Question for Nostalgists

NotTheStig

NotTheStig

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As much as I like seeking out new wet shaving items I have a penchant for old shaving consumables too. Blades, soaps, creams, aftershaves etc.
I like to keep some of the items, sometimes for a rainy day and some I'd like to keep forever. I don't generally do this as some speculative investment but to keep hold of something most of which have long been used and thrown away.

My question, for those with some sentimentality for vintage stuff, is once an item is used up do you throw away the packaging?

I don't collect old blade wrappers but some do. Old shaving soap bowls of course can and should be reused for something when their contents are empty.
But I do feel it a bit of a shame to throw away an old aftershave bottle once it's used up, and I'm coming to the end of some 1960s Imperial Leather. I've also been known to keep the cardboard hangers that blade packs slot into. Am I being over-nostalgic and venturing into hoarding? Should I throw away the Schick Krona injector dispenser now the blades are all gone?
 
Its a little bit like criticising people for buying or keeping things that you do not. It is your money and your space and you can do whatever makes you comfortable. I keep empty shaving bowls but that is all. My family was in glassmaking from 1840s and I hoard Victorian glass and even modern odd shaped bottles, they will never be worth any money but I don't like to thrown them away.

In terms of aftershave bottles, I can understand that, my ex loved her perfumes and would keep the empty bottles and the packaging, it made her happy, 'you can't take that away from me'.
 
I have a lot of vintage shaving stuff ... no, never!?

I do use it all, though ... and when something comes to the end, it will be fondly remembered but ultimately forgotten. Empties like vintage splash bottles will stay where they are in the cupboard or display until a replacement is found - that's either another of the same or something new, but when it gets replaced the old one will be discarded and only in special circumstances kept or sold on.

That's mostly about bottles, which empties to get collected by folks ... some of whom are happy to collect without ever having used the contents. My soap bowls get used and re-used, whether that's the correct soap or just another one. Razor sleeves, cases, packets, tucks and other packaging gets discarded when the razors are spent. I've seen folks collect razor sleeves in like stamp books, which is maybe a nice thing if you're so inclined.

So, I suppose I'm saying ... once spent, it's discarded ... and that's for new, nearly new, vintage or antique. Unless it has a continued purpose, like a soap bowl.

What I do have in the loft is a sort of pre-bin trunk - it's a large plastic trunk on wheels (as you can buy at B&Q) and I just dump stuff in there that may or may not be useful or ornamental going forward. It's got all sorts of things in it, from novetly Christmas gifts to commemorative stuff that comes with special edition films or games (less so now in a nearly fully digital age), ornaments, stuff, things, trinkets and what-nots. You know, stuff.

Periodically, I'll have a rummage through and chuck away a bunch of stuff or maybe even press some stuff back into action ... kinda like a personal charity/junk/antique shop in my own loft. My Grandkids love looking through it!

No reason why you couldn't have stash box or set of stash boxes with various grades of junk.

Thing is, it's organised then ... I know in an instant, with every room what's important, what's not, what I can just walk away from and what I can move on at any point when a new reason or purpose comes along. Use or ornament. Otherwise, space ... which I enjoy. I do actually lead a quite minimal and uncluttered life.
 
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