When I was a teenager my grandma gave me a ‘British Home Stores’ (now closed down all stores, but I think they are still online) plastic bag full of small cards saved from cigarette packets and tea boxes over the years.

The cards were given away in cigarette packets, tobacco tins and boxes of tea. My grandma kept all of the cards she collected and I am pleased she did because I am the happy owner of our collection now.

Because  I was a cool teen, I put them under my bed where they stayed for many years maybe until I left home to go to college.  I fished them out, sorted them into collections and stored them in vintage wooden boxes left to me by my other grandma and great gran.

When I was a poor student I took them to be evaluated and maybe sell them, the dealer offered me five pounds and thankfully I wasn’t that desperate to sell them, so I didn’t.

I am so pleased I didn’t part with them on that skint day because they are such a treasure.  They are not likely to make me rich (I am sure they are worth more than a fiver though) but they are rich in memories and I love to look through them all.

Sometimes I use them to make cards or in art journal spreads but always a photocopy!

I don’t have any complete collections but I have cards featuring – Famous Jockeys, Transport through the Ages, Famous People, Sporting Personalities, The Sea-our other world, Champions of Screen and Stage, Tarzan, Inventors and Inventions, Flags and Emblems of the World, Portraits of Famous Stars and Film Partners.

My favorite collections are ‘Film Stars’ and ‘Inventors and Inventions’ which covers everyone from Edwin Land who invented the Polaroid camera to the invention of the hearing aid.

Do you have any collections you love now, but not so much when you started them or received them?

Happy collecting and happy Wednesday x