Looking Back: Collecting History

by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society


Vacating my home after 56 years had made me ponder about why I’ve kept so many “things.” For many years it has been my goal to get rid of 5 “things” every day. With that goal in mind I had pretty much emptied the attic and the basement, except for my seven Christmas trees and boxes and boxes of decorations. I really thought moving would be a piece of cake.

And then I remembered the collections; not just mine, but my ancestors! I still had some of Grandmother Rumbo’s cut-glass collection, Grandmother Napier’s Scottish tea accoutrements and kilt pins, and Aunt Opal’s tiny vases which Uncle Clyde kept filled with roses in the summertime. Then there was still my mother’s bone china tea cup collection, the playing cards from every airline she ever flew on and most of the states she and dad had visited, the drawer of handkerchiefs, and the embroidered pillowcases and hand crocheted doilies. It made me think of all the “things” that people have collected over the years. 

I don’t know about other parts of the country, but in Grain Valley, my mother’s friends all had collections!

I’m pretty sure my mother wasn’t the only one to collect cups and saucers. I remember Anna Maude Caldwell, who lived on Main Street, 2 houses north of Yennie, had a china cabinet full of them in her dining room. I only remember her using them when it was her turn to host the ladies for pinochle. Aunt Opal also had cups and saucers.

Following World War II American soldiers brought Hummel figurines home from Germany. They became very popular for many years.  Although they are still considered collectables, their popularity in waning and their value has decreased among collectors.

A popular 1950s collection was salt & pepper shakers. When I went with my aunt to visit Hazel Heidelberger for coffee, an almost daily midmorning event, I was fascinated by her collection. I think they occupied every available shelf in her kitchen. She had some pretty ones and she also had some unique ones; I especially remember the outhouse from “The Ozarks.” You had to open the door to get the shakers from inside! She had fruit, flowers, birds, bears, and hillbillies to name a few.  Many were from different states. Whenever we traveled, we often came home with a souvenir salt & pepper set for Hazel!

Another popular collection in the 1950s and 60s was souvenir spoons. I do believe they could be purchased in every National Park, State Capitol, and tourist trap in the United States. I don’t recall knowing anyone with a big collection, but I do remember seeing them at every souvenir shop we entered on a trip to Canada in the early 1960s.

Of course, we can’t forget the popular mushrooms from the 1970s and the pet rock fad that lasted about six months, just prior to Christmas in 1975.     

In 1978, Samuel J. Butcher released the Original 21 Precious Moments figurines to worldwide acclaim and a new collecting and gift-giving tradition was born. The Precious Moments Collectors’ Club was born in 1981 and grew to over 400,000 members worldwide. In 1989, Mr. Butcher opened the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage, Missouri. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Today, according to the internet the ten most popular collectables are: 1) antique furniture, 2) vinyl records, 3) comic books, 4) coins & currency, 5) classic cars, 6) trading cards, 7) dolls and toys, 8) stamps, 9) wine, and 10) fine art and jewelry.  And I ask you, where are books on this list?

By mid-September, I am planning to feature a display at the Historical Society of “Collectables Over the Years.” They will be items donated by Grain Valley citizens. Come visit any Wednesday from 10 AM to 3 PM and see some of the old Grain Valley Collectables!