They're not toys, they're collectables...

My boyfriend Peter is a complete sports fanatic. When he’s not watching sports, he’s playing sports. From September to April, his life is dictated by the NHL schedule. As a devoted fan of the Montreal Canadiens, the “Habs,” he never misses a game; a French theme package, courtesy of Rogers Cable ensures this.

About five months ago Peter and I purchased our first home together. We spent months sorting through granite and woods samples, paint chips and lighting options, to ensure that it would be the home of our dreams. We wanted our home to be sophisticated yet comfortable. Or at least that was the plan, but once we began to unpack the last of Peter’s boxes the aesthetic I had envisioned slowly began to change.

Peter saved his most important box for last: the box that contained his most cherished, and valued possessions, his sports memorabilia. Each item was carefully wrapped with four or five layers of bubble wrap to ensure that nothing could penetrate through its protective layers. One at a time, I watched him take out each item; slowly and carefully removing the bubble wrap, and gently placing the items on our coffee table. Without thinking I asked where we were going to put all of these toys. I was quickly corrected with the statement: they’re not toys, they’re collectables.

Photo by: Janine Hubbard

It’s true the majority of these collectables are plastic, and were purchased in the toy section of major department stores. Each box is complete with a warning to keep out of reach of children under the age of eight, for the fear of choking, but my mistake was obvious. They can’t be toys because toys are for children and Peter is thirty two years old.

After much discussion we decided to display selected items, the most important items of course. This includes a replica of the 1993 Stanley Cup, three types of beer glasses, miniatures of Alex Kovalev, Saku Koivu, and Cristobal Huet (the resemblance of the real players is nonexistent) and a Habs lunch box- I have my mother to thank for this one. These collectables now grace our bookshelves, tabletops, and desk.

I am frequently reminded to handle these items with care, and if one of them must be moved, Peter asks that I immediately put it back in its designated space because they’re not toys, they’re collectables.