I heart milk caps

I'm a collector, and always have been. I think some people just are, and some people just aren't. And unfortunately for the collectors, it's hard to explain why you need to collect to someone who doesn't share this need. This is particularly hard when a collector is married to a non-collector, though I must admit I guess it must be equally hard to be a non-collector having to live with a collector, and all of her (or his) stuff.

But I do collect. Largely from eBay, and I do enjoy it. And I keep what I collect small, and when possible, cheap.

My latest obsession is milk caps. I know these are trash. But eBay calls them ephemera, which sounds so much better. I came across the world of milk caps by accident, and was instantly hooked. I love the modernist design paired with the vintage colors. I love the glimpse of the past the caps provide with their miniature phone numbers that often include letters. And I love the history lessons of the small family farms and the days when cows needed to be cleared as free of tuberculosis.


And then I ask myself: What the fuck is wrong with me? Why do I keep buying lots and lots of used milk caps from strangers living in the Midwest? And why do I then spend hours categorizing them and putting them into their little custom milk cap sleeves and finally into the master milk cap binder? Why?

But right when my milk cap collection really starts to seem absurd, I just take a quick stroll around eBay and realize I am so not alone.

Have a collection even more questionable then milk caps? Don't be shy, brag about it here!