For example, a philumenist collects match labels, boxes, booklets (matchbooks), matches themselves, and other items related to them.
Deputy Head of Capital Construction Directorate Andrei Pinchuk is ready to talk about his collection for hours. Each copy for him is worth its weight in gold.
This one was purchased at Budapest airport, and that house of matches was presented by colleague Vitaly Malishevsky... They all have their own history. Boxes are the Soviet chewing gum and palm in size, trapezoidal and rectangular, hunting (helping to make a fire in extreme conditions) and fishing (burning even in water), fireplace - the collector collected hundreds of them. They depict anything you want: samples of weapons from the time of the Great Patriotic War, coats of arms of cities of our country, road signs, Belarusian ornament, puzzles, advertising of enterprises.
For the uninitiated in phylum, a matchbox is a trifle, and for connoisseurs it is a miniature masterpiece. Unlike other collectors, Andrei Alekseevich does not chase exclusive metal or porcelain boxes. He is particularly interested in domestic matchboxes, first released in factories. Although in his collection, there are boxes not only from the USSR and modern Belarus, but also from Egypt, Cyprus, Turkey, Montenegro... A matchbox is the cheapest thing that reflects national character, history and geography, culture. Andrei Alekseevich will undoubtedly continue to replenish his collection. A matchbox brought from a neighboring city or from over seven seas will be his most desired souvenir for him.
Alexander Kirilchik is attracted to numismatics:
“I started collecting coins when he worked at VTB Bank,” says Alexander Kirilchik. - Prior to this, my collection has the only old coin inherited from my grandmother. At the bank, I met people who are seriously fond of numismatics, and from their submission I began to replenish my own fund. Soviet Olympic rubles, banknotes of the CIS countries, banknotes and coins of foreign countries ... Familiar people bring from those countries where they were. I subscribe to the Coins and Banknotes publications, to each of which an original copy is attached. What is the most valuable and memorable? Rare coins from Vatican: exclusive euro cents with the image of pontiffs are sold much more expensive than their face value. So, my hobby is not cheap. The cost also depends on the material of manufacture - gold, silver, copper-nickel alloy. My dream is to get a coin related to energy. For example, in 2021, the 100th anniversary of the GOELRO plan will be celebrated - which is no reason to mint exclusive coins!
Alexander Kirichik has another collection - flags with state symbols of the countries of the world.
Roman Sokolovsky collects pens. Particular and separate attention is devoted to atomic topics: there are only more than a dozen pens with the symbols of BelNPP in the collection.
Vladislav Shiger collects coasters. It is a stand for a beer mug(from the German Bierdeckel - "Beer Cap"), as well as coasters weighing 5 to 10 grams, issued in a cafe for soft drinks. Beer coasters are usually advertised with brands of establishments, sports or special events. Beer coasters are also called bonfire (English coaster) or birmat (English beermat). Previously, they were made reusable from felt and leather. A modern eco-friendly stand made of special hygroscopic cardboard with a thickness of 0.9 to 2.5 millimeters is disposable - but for connoisseurs this is a valuable collector's item.
Alexander Martynovich is attracted to puzzle toys, which it is almost impossible to assemble without certain knowledge. His collection also contains Rubik's cubes of various configurations, folded according to certain formulas and algorithms.
Souvenir magnets are such a popular collectible that I’m afraid to highlight someone. Unless Anastasia Novikova, who assisted in the preparation of this material.
Her rich collection contains many exclusive magnets brought from different countries - from the United States of America to Indonesia.
And since Nastya is an athlete, she, like every active participant in our running club, has one more collection - medals, each of which keeps the rhythm of her conqueror's quickened pulse. Each such instance is an incentive for further achievements. Movement is life!
However, like any hobby, among which collecting is not the last place.
