Hey, this is Dylan Thuris, and you've reached the Atlas Obscira podcast line.

I'm not home right now, but leave me a message and tell me about your personal collections.

Tell me what you collect, why, any special memory you have about your collections.

After the beep.

Hi, Atlas Obscura. My name is Mary Beth.

I am not big on collecting anything because I don't like to find space for collections,

and I certainly don't want my kids in the future to have to throw out things that meant something to me,

but not to them. I am, however, very excited to share my one collection story with your listeners

because I think this collection is something that not only the collector can appreciate,

but also the recipient of the collection. Let me explain. I collect postcards from wherever I travel,

but not just for me. I collect them for my kids and have been doing this from their very first

trip and still do it today when we travel together. It's a great way to keep track of where we've

been in the world. Part of the fun for me while on vacation is the hunt to find a postcard from each destination.

Sometimes it actually becomes part of the itinerary.

Then, after purchasing the postcards and returning home from our trip,

I sit down and write on the back of the postcard the dates of

the travel, the names of the people that we traveled with, and a brief description of the

adventures we had while on that trip. Each child of mine and me has a shoebox-style box

with a very large stack of postcards by now, dating back to our first trip together.

It's a collector's item that doesn't require much space to be kept because it's in a box

and it doesn't get dusty or need to be cleaned and it is meaningful to all.

My only hope is that one day my kids will continue being collectors for their kids.

...