Exact Days Unknown // c. Jan., 1951; 1976

    History has always intrigued me. Weather it be the creation/evolution of the universe (more on that later), the rise and fall of the dinosaurs, ancient humanity, technological advancements, corporate beginnings and family genealogy just to name a few. I'm an archivist by nature or what Heidi tends to call "Hector the Collector".
    I've got quite an extensive Coca-Cola collecton including bottles, cans, advertisements, books, glassware, clocks and last but not least, a vintage, functioning, bottle dispensing Coke machine. My other major collection features items related to the sports company, Nike, Inc. I started collecting running advertisements and used them for motivation. That branched out to all magazine advertisements, business cards from factory stores and Niketown stores, hang tags on apparel and shoes, brochures, pamphlets, stickers, books and a list of over 3000 pieces of Nike footwear including prices, dates and athletic activity on my very own Nike fan site.
    Where did this passion for collecting originate? Without much argument, it's a pretty safe bet that all fingers would point to my dad. His collections range anywhere from photography paraphernalia to Avon items to baseball cards, stamps and record albums. Flea markets, auctions, estate sales, you name it and we were there. He's always been one to find a great bargain on anything and everything. There are items that I'll use forever like the oak desk I'm sitting at now. There are also items that will never be used. He's going to make a lot of people happy on EBAY someday soon.
    And since history and collections seem to run in the family, look closely at the two photographs at left. That's right, the same Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, possibly the same shoes and definitely the same hair and smile. My dad (pictured at the top for those still trying to guess) seems to have me on arm length but I have him beat on ear length! If I recall correctly, the outfit has a yellow top and white bottom and almost certainly is ready to be unpacked and used in a third-generation photograph. Because that's how history, traditions and collections are created. III


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