as hobby,what do yall collect?

[gene2009]

Originally Posted by Mounds

I wouldn't sell it all. I've considered selling my bug collection and I'm glad I haven't. The nice thing with these hobbies is that you can put it away for a few years and pick up right where you left off. When you sell it, it's gone for good.

It's the same with bugs. Light destroys the pigments and you end up with some drab looking stuff. I'm not sure where you are from but there is an excellent cabinet maker in Quebec and plenty in Europe. Those cabinets are designed for these types of collections.

What I've done in the past is I keep a few really magnificent specimens on display. I usually pick ones that are really impressive to people who are unfamiliar with these things but are easy to get. For example, I tend to put rhinoceros or stag beetles on display. They look really cool and they're easy to acquire. If they get ruined, no big deal.
All of the specimens with sentimental value, rarities or simply less impressive species get put into those cabinets I talked about. Often times, visitors will see the display specimens and then become eager to see the rest.

I haven't lost my daily joy with my collection. Sometimes I'll pop in before work and take a look at them. Hope that helps

-Tim

Tim, thank you for the fast answer.
I'm from the Ukraine. Probably, I'll follow to your suggestion and will order a cabinet for my specimens. It's no problem to order a piece of furniture here. And i know how a cabinet must be. The question is why i've not done before! What fu.. am i waiting for?!

I helped to sell a bug collection of one Russian guy a few years ago. So, i was in that subject a couple of months too. I found bugs and butterflies are an interesting subject of collecting.
I've been helping to sell different collectibles from antique postcards to cold steel, but i always like natural items.
Gene
P.S. Sorry for my pretty bad English.

[cacheborn]

I used to collect postal stamps when I was a child.

Wouldn't mind collecting few of these..

[Clover]

Nothing, nowadays. I move about too much. I used to collect fossils I found myself (no dino-bones, just chunks of rock with ferns on ) until my mother called me one day when I was away at university to say she'd 'thrown away all those muddy stones'. I was really quite emotional about that, at the time ...

[180]

Originally Posted by Velorien

But think of all the practical applications!

Knock knock!

180 looks out to see Jehovah's Witnesses knocking on his door.

180: At last!

180 places a couple of fake Necronomicons on the coffee table with a crystal skull as a paperweight, lays a small carpet with a blood-red pentagram on the floor, and makes sure the rest of his collection is clearly visible.

180: [opens door] Please, come in. I've been expecting you. Can I offer you a cup of... tea?

lol I think you've figured a way to keep the inlaws from visiting!

[Mounds]

Originally Posted by gene2009

Tim, thank you for the fast answer.
I'm from the Ukraine. Probably, I'll follow to your suggestion and will order a cabinet for my specimens. It's no problem to order a piece of furniture here. And i know how a cabinet must be. The question is why i've not done before! What fu.. am i waiting for?!

I helped to sell a bug collection of one Russian guy a few years ago. So, i was in that subject a couple of months too. I found bugs and butterflies are an interesting subject of collecting.
I've been helping to sell different collectibles from antique postcards to cold steel, but i always like natural items.
Gene
P.S. Sorry for my pretty bad English.

Here's an ad I lifted from an entomology site:

MORPHO v.o.s. - We are producers and developers of entomological equipment and accessories, nets, chemicals, pins, etc. and are active in Central Europe. -- P.O.Box 25 530 03 Pardubice, Czech Republic, phone: ++420 40 6670 519; fax ++420 40 6670 773

I'm sure these guys sell insect cabinets. One of my buddies from Manitoba bought a massive (60-drawer) cabinet from someone in Czech. Could be the same guys.

If you ever do decide to get into bug collecting, drop me a line and I'll give you some tips. There is likely some neat ground beetles in your area (Family Carabidae) and people in North America are always looking to trade. Check out this site, featuring many ground beetles from the Ukraine:

New version of site is here: www.carabidae.pro - Search results

Scroll down to the Carabus genus. Some of those are really neat.

-Tim