Prized Possessions
 

Because fuck asceticism.

Basically, what are some of the material things that you treasure the most? I suppose this could include things in the 'expensive and awesome' category (your crystal embedded skulls, your stuffed actual dodos, 300 inch flatscreen TVs smuggled from Japan on boats created King-Kong style specifically to transport it, etc.) but I'm guessing that the more sentimental items will be prevalent in the thread. Signed books (or signed anythings from somebody famous/great), memorabilia from specific sets...uhm, dice that someone geeky sneezed on at a convention, whathaveyou.

I'd have to say that the one thing (aside from the stuffed dog I've had since high school) that would cause me to go on a Death Wish style revenge romp would be the BSS poster I have. It's not actually my favorite looking poster, and I have horrible moving etiquette so the plastic frame is quite scuffed up, but inside the frame and over the poster are two Polaroids of the band, signed by those photographed, from when they were at Bonnaroo. I had to overnight ship my friend his tickets when he forgot them on his way to the dirty hippy music festival, and after he received them he repaid me by waiting in line and snapping a shot of the band. It has given me the opportunity to show people my room, watch them see the poster and the pictures inside until they give up and ask who the pictures are of, allowing me to say "Oh, it's just the band, nobody too important." Or, it would give me that opportunity if anybody actually spent as long investigating my posters as I imagine they should.

So, your prized possessions, post about them.

I'm all about asceticism I'm afraid. If you put too much value on the things you own, your things will own you. Actually I try to cut off all dead weight I accumulate, every ten years or so I throw out everything I can think of.

I keep my memories in myself and I back up my work so I don't have to think about possessing it, and I try to care about people rather than things. My friends are what I care about most in the world. But then, I don't own them. I suppose myself is my most valuable possession.

Also on topic, I recall a funny story in Generation X by Douglas Coupland. Our hero is introduced to his boss' most holy relic, this old Japanese businessman keeping his treasures in a safe in the top floor of his company's building. And it's a snapshot of a young Marylin Monroe flashing her bush to the photographer. That guy really loved American culture. . .

My early edition of Flaubert which is beautifully bound in leather and embroidery. I totally scared to read it though.

Now that I think about it, when posed the question "What do I treasure?", item-wise, nothing really comes to mind. I like my computer and game consoles and TV and katanas and such, but I don't think I consider them prized possessions.

Oh, actually, one thing I do prize is my poster from the first gun range I went to. It's a backdrop of four zombies, and 48 holes in 'em. I missed twice, damn it. But hey, it took me like 5 minutes to think of that poster, so do I prize it thaaat much?

Mine probably would be my computer, as it contains all of my writing, both creative and professional, and my photography. I back everything up frequently, but I'd still lose a lot of day to day changes I make.

Secondly, would be my collection of zoids model kits, most of which are no longer in production. I also have several custom painted models that I'd be pissed if anything happened to them.

My ps3, my HD tv, my massive collection of dvds and books. Yeah, so I'm shallow, sue me.

My first pair of boxing gloves as it symbolises blinding hard work and peserverance. Plus memories of all the faces they have hit!

My seven year old badminton racquet which is still just as good as it was then.

I could throw in my first Grappling Gi top too as after all the wear and tear it's been through it's still in relatively good shape and has a similar sentimental value to that of the gloves.

My red folder containing an assortment of piano sheet music in a huge disarray. All of which are printed, slightly crumpled and annotated over.

In fact all of those items invoke memories of training and improving one's self. Which is probably why I am fond of them so!

I have a felt jacket with red-and-black checkers; I look like a lumberjack when I wear it.

I can safely say that if anyone tried to steal/destroy it, I would beat them to within an inch of their life.

My stuffed animal Yum yum

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/4...pinkbunny2.jpg
(note, this is a new one, mine is, like, 17 years old and is a much more muted shade of pink... and I think the hair on top of the head is gone now... but it still smells like Jellybeans!)

I got him for my 3rd birthday. It wasn't anything sentimental, like from my dying grandmother or anything, but I really loved it as a kid and it went everywhere with me. I would be forever saddened if I ever lost it.

That's the biggest thing but there are other smaller things, as I am kind of a pack rat and everything ever has some sort of sentimental value. Not necessarily "woo look at my cool, expensive, whatever" but something like "oh this is the first note I ever got from my best friend". I'm not very much into wearing jewelry, but I have this one bracelet that used to belong to my grandma before she died. And a bayonette my grandpa gave me from Japan when he was in the war.
I've also been sentimental about any of my drawing books/past artwork. As terrifying as some of my old stuff is to look at, I like to look back every once in awhile to see how far I've come.

I prize my little notebook full of writing ideas more than any other physical item.