“It has been speculated that the widespread appeal of collecting is connected to hunting and gathering, once necessary for human survival.”

These are the small collections of my grandchildren. Things they search for and find, acquire, organize, hoard and take photos of. Sometimes they clean them, or in sheer desperation, their parents do.

They are not great collections like antiques (santos, furniture) or artworks or books which end up in museums and libraries. But for all I know, Lilli Ann (one of their mothers)’s vast collection of Hello Kitty! may end up in a museum (or auctioned off) when she’s old and ready to die. Mol (one of their fathers) collects steaks (sorry, all gone).

But “if something exists someone will collect them.” So things collected are limitless. Collections of calling cards or greeting cards or postcards, stamps, coins, comic books, dolls (maybe robots fall under this), vinyl records, bottles and bottle caps, seashells, fossils, bonsai, stones, etc., etc. Imelda collected shoes.

Guide

Chin-Chin Fernando collects lunch boxes.

Rafa Fernando collects hats.

Quinito Fernando collects stuffed toys.

Franco Regalado collects robots, Lego and superheroes.

Carlo Regalado collects robots.

Io Regalado collects anything black with white stripes, such as pants, T-shirt, jacket, belt, watch (also a clock), rubber bracelet, bag, scarf, drinking glass, paper napkins, etc. (Only striped footwear represented).

Miguel Fernando has five or six guitars and is dreaming of more.

Juaneo Fernando has no collection, not even of girlfriends. He has only one.