beverage Bottles. The mugs have been picked up on trips to Europe and a few other places in the U.S. One goes back to a trip to Williamsburg, VA in the 1960s. The bottles are unique, one autographed, others opened to celebrate special birthdays such as turning forty.

Baseball Caps. Let’s not forget my husband’s collection.

Watches. My husband used to devour the watch network and bought tons of watches. Of course, he never wears them anymore because he has a smart watch.

My Mom’s Paintings. My mother started painting when she was older. Much of her artwork is displayed throughout my home, especially in the guest room.

COLLECTIBLES I INHERITED

Then, there are the collectibles you inherit, such as my mother’s demitasse cups. They are on a shelf in my office. They bring back my childhood, I remember staring at them in the China cabinet when I was a preschooler.

We are in possession of my father-in-law’s fishing lures, scads of family photos passed on from our parents, and my dad’s guns.

The most valued collection passed down are arrowheads. My grandfather owned a farm on McKee Island in the Tennessee River near Guntersville, Alabama. The TVA flooded the land in the 1930s. My mother had a box of arrowheads from the island. My brother and I split these. My grandson helped me clean and fix the case they are in. Basically, it held no sentimental value for him.

One of my friends said her mother collected spoons. She has possession of the whole collection, sitting in a box.

WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR COLLECTIBLES?

My brother’s basement flooded, and, in the process of cleaning, he has decided to depart with some collectibles, mementos of our parents, including my mother’s jewelry box, my father’s PhD diploma, and some paintings of my mother’s he will never hang. Me, the sucker, couldn’t bear to see these things disappear so I agreed to take them.

What happens when I die? I have one closet in the house devoted to family pictures, parents’ yearbooks, and other paraphernalia of their lives. Also, old pictures of mine, such as junior high band pictures and images of my children growing up.

I know my heirs can’t keep everything. I wish they could, but, at least, I hope I’ll either be dead or mentally incapacitated in a nursing home, so I won’t know what they decide to do with it all.

I am OK with getting rid of most of it, BUT the arrowheads, demitasse cups….

Do you have collectibles? What’s their future? Do you dump them now or leave it to your heirs?

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