Maggie's Special Hobby....
BELL COLLECTING
THESE TWO PICS WERE MADE BY MY SPECIAL FRIEND
MAYHEM - KARAKIA.... THANKS I LOVE THEM!
Yes that is right... BELLS... as in ding a ling. I just love bells.
I have been collecting since about 1983.... and in 1991 I joined 2 Organizations for Bell Collectors. One is call the Bell Collectors Club of Ontario (BCCO), that is the province that I live in. The other is call the American Bell Association International Inc (ABAII), this one is based in the U.S. but has members all over the World. We meet twice a year in different places all over Ontario and in the Spring Meeting we have a dinner, meeting and a guest speaker come to talk to us. Some times people bring in bells to show.. or to sell. At the Fall meeting we have a dinner, a meeting, elections and then a Bell Auction. This is where I get at least 10 to 15 bells every year since I joined... it is great. The ABAII has 1 meeting a year for its members and it is a 3 day long Convention. This year it is being held in Frankenmouth, MI July 12 to 14th.
I have just a small collection of 780 Bells as of Dec. 31, 2001 As of right now I am not buying anymore.. as I have moved into a Condo.. and have no more room for displaying my bells.
I have been lucky and my great friends from #Capers have sent bells to me. Mal from New Zealand sent me for Christmas of 1995 a replica of the Dog Watch Bell used on the Navy Ships. It is in the form of a key chain, it came with its own felt bag and a wooden box to hang it in. Now when ever I use my house key not only do I hear a bell ring, and not only does an angel gets it's wings..... but I am reminded of Mal. :) This same Mal also sent me 3 small bells for my birthday in April 1996. One is brass, one is ceramic and the other is wood.. each is unique and very special. Then my good friend Jögen from Sweden went to visit his lady love (Melanie) in New Mexico U.S. and while he was there he purchased a bell and sent it on to me. It is a bell representing the Anheuser Busch. It has a crest for the company and a horse hanging on it and is very very nice. James from Waterloo, ON has also given me some christmas bells as has Chris of Waterloo. Thank you to all of you for helping me expand my collection.
Soon I hope to get a picture taken of the bells and put it out here on this page.
My collection is mostly in my living room...or rather as I call it... the Bell Room. I have 3 5 shelf bookshelf unites, also a large 5 shelf unit, and 3 wooden shelf units up on the walls... then there is an end table and a TV Entertainment Centre that has 8 shelves full.. and then the bigger ones are on the floor. I have a sm corner shelf units in my dinningroom and a table full of tap and twrill bells behind the couch... then there is the sewing table which has a stand with lady figurine bells. And last but not least I have a School Bell that I hope to put up on a pole just outside next to my Patio.
My collection has all kinds of bells... but I like to collect the bells that have a purpose to them, or that are very very unique. Although I would NEVER NEVER refuse a bell, or not like a bell. Some say to me .. "why do you have 4 bells the same"... "Where" I ask.. "The 4 apples" they answer. "AWWWWWWWWW..... they are not the same" then I proceed to show them the differences... one is completely etched and painted. one is about 1/6th of an inch larger than the other two. and with the last two one has a plain leaf on it.. and the other's leaf has veins in it. Besides that they have come from different people and that in its self makes it special.
I have a bell that went on a horseless carriage (one of the first cars) and then I have a bell inside a wooden box, which is a very very old cash register. Then I have a collection of all sizes of Liberty Bells from large glass ones to a cookie jar to little pencil sharpeners. There is the bicycle bell collection about 8 in all ... they are kept on a pole. there are the antique toys with bells on them and then the door bell section and my INN and TAP bells 14 of them. There are Christmas decoration bells... bells that look like ladies.. and bells in the shape of animals. Bells, Bells, Bells, Bells, Bells, Bells, Bells, Bells, they are coming out of my ears.... :) But if you find one laying around some where and you do not want it... send it on to me. .
All of my bells are recorded in a book.. on each page I can record two bells. The information there would tell me something like this:
ITEM: Sealyham Dogs Bell, ITEM NUMBER: 500,
GIFT/PURCHASED FROM: Fall Aucton at BCCO,
DATE PURCHASED/RECIEVED:Oct. 3/95, COST: $15.00, TAX: nil, TOTAL: $15.00
SIZE: 4 3/4inches, MADE FROM: brass, MANUFACTURER: nil,
TRADEMARK: stamped "made in England" "rec" "b1697,
BOOK IDENTIFICATION: nil,
DESCRIPTON: the handle is - 2 Sealyham dogs sitting up begging - the bell it self is plain with no markings.
All of the bells have tags on them and are numbered.. in this way.. I can look at a bell then look up the coresponding number and have all the information at my finger tips. Others in the club liked my catalogue set up that they took sample of blank pages so that they can do there own catalogueing that way.
Did you know that bells come in all sizes and shapes.... there are carillon, castanets, crotal, cymbal, dlockenspiel, gong, handbell, idiophone, jew's harp, kettle gong, lamellaphone, marimba, rattle, music box, tap, twirl, twist, slit drum, steel drum, stone chimes,triangle, tubular bells windbells xylophone, and vibrahones... these are just some of the catagories that are called BELLS.
The worlds largest bell , the Tsar Kolokol III in Moscow, was cast in 1733-35, weighing about 400,999 pounds (180,000 kilograms), broken by fire in 1737, it never rang.
If you have bells in your house and would like to know more about them or are interested in meeting people who like, collect, or is knowledgable about bells... email me... I can find you a club, in your state, prov. or country... there are clubs in over 100 countries.... I can find out for you through the AMERICAN BELL ASSOCIATION.
Just remember..... Every time a BELL rings, an Angel gets its wings.
Ring a ling... ding a ling!
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