Monday
November 23, 2020
Starting this week, the Epping Coach can arrive
here any day, and at any time. It can be bringing
lots of special news and excitement.
But, don't fret.
The regular format and Monday updates
of "The Weekly" will return in 2021.
Be sure to check this page for all the latest
2020 Induction to the TVC
Village Video Hall of FameTM
News, Information and Voting Updates
We're proud that we could share over Fifteen Hundred
minutes of awesome Village Videos this year, and were
extremely impressed with the number and quality of
this year's selections. Twenty four Nominees will be
selected from all of the 196 videos that were chosen as
a TVC Village Video of the Week. These 24 selections
will be posted on the "Hall of Fame" page on
Monday, December 21st
and will remain there until the final votes are tallied,
and the results posted here.
The VOTING BOOTH will be on THIS PAGE.
It will open for you to vote your choices, on
Monday, December 21st, and remain open 24/7
for the entire time.
More details will be coming here.
Good Luck to all videos
. . . and get ready to VOTE!
Meanwhile . . . "Coach is Here!"
We'll leave last week's typical Coach News posted
one more week for all the new visitors expected
here Thanksgiving Weekend. Have Fun -
C'ya next time.
Ahh, the miniature lit buildings. The heart of all villages,
and my favorite part of my collection. Most of my collection
is from Department 56, but a few other brands may sneak in.
This week’s featured building is a salute to collectors
everywhere, and highlighting the enjoyment of sharing
your passion with like minded people in a club.
The building this week is #54800 from Department 56.
It was a special offering limited to 1998 and sold for
$56 (of course). Currently it lists in Village D-Tails for
a cool $125. Here is our tribute to the
"Collector's Club House"
It included an accessory of a collector couple called
"On the Way to the Meeting" and your club logo could
also be added to the blank white sign. Inside the
front window is a 3D village display.
I chuckled when I noticed that most listings on eBay
had "never" been opened. I guess a higher percentage
than normal were purchased to "collect" instead of
display. I managed to cover all bases by having one
to display plus two more unopened. MWAhahaha.
But WHAT is this craziness all about? Well, starting
at the beginning, a collectible is an item valued and
sought by collectors and a collector is someone who
gathers collectibles. (Don't ya just love dictionaries)
But let's look a little deeper.
Collecting is a practice with a very old cultural history. In
Mesopotamia, collecting practices have been noted among
royalty and elites as far back as the 3rd millennium BC.
A 17th century club meeting - surprise - booze is here.
The collecting hobby is a modern version of the
"cabinet of curiosities" which was common among
scholars with the means and opportunities to
acquire unusual items from the 16th century onward.
A Club of Gentlemen by Joseph Highmore (drinking?) My My.
The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating,
acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing,
and maintaining items that are of interest to an
individual collector. In collections of manufactured
items, the objects may be antique or simply collectible.
Antiques are collectible items at least 100 years old.
The word vintage describes old collectibles that
are not yet antiques. After a collectible has been
purchased, its retail price no longer applies, and its
value is linked to what is called the secondary market.
There is no secondary market for an item unless
someone is willing to buy it, and the object's value
is whatever the buyer is willing to pay.
I have trouble naming what I collect to non-villagers.
A lot of us call our collections "miniature villages"
but that popularly describes something else.
Where do they put the boxes???
What do YOU call our passion? For lack of a
better description, I call my collection small
"Christmas Villages" and most seemed to know
what I'm talking about. It works for me, as I
don't display any season but Christmas. But,
whatever you call it, one picture and most get it.
If you're interested in finding out more about clubs, CLICK HERE.
Happy Villaging to all, and . . . to all a good night.
Before the internet, a major source of "information, inspiration
and connection" was the arrival of the many publications for
village collectors. Here, we'll take a look at the mailbox stuffers of
the Golden Age of Villaging. And you won't even need an S.A.S.E.
(Younger collectors may need to ask their Grandparents what that is)
This week showcases one of my favorite pre-internet
books on villaging. This 1998 "Tome of Knowledge"
helped me immensely to improve my creativity.
"Village Display Tips"
As you might be able to tell, my copy is well worn
from lots of use. This soft cover, 122 page, 8.5"x11"
book by Leigh Gieringer asks the question,
"Now that I have all these beautiful little houses,
what can I do with them?" Well, it is chock full of
answers and it's not outdated. I highly recommend
looking for a copy, if you like display ideas, and
help with your endeavors.
Lots of great photos provide gobs of inspiration.
Leigh really knows her villaging and I can't
imagine anyone not learning something new
from this great book.
I really like photography. It's even more special to
me when villaging is included. Here, we'll feature
the ones that grabbed my attention and made me
say "Wow That's Cool."
This week's "Photo of the Week" was sent in
by fellow TVC Villager George Szir.
"George Szir"
Thanks George - Love it!
But, WAIT . . . as they say . . . There's More!
George sent us the link to his flickr page.
Check out these AWESOME photos!
Now that's Villaging First Class!
This is the celebration of our community.
A chance to experience the enthusiasm that embraces our
pastime and, more importantly, that it extends around the world.
We are Not Alone!
Lit village collectors are awesome, and everywhere!
Here on the "Village Video" page is where we prove it. As the
saying goes, "Photos are worth a thousand words" but remember:
"Videos are Thousands of Photos"
We're sure you'll notice that the weekly videos displayed here
vary from just a couple of buildings to hundreds. All brands
or homemade buildings are celebrated, and you'll witness
varying levels of video expertise. As you watch, we ask you to
look past these factors. What comes through all of these selected
videos, is the passion, care and effort that went into each display.
Plus, when they're finished, these collectors are excited and proud
enough to make a video and want to share it.
THIS IS THE
"ESSENCE OF VILLAGING!"
and we want to help
Share your village with us . . .
. . . and we'll share it with the world!
All the nominees for our popular "Hall of Fame" come from this
page. If you love your village, then you are part of our community.
Just think, have you ever heard someone say to another collector,
"Want to see my Village?" and get "no" for an answer?
Of course not, we all want to see it. Let us
share your passion, your efforts, and your village.
Email us the link to your video or any questions HERE
"It Takes a Village to Make a Village"TM
Every week five videos are chosen as videos of the week.
Plus the "Editor's Choice" highlights an additional one, that
in our opinion, deserves a little extra recognition.
Time to kick back, get out the Jiffy-Pop, and . . .
"Watch Some Villaging"
It's easy to think locally when it comes to villaging, but it
truly is a world-wide passion, with a huge variety of styles.
We enjoy them all. As we're searching for more, other
villagers find out about us here at "The Village Collector."
This is where we get to realize the scope of our community,
and maybe learn something, even if its only by accident.
This week we're seeing a country that is special to
me, as I have been lucky enough to visit it . . . twice.
"Austria"
National Seal
Austria is the 39th country (by number of TVC visits)
with 6 Villagers visiting so far. Their last visit was
November 11th. Welcome one and all. We hope
you visit often ... and tell your friends.
Austria is largely a mountainous country due to its location
in the Alps. Out of the total area, less than a third of the
country is below 1700 feet. Due to the mountainous
terrain, alpine skiing is a prominent sport and extremely
valuable in the promotion and economic growth of the
country. Austrian athletes such as Annemarie Moser-Proll,
Franz Klammer, Herman Maier, Toni Sailer, Marcel Hirscher
and more are widely regarded as some of the greatest
Alpine skiers of all time.
Franz Klammer winning the 1976 Olympic Downhill
Its great fame to me though, is the food. YUM!
Oh, I do so love Wiener Schnitzel and Spaetzel !
But as typical, there's so much more.
Let's Take a Look, Shall We?
The United Nations Office in Vienna is one of the
four major UN office sites worldwide.
As popular as Austria is year-round, to me it
comes alive in winter. My favorite part is the
Stubai Alps, located in Tyrol, southwest of
Innsbruck. The Stubai valley runs from Innsbruck
to the Stubai Glacier (which provides year-round skiing)
It covers some of the most beautiful country in the world.
On my first trip to Austria, I spent two weeks here,
in the village of Telfs, during the winter.
My second trip was two weeks here in Seefeld, during the winter.
This was my hotel. It was truly one of the highlights of my life.
This was back in the 80s and we were the guest of the
Austrian National Tourist Office to do our TV series "Ski Week"
This was above Seefeld, and I was interviewing two members
of the Austrian National Team. Livin' the dream!
There aren't many places more fun to spend
Christmas than Austria. They DO know how to party.
Snow Globes and Villaging everywhere.
And of course - Nutcrackers of every shape and size!
Welcome, Austrian Villagers, to the TVC community.
We hope you'll visit often and, of course, please
Tell Your Friends
Who says we can't learn sumthin' here?
Here's a catch-all of random thoughts, smiles and
who knows what. As Arsenio Hall used to say,
"Things that make you go Hmmmm"
Last week in the United States, we honored our veterans
with a holiday, Veteran's Day. This week, we'd like to
honor and salute ALL veterans from around the world.
As ex-Navy, I'd like to share with you our Navy Hymn.
Full screen and volume up, works best.
Click on the saluting sailor. Thank you & stay safe!
Last week, I looked up from my computer
and saw this on my deck. Living in the woods
means we see a LOT of birds, and hear even more,
but this was the closest I've ever seen a barred owl.
Guess he wanted more info on TVC.
Last minute, we got another neat photo from Phil Adkins
and just had to share. Thanks Phil, I like your style!
OK fellow villagers, keep smiling,
stay safe, wear your mask,
visit us often . . . and please,
don't forget to tell your friends.
Click on the Turkey below for a
Special Message
... and you don't even need your special decoder ring!
Please Practice Village Safety
And Whatever You Do -
Don't Let The Dog Near The Fireworks!
C'ya next week
