Since hobbies are the spice of life, I'm wondering what other hobbies everyone has..besides cigars, of course.

The picture shows part of my comic book collection (I stopped counting after about 15,000 🙂 ) In addition to collecting for myself, I turned my hobby into a sort of outreach through which I donate comic books to groups that work with kids. I call it Comics4Kids and have donated close to 15,000 comic books over the last few years to youth centers, hospitals, schools, and so on. If any of you know of any non-profits in your area that work with kids that would like to receive a donation of comics, please feel free to put them in touch with me. And if any of you would like a comic sampler to go with your cigar, feel free to email me at gerbercat(at)yahoo(dot)com.

In addition to comic books, I really enjoy collecting a variety of historical items. I've got a pretty nice collection of vaudeville and old theater programs (among my prizes is an old 1906 program featuring Harry Houdini), as well as programs from burlesque, night clubs and variety shows. I also have a large vintage matchcover collection (including a cool group of WWII-related covers including army and air bases, navy ships, and patriotic covers from the period). And then there are the old short-wave radio (qsl) card collection, and a bunch of old cigar labels and bands (some of which go back to the 1800s). I'll send along pics of some of these items in the days ahead.

So when you're not working or smoking cigars, what do you all enjoy?

first i enjoy reading about your hobbies. my kids collect comics, brad has an office full of transformers and ross collects guitars. toby collects barbies, and beanies,if 300+ is considered collecting.

i have some items from the 1937 new york worlds fair,including a perfect seat and cane combinaton, its a cane but opens into a 3 legged seat, a few items from the old horn and hardhart restaurants, and a bit of old cigar things. i have an old 15 shelf box press, and what may be a valuable cigar server, and some of the earliest humidifiers.

my favorite is a double collections of most of the cars i have owned that had meaning for me. i can't remember the scale size so i just call them large and small cars. if you want i will send you a picture of the cars.

a few trinkets of hummingbirds, wind chimes, pull switches, and assorted misc replicas. if rookie ever manages to hit one with his tennis racket and sends it to me, i'll stuff it. (joking)

also i am lucky enough to have a stained glass window that toby made, and half a dozen pieces of ceramic she made for me also.

Gerber, Great idea turning a hobby into a way to help kids. kudos

Thanks, Huskey. Frankly, I have more fun giving them away to kids than collecting for myself. It's so much fun finding something you enjoy that you can share with others. I got started doing this when my nephew was in the hospital for months suffering with leukemia. I gave him some of my duplicates to help pass the time, then it occurred to me that there are so many others kids out there that would enjoy them. So, I started buying bulk stock on eBay, and my list of places just sort of expanded. Many of the youth centers I give to now use them as part of their reading programs or as rewards for kids after they finish reading a book. Needless to say, the kids go nuts about them, and it gets them reading more. Plus, many are low-income children who could never afford to buy comics. I consider it a sort of redistribution program--buying up a lot of unwanted comic stock among dealers on eBay and spreading it out to those who will really enjoy it.

Oh, on the collections side, I forgot to mention my vintage sports programs and WWII memorabilia (I really love collecting from this time period--both items from the homefront and from the places of battle). And my true prize and family heirloom--a baton used and signed on the handle by Arturo Tuscanini and presented in a case with a plaque to my great-grandmother.

I collect debts (not other's debts, but my own)....and harassing phone calls.

Too funny Tarheel but unfortunately me too. X

HEY GUYS,

I MOD COMPUTERS!

GIG'EM,

DAN

coyote chasing, nothing to collect yet.

Recently, making cigar box purses...

As often as I can, travel and S.C.U.B.A diving...

Past, ceramics...

When I was a kid I used to collect coins and stamps when you could get them from change and local mail. You have to buy to collect now, so I quit. Now I just work on keeping from collecting unemployment.

I do seem to be collecting a lot of parrots.

Barry

BMW, and facial hair, LOL!

E, its just seems to show up on its own, what's up with that?

Barry