Why American collectibles? I mean, they’re everywhere and profusely produced, so there will always be many, many products of the US around. As a matter of fact, we make or import so much that it is unlikely that there will ever be any shortage in any area, and therefore nothing needed for a museum or repository. No collecting necessary.

However, another thing we are really good at is throwing stuff away. Tons of perishable and durable materials are thrown out or recycled. And when things get tough, like during economic downturns or wartime, even more is sacrificed to recycling and fewer of any one item survive. Then there are the vagaries of everyday life, when things get broken or mangled, and those that get lost never to be seen again. (The Land of Lost Socks must have a remarkable collection of other things.) And there are those things taken home by visitors to our shores, which may or may not survive in their new homes.

So, maybe a little effort to preserve the important stuff is a good idea. But what id the “good” stuff? Well, art, jewelry, expensive furniture, fine decorative arts, the fine imports we have brought home with us, obviously. But some of the most evocative items of American culture are not included in this list. Birthday cake candle holders, honeycomb table decoration, confetti and party supplies for the dreaded Fortieth birthday, the list goes on and on. And these are the things that get used and thrown out. A hundred years from now, when paper party supplies are a thing of the past, how will people know what books and magazines refer to if someone does not save some of these things now? Ever seen a shoe button hook? There used to be one on every woman’s dresser, now they are gone, for the most part. Will buttons and zippers be replaced by velcro, to disappear from history?

There are many kinds of American collectables that need to be preserved. African American collectibles from the expansion of popular culture into the Black culture, like Black Santa Clauses. Native American collectibles as they are influenced by the adoption of those motifs into mainstream White American culture. American collections of this cultural cross-over will show future scholars how the various mythos of these groups influence each other and are adapted in the crossing over.

So, look around you and see what you think will be a mystery to future readers and students of history, and save a few. Buggy whips disappeared, the brick phone is a museum piece, so what do you have today that will disappear from the modern homes of tomorrow?

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