What Do You Collect?

Why do people collect things? The collection can be anything from a particular piece of glassware to old milk cans. My sister started collecting cows when she was young. I think she must now have close to a million of those four-legged critters. These are not just any old cow. They seem to be black and white and made out of anything from paper to concrete. She has not received a surprise gift since it all started. She knows when the gift is opened, it will be another cow. A cow cookie jar, a cow flower vase, a cow plate, here a cow, there a cow, everywhere a cow cow. At one time they were in the dairy business so that might explain why it started.

My daughter collects Mickey Mouse figurines. I think it started when she was in highschool. For her College graduation gift, we bought her a Mickey Mouse telephone. It’s a real phone that still works and is in her living room. Not to give away her age or anything, it even has the rotary dial. When Mickey Mouse overran the house, she changed her collection to Thimbles. They take up much less room. There is a lighthouse thimble, a crocheted thimble, a Christmas tree thimble and the list goes on.
My son-in-law collects squirt guns. I sent him an email to authenticate the accuracy of my tale about his collection so I will include the return email.
Dear Editor and Chief,
The current count is 641 and rising (I hope).
My overall favorite is my Python, it is a remote control truck, that with the push of a button a snake head comes up and shoots water.
I have several old squirt toys that are from Occupied Japan, which means they are from the late 40's. Some older ones in the shape of a ship, airplane and locomotive.
Another of my favorites to use on people is a cell phone. You push the top buttons and water squirts out of the antenna. When you shoot people they always say let me see it. You give it to them and tell them to push the bottom buttons to get it to squirt, they always think "you fool, now it is my turn to get you. However, when you push the bottom buttons the water comes out the mouthpiece, you get to squirt them twice.
SIL

I have a collection of dolls. You know where they ended up. The top of the closet, the bottom of the closet, the dresser drawers, the garage, the guest bedroom has dolls decorating the entire top of the dresser and nightstands and I’m sure my many (2) guest must feel like they are in a wax museum when they spend the night. This collection probably stems from my childhood, when I didn’t get that Shirley Temple doll for Christmas.
What do you collect? Doesn’t everybody have a collection?