Area collectors reveal origins and driving forces behind their hobbies

The reasons people collect vary almost as widely as the objects they gather.

Some collections start accidentally, with a trinket purchased at a souvenir shop, others with a gift. Some grow out of a fascination with a specific topic, maybe a superhero, movie or barnyard animal.

For some, the hobby is about the thrill of the hunt, the search for the piece that will make the collection complete. With others, each piece is a portal to another time or place, which can be visited again and again.

McHenry County is full of collectors, a fact that could be seen in travels around Cary, McHenry and Woodstock this month.

The following is an introduction to just a few resident collectors and a peek at the objects of their fancy.

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David Green collects Hot Wheels, die cast cars, model car kits and NASCAR memorabilia. In the basement of his McHenry home, Green estimates he has 400,000 toy and model cars.

He began picking up Hot Wheels in 1968, the year the toys debuted, and in 1971 started a collection for his nephew.

When his own children came along, Green started collections for them, too, ballooning his personal treasure trove along the way.

A true collector in the obsessive sense, when it comes to the Hot Wheels, Green must have every model made every year in as many of the variant paint colors and wheel treatments as possible.

He searches out special editions, too, and sometimes buys multiples of the same car if they are particularly “cool.”

“That way I can open one up and play with it,” Green said with a boyish gleam in his blue eyes.

Green’s fascination with everything automotive, however, predates Hot Wheels.

“My mom told me the story of when I was real little,” he said. “I was 2 years old and I wandered out of our apartment in Detroit and walked a mile to this toy store.”

Green’s family had been at the shop the day before to buy a gift for a friend, he said. That’s when he saw a model car in the window and became fixated.

The next day, at the first opportunity, Green toddled himself back to the toy shop, alone.

Fortunately, he made it safely and the shop owner remembered where little David Green belonged.

Every birthday and Christmas since has come with toy and model cars.

Today, Green’s collection is massive and fascinating, not only for its size but for its variety.

Lenox China: American Elegance | lenox china,lenox holiday ...

In 1889 and was determined from the beginning that his upstart American company not only rival the established European manufacturers, but surpass them.  Anyone who has seen Lenox Westchester or dined at a table set with Lenox Autumn, just to name a few of Lenox’s many patterns, knows that Mr.  Lenox succeeded.  For many, Lenox is not only the premier American china and crystal manufacturer, but it is a world leader as well.

A mere 29 years after it was founded, Lenox produced its first White House service in 1918 for President Woodrow Wilson.  This was the first of many presidential services produced by Lenox and the beginning of a lasting patronage between Lenox and the seat of American power.  Lenox produced presidential china services at the request of presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Ronald Reagan and is the official supplier of china to the White House.  In addition, Lenox produces the official crystal of the Vice President of the United States and is the official supplier of crystal to the American embassies around the world.

Lenox Quality

Lenox has always remained true to its American roots.  And in the spirit of democracy, the same steps that go into making the White House Services, including the 18 unique hand inspections of each and every piece, go into making every piece of Lenox, including the ones at your house.

As the premier American china and crystal manufacturer, Lenox is an international representative of America, a symbol of our values as a culture and as a people.  It is satisfying to know that Lenox is recognized around the world for its beauty, strength, elegance and graciousness.

Lenox Products

Lenox has expanded its line since the days of Walter Scott Lenox, but his commitment to quality and beauty remain in every piece.  Currently Lenox offers the following lines:

Lenox Fine China, Lenox Bone China, hand blown Lenox Crystal, Temperware by Lenox and Lenox Chinastone .

Lenox is perhaps best known for its line of Fine China and Bone China.  Lenox is the only manufacturer of Bone China in the United States.  While more information on the manufacture of bone china can be found on the Lenox website or learned while on a tour of the Lenox factory, the most salient fact is that, as the name suggests, bone ash is a component added to strengthen bone china.  That is not to say that Lenox Fine China is not also strong.  Do not be fooled by Lenox Fine China’s delicate appearance.  Lenox Fine China is amazingly strong and meant to be used and enjoyed.  Hand washing is preferred but the dishwasher can also be used.

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