When I was twelve, I started collecting erasers. They're small, easy to transport, and cheap enough that I can usually afford to get one from each sight that I visit rather than each city or country. The only problem is that while they're easy to find in the UK (where I started the collection), they're harder to find in the rest of Europe.

My favorites are probably the eraser from the National Library of Ireland and the Welsh Fusileers eraser.

I've run out of wall space, I have 15 posters given to me in France and had them framed and two menus from Paris years ago, plus several photos I snapped.
My other collection is of natural things I pick up, from stones to sea shells to pods.

Limoges boxes... my husband got me started with a gift many years ago. Now I get them wherever I go (if I can find one). They had them here in the US this year that featured Venetian gondoliere, but I refused to buy that one if I wasn't getting it in Venice! LOL!

I have little bakery and vegetable carts, special occasion ones, a carrot with a bunny on it from an Easter trip, a cruise ship, a picnic basket. You can find them in almost every country these days!

But I really like the idea of prints... may have to look into that one!

TinaLee

My favorite souvenir shops for Eiffel Towers are the shops on Rue de Rivoli. They have every type of Eiffel Tower imaginable. My recommendation - if you see one you like and don't buy it, it may not be available the next time you are in Paris so buy it when you see it (after comparing prices between a few shops first)

You will also find them at the shops by Notre Dame, but Rue de Rivoli is the best!

I also collect the Gault/Carlton buildings en Provence. In addition I get the magnets from each place I visit.

When our boys were really young, our family started collecting turtles purchased from where ever we traveled because the kids really loved turtles. A special part of every trip was looking for our family turtle. Every turtle has a story about how we chose it and who picked it out. We have a Murano glass turtle from Venice, a carved wood turtle from Castelrotto, a ceramic turtle from Siena, a family of blown glass turtles from Puerto Rico, etc. They are in a glass case in our dining room and serve as wonderful momentos for us regarding our travels.

I collect images of the Blessed Mother, and I now have hundreds: statues, figurines, paintings, prints, holy water fonts, plaques, even bottle caps, braclets and earrings, and t-shirts. Of course, most of these come from Catholic countries, but you would be surprised at how many places sell a good BVM.

I also like St Lucy, or Santa Lucia, and have her in a good many shapes and forms, too.

After the Blessed Mother and St Lucy, I'm willing to go for almost any female saint or female holy figure or godess, but Mary and Lucy are my favorites.

Then, holy cards. I've covered a table with them, and they look great.

I am not relegious at all, but we visit so many churches for the history and art, and they all have gift shops!

I collect thimbles from all of the places I visit. I foud a wooden box while visiting a London market, it holds several of them. I also collect restaurant business cards and use them to create a decoupage end tables for my study!
Clea

Ticket stubs. I have pretty much all of them for about the last 20 years. Concerts, sporting events, theatre, etc etc, even the leftover Paris underground ticket. It helps me remember where I've been and what I've seen. On a number of occasions I've travelled for a specific concert or game, so it makes sense.

Need to find a way to scrapbook them, though...

Switch plates. None of ours match each other or the room they're in, but we like them. Actually, we have them for all of our switches, and are now getting ones for plugs, which are less common.

Antique maps. We have about fifteen of them hanging in the hallway and they remind us of the places we have lived and traveled. My big regret is not buying the 1580 map of Siena in Siena last year...just too many Euros for my budget!

We collect magnets as well. Our refrigerator is a gallery for all of them. I also collect small Murano birds and little ceramic or pewter animals.

To secure your miniatures try the putty that is meant to keep picture frames from shifting on the wall. The stuff I use is called Removable Mounting Putty. It's terrific and can be used over and over.
((c))

Clothes!! On my last trip I bought 4 skirts (including a beautiful provencal tiered one), a very chic white wrap around dress (made in Paris), and a gorgeous cheap scarf from a street vendor. I usually only buy unusual pieces, unless they are tres cheap.

We collect flags of every country that we have visited.
We also collect rocks, seashells, disposible (cardboard) drink coasters from bars.

(we are going to add magnets to collecting, great idea!)

Tucsonlifedit,
You might like a little book called "Our Lady of the Lost and Found". I'm not really into the BVM but it was full of interesting facts, plus a good story.

I collect angels.

Thanks tries2paklite - that will be easy to find!
Kwren

kwren...

you can also use "Quake Wax", which is what a lot of museums use. It's reusable, removable and non toxic - I use it to keep paintings straight on the wall and for some of my smaller collectibles.

you can call to find out where to buy it at this number 800-733-5283

Patricia

I like to buy a new handbag when on vacation. If I don't do it on vacation, I can't justify spending that much money on a new purse. At home, I would buy one far less expensive.

I also collect anything with hot air balloons.

I would like to have more Limoges boxes but those are very specific to one country so I have very few of them.

Another thing I like to buy is a piece of jewelry. I had a great time in Venice and in Bangkok on the great jewelry hunt!

That must be what Melissa up able was thinking of - glad to know the name now. Thanks so much!

obviously I meant "up above", not up able!

You can buy what we call, "earthquake glue" or museum putty at Bed Bath and Beyond or Linens N Things.

Over more than 30 years of foreign travel, mostly to various parts of Europe, I've been picking up bar coasters everywhere I have a beer or a drink. They are free, and the waiter will normally give you a few fresh unused ones if you ask. It's amazing what a colorful collection this can make, and basically at no cost.

Lots of folks I know collect match books and place them in big jars for display. Just another free item that's lots of fun.

And of course the fancy packaged soaps and lotions--great.

L84SKY

Thanks for the book tip; I'm looking it up now. Beverly D'Onfrio's Looking for Mary is an interesting book, with a decent story. Well written if you are at all interested in the subject of a woman's search for some spiritual meaning. Nicely irreverent and yet serious.

Judging from the responses, the title of the thread should be "What DON'T you collect?"

Like Faina, I can't leave a 'do not disturb sign' behind. Antique silver serving pieces, good Limoge pieces (not tourist shop stuff), small antique glasses, Baccarat. salt cellars, antique salt spoons, matches, minatures - as used in doll houses, soaps, and I buy at _least_ one pair of earrings from every place I visit - they don't have anything to do with the cities/towns, ie: Eiffel Towers, etc.. just memories of where I was when I bought them.
Magnets, tea towels, wrist watches, books from museums, chateaux, etc. small vases, especially from Provence, table linens and on and on.

I guess that most of my collections have to do with food or drink ... hmmmmm that tells you something :-))

Nina

Whooops ... Limoges. I wouldn't want you to think that I collect something that I can't spell.

I don't know if this is classified as a collection :-)), but how about an obsessive need to buy scarves in every store and from every street vendor? As my mother used to say, 'how many can you wear at one time?"

Nina

Thanks tucsonlifedit, "spiritual meaning. Nicely irreverent and yet serious." That sounds like book for me.
The collections of flags and bells made me think of the Unity Church in Tucson. They have a huge collection of flags from all around the world inside.
On the outside rimming the building is a nice collection of Paulo Solari bells. It's so peaceful when there's a bit of a breeze.

Fun topic kwren!

I collect a deck of cards from each country visited. My rule is that they must be produced in that country and I try to find decorative figures for the face cards.

Callalilli, My photo theme is a parked bicycle against a building from each trip. Love the crossing signs idea!

tickets...plane ticket stubs, metro, tourist sites, etc. they all go into a box.

Thanks SusanEva - the more posts I read the more I realize I collect too...I have 3 large clear glass vases of matchbooks and a refrig covered with magnets too.

Elephants

2 of my kids collect pennies which are stretched out and have different pictures of the place imprinted. We actually saw one of these "penny" machines at Hallstatt, although you put in a .05 euro piece (and 1€ to pay for it)

My mom collect Welsh Corgis, and she and I both have a santon collection.

I collect glue wine cups from the Chriskindle markt's in Germany.

When I visited my first foreign country, shortly after joining the Navy, I started collecting paper money and coins of every country I visited. I would always look for the cleanest, newest bills I could find. Only about five or ten U.S. dollars worth.

So far my collection contains bills and coins from: Canada, Mexico, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.

If I fly into and right out of an airport of a country, I don't count that as a "conquest".

I'm sort of sad that Europe now uses the Euro, because I can't collect any from those countries. Our next trip is to Italy, a graduation present for my daughter who is finishing law school.

I used my franc coins to decorate a frame for my dog's photo and made two others as gifts. My shells: I decorated terra cotta flower pots.

I collect nothing, as I hate geegaws. The very few knick-knacks I have were given to me.

I do have a weakness for hotel soaps, and I have a drawerful of them.

SusanEva -- yeay for photo souveniers! Your the first other i've 'met'! I love your bycycle against the building theme! i'm sure i will now think of you if/when i see one. \:D/

Coffee cups....picked up souviner cups on our travels and use them daily at home. Finally had to stop as we got too many, but it is a useful item and not one you put on a shelf.

thx for the info, re eiffel tower collectibles. and, i used to collect turtles for my sister. im not sure how it started, but at one point, she said "thanks so much, but enough already"! lol

I have also a very small collection (4) of enamelled coins that have been made into jewellry---a three pence from the 1940's, an Irish punt from the 40's, a 1970's era pound coin, and another pound enamelled in a different color. They are fun to wear and people always ask about them.

walkinaround, you just gave me a simple and great idea...I also tend to bring home all kinds of ticket stubs and other small paper memorabilia and I always think this stuff is going to go into some yet un-created scrapbook, but all I really want to do is just sift through them and enjoy the memories.

Duh, put 'em in a box!

Not to get anal or anything, but just your average shoebox or???

Also guilty of those 'do not disturb' signs.