#collecting

#collecting

It's important to state that I am the most insufferably sentimental person I know. There are old birthday cards collecting dust in my jam-packed cupboards, stuffed toys their colours long-faded sitting in my bedroom despite their prime cuddling years over, while gifts handmade by friends I no longer talk to take up real estate on my cluttered shelves. You couldn't pay me to part with any of them.

Olivia, our granddaughter, said, " If there isn't a photo, it didn't happen." This may be a bit extreme, but to some, photography freezes time with an immediacy no other medium can match. A photo is an imprint of something that truly exists: a person, a place, or a gesture. To accumulate such images is to collect moments that survive.

During these revolting times, what we need are heroes. Step forward one such person, offering a bright light of hope into our murky days: the Kabuto King. This anonymous figure (because all the best superheroes are) appeared from nowhere in August this year, with a single and singular goal: to collect every first edition Kabuto card from the Pokémon TCG 's Fossil set. He's currently at 1,748.

It may seem extravagant as a stocking filler, but a finely crafted wristwatch will prove to be a gift that won't just keep time, but will also mark a moment in time with just as much poignancy as jewelry. Given the average watch wearer glances at their wrist around 80 times a day, you're sealing a sentiment that will only grow as it ticks the time away.

During the holiday season, it becomes all the more apparent that we are all awash in useless stuff. From the once-a-year seasonal outfit to ornaments without sentiment, trinkets we soon discard, and gag gifts that don't make it past opening day, the world pushes us to buy more of it all - stuff that we don't need and, frankly, don't really want. This puts us collectors in a troubling spot.

A long time ago, in a retail store not that far away, there sat an Airfix model of the Star Wars Imperial Star Destroyer. And I wanted it. Back then, I was a Star Wars devotee long before it became the global pop-culture monolith it is today. I was also a keen model maker - mostly assembling the very earliest White Dwarf and Warhammer kits. But the Airfix Star Destroyer - that was the dream kit. The Holy Grail.

Building a Pokemon card collection doesn't have to drain your wallet and right now might be the perfect time to jump in: The trading card craze has sparked fresh enthusiasm across all generations, from kids discovering these iconic creatures for the first time to adults rekindling their childhood passion. Amazon's Prime Big Deal Day is wrapping up today, and there's a standout offer that everyone can grab, Prime member or not: this assorted lot of 50 Pokemon cards has dropped to just $5,

Pappy Van Winkle releases new offerings every year, typically in the autumn and in batches of six. Bourbon aficionados come out of the woodwork, many meticulously scheming for the slight chance of snagging a special reserve bottle. Bottles can sell for thousands of dollars apiece on the secondary market - but the actual retail prices upon release are surprisingly much lower. Scoring a bottle of Pappy is indeed challenging, but here's a look at the new offerings and initial list prices (subject to availability with individual retailers).

The organisation's first volume was published on August 27 1955 and sparked worldwide curiosity about record-breaking achievements. The inspiration for the book came from a debate at a shooting party in the early 1950s in County Wexford, Ireland, which was attended by Sir Hugh Beaver, the then-managing director of the Guinness Brewery. He and his hosts debated the question of the fastest game bird in Europe but failed to find an answer in any reference book.

It looked like a ship's wheel, a kitschy bit of decor you might see at a nautically themed bar. But he was drawn to it because of its maker. Timepieces from Chelsea Clock Co. were renowned for their design and precision. The company's clocks could once be found on Navy battleships during World War II, and adorned mantels, walls and desks at the White House for presidents ranging from Dwight Eisenhower to Joe Biden.

The series sees Sam curate this mass of "unlikely" objects into colour coordinated collections, which are then photographed individually before being stitched together to create one very satisfying artwork. He's done orange, mint green, red, green and pink, but it's not just about the colour - it's about bringing out the unique characteristics and charm of each of the everyday objects.

"He'll go and watch videos of these players," David says, "like 'Best Plays of Ken Griffey Jr. Ever.' Just introducing him to those old players from my childhood is more important than finding a Griffey Star Rubies. It's him getting to know the players that I used to know and love."

The Encyclopaedic Whisky Collection is a remarkable assortment assembled over 20 years, capturing the essence of Scotch whisky and its evolution.