Wedding Day Beauty

What central Illinois residents collect

Marbles, stamps, coins, shells - people love to collect things. we asked readers to share their collections with us and received several responses. This is the first of an ongoing look at what central Illinois residents collect.

All things Frank

The Frankenstein obsession started with a very bad accident. Randy Anderson was water skiing as a teenager and the tow rope wrapped around his lower leg near the ankle and cut him clear to the bone.

The injury required stitches all the way around his leg and ended up looking like his foot had literally been sewn on. Teenagers being teenagers, they started calling their friend "Frank," short for Frankenstein.

"When we met, I thought his name really was Frank," said his wife, Heather Anderson. "Everyone called him that."

And, being his wife, she, of course, is now bride of Frank. Over the years, the pair, now married 23 years, started collecting Frankenstein items. A statue here. Artwork there. they got tattoos - Frankenstein for him, Bride of Frankenstein for her.

What started as Halloween decorations for their East Peoria home, became a year-round theme for their family room now "devoted to all things Frank," Heather said. one of their more unique finds is a toy Frank that blows bubbles. they also own a tea kettle with both Frank and Bride, salt and pepper shakers, Frankenstein rubber duckies and a quilt. She estimates their collection at about 60 items.

Antique card games

Browsing in an antique shop 25 years ago, Adam Sloan of Edwards spotted an old card game that said "Trolley" on it. it was old, he liked it and paid $15 to bring the card game home. he started searching for more old card games and brought his collection up to 10. then more. and more.

Now he owns 500 games - 200 of which are displayed in his home. ("Isn't my wife amazing," he adds).

These aren't your typical cards with hearts, spades, clubs and diamonds, but are unique themed cards, many with intricate art work. his collection ranges from the 1870s to the early 1940s. he has played every game at least once and will occasionally pull out one of the more interesting or unusual games when friends come over.

"The really old ones I don't mess with," Sloan said. "My oldest is from 1874 called Dr. Busby. it is basically a collecting game where you collect suits, but in this case you collect the doctor and his family members. it is based on an old English game called families."

Many of the old card games were produced by the McLoughlin Co., which also produced children's books. the illustrators of the children's books were great artists who then created the artwork for the card games.

He describes his collection as a social history of our country revealing what families were interested in and reflecting the sense of humor of those decades.

Sloan hopes to someday share his passion for card games with central Illinois at the new downtown museum. he is hoping the museum will include an area for collectors to show their collections on a rotating basis.

"There are thousands of collections in the Peoria area," he said. "I really think that is a good idea. As long as I'm first."

Home of the sock monkeys

With a daughter living in Rockford, "home of the sock monkeys," Bonnie Ingram's collection began with a homemade one from her daughter. Rockford had a factory that made the popular brown socks used to create the sock moneys. the city even boasts a Sock Monkey Museum.

Although her daughter began collecting them first, Ingram of Lacon now owns 103 sock monkeys, collected from antique shops, flea markets and wherever she and her husband can find them.

"I quit for awhile, I just had too many," she said. "But my husband will see one somewhere and he'll buy it for me."

Her monkeys are all vintage from the 1930s through the 1950s and no two are alike.

Many sport special outfits, including a Chicago Cubs monkey. they also each have their own name. Her favorite is Amos, "a little old grumpy monkey with a red top hat." She also favors the one made by her daughter.

The collection is housed in the couple's family room, on shelves, cupboards and around the fireplace.

"Whenever someone spots them, it always brings a smile and a happy memory of times past," Ingram said.

Her own Pez room

As a teenager, Katrina Fitzpatrick would bring different Pez dispensers to school and sit one on her desk each day.

Now a teacher in Morton, she said she realizes how annoying that must have been for her teachers. But it started her collection. Now 16 years later, she admits to owning at least 800 dispensers, probably closer to a 1,000. She has her school collection on display at the Morton Junior High, and her "Pez room" in the basement of her home.

She and her husband even had bride and groom Pez dispensers on their wedding cake.

"The more I had, the more people have wanted to give them to me," she said. "They are affordable, people see them and can get one for $1."

One of her favorites is a vintage space man from the 1960s which she bought at an antique shop for $5, but is worth much more than that. She also has a large Cubs Pez dispenser that is filled with whole packs and is signed by Ryne Sandberg.

She even knows the history of Pez.

"They started in the 1930s in Germany and held mints to help people stop smoking," Fitzpatrick said. "They were shaped that way to look like a lighter."

A love of sunflowers

"I don't think there's anything on this planet that more trumpets life than the sunflower. for me that's because of the reason behind its name. not because it looks like the sun but because it follows the sun. during the course of the day, the head tracks the journey of the sun across the sky. A satellite dish for sunshine. Wherever light is, no matter how weak, these flowers will find it. and that's such an admirable thing. and such a lesson in life."

Peorian Lynn Barnett included this passage from the movie "Calendar Girls" in her note card describing her collection. the front of her card? A photograph of a sunflower.

Her passion for photographing flowers resulted in a unique sunflower collection for Barnett. She had been doing a lot of floral photography when she noticed a sunflower field off of Route 29 near Henry. She received permission to take photos there and that began her quest for all things sunflower. Barnett began to fill her home with her photos of sunflowers and sunflower ceramics. "I have to rotate the pieces, I have so many," she said.

"Whenever I travel - I go to Italy as much as I can - I pick up a piece here and there," Barnett said, adding that she also buys from local shops. She has sunflower-themed bowls, plates, pitchers, artwork, wreaths, clothing and jewelry. Her friends find them and buy them for her as gifts. She even grows sunflowers in her yard.

"They are so warm and cheerful," she said.

The hunt for pink granite ware

The first piece in her collection was dirty, chipped and being used as a dog's water dish. that didn't deter Lois Mason of Peoria who began her collection of pink granite ware by convincing the woman having the garage sale to part with her dog's dish for 25 cents.

"That started my love affair with pink granite ware," wrote Mason, even using pink notebook paper for her letter. Sadly, that affair is coming to an end. Health issues in her family and down-sizing is forcing Mason to unload her prized collection. But she has enjoyed the journey.

After that first transaction, Mason soon found out that pink granite ware is not easy to find. the second piece she spotted was marred with holes and used as a planter. when she inquired about it, her friend told her, "No! You don't want it! I've punched holes in the bottom so the water drained." the piece was around 100 years old, and the owner could not be talked out of it. later that year, the friend stopped by and gave it to her.

Mason spent the summer looking through antique and junk stores and located four or five more pieces. Friends and family also hunted. they looked for pieces when they traveled. This continued for the next 20 years.

"I had everyone I knew looking for it," she said. She collected pans, a baby bath, coffee pot and more totalling around 50 pieces.

"At one time I had the best looking ones hanging on the basement wall, but now, they are stacked in a corner waiting for someone to offer me at least what I paid for them."

Sally McKee can be reached at 686-3157 or smckee@pjstar.com.

What central Illinois residents collect