By J1 Reporter Olivia Langdon
A Garfield plush, a $400 Pokémon card, a deer skull, and vintage comic book all have one thing in common, they are sitting on a shelf, or in a box, as a part of someone’s collection.

If something exists, there’s likely someone who collects it. Collections are a unique hobby, as you can collect just about anything, from strange rocks to vintage character memorabilia, to Japanese fashion and bird-shaped pins.

They are also one of the few hobbies that primarily focus on buying things. Some people may discuss their collections or talk about them online, but collecting is a hobby that focuses on spending money on stuff that brings you joy.

Maybe there is someone you know who collects, and you never even realized. Many students at Marian have their own collections, comic books, shoes, plants, animal remains, and much more.

Sophomore Evelin Langenfeld has been collecting comic books for about three years now. She is a big DC fan and owns around 1,000 comic books, almost all being DC. She goes out to buy comic books at Dragon’s Lair Comics or Half-Price Books around once a month, but that may increase once she can drive.

The oldest comic books in her collection are from the 60s, long before she was born, but Langenfeld primarily reads ones published between 1985-2000. Most of the comic books she buys are not too expensive, especially for this day and age, but the most expensive piece in her collection, currently, is an omnibus (collection of comic books) that cost her around $80.

Many types of collections are growing in popularity right now. Blind boxes and other similar collectibles, as well as trading cards, are more popular than ever.

This high demand, unfortunately, causes them to be hard to find and expensive. This issue may vary based on what you collect, Garfield memorabilia collectors will likely find merch everywhere they look, but those who collect merch for their favorite cereal mascot from the 80s may not have that much luck. Not everyone has these concerns though.

Some people collect the old, others collect the dead, some may even collect the living. Sophomore Olivia Urbanski collects oddities, such as bugs, animals in the form of taxidermy skulls and bones, and unique plants. The pride of her collection is a unique plant called a pothos, also known as the devil’s vine, and one of her most interesting animal pieces is a bobcat skull. Urbanski has around 30 bones, and six plants in her current collection. She’s always been interested in animals and has been collecting for around two years. Her two collections cannot be kept together, as the plants must be kept wet and the bones should be dry.

Urbanski doesn’t add to her collection often, only a couple of times a year. She emphasizes the importance of doing your research before purchasing specimens like these.

Urbanski also says she wants people to stop viewing women’s collections differently than men’s, “I feel there’s a bad connotation on how women and girls who collect animals with old men, they’re allowed to hunt and hang giant animals on their wall, as soon as I’m interested in it, as a woman, I’m perceived as weird.”

Not everyone is new to the scene though, Josh Jones has been collecting horror movie replicas for 40 years. His dad was a local celebrity in the horror scene in the 70s and unfortunately got very sick. His mother would take him shopping for Halloween stuff as a distraction from all of this. Jones continues to collect horror replicas as a way of remembering his parents.

He commissions artists to make replicas of horror movie icons and creatures, and they can take anywhere from 1 to 5 years to create. Jones has put about $300,000  into this collection, with one his most unique pieces being a life-size, one-of-a-kind silicone Frankenstein. The majority of his collection is stored in glass cases and custom made display cabinets. Although all of this work can be a hassle, “Life is short, make sure to enjoy every little bit, especially your hobbies,” Jones says. He wants young people to make sure they enjoy what they are collecting and the process of it.

Whether you’ve collected for two years or 40 years, spent $200 or $300,000, if it brings you joy it is worth it. These people show that your passion can truly be whatever you make it, and you shouldn’t let anybody else tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. And you never really know what is happening behind someone’s closed door.

Have an interesting collection yourself?
Tell us about it in the comments below!