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For those who collect things relating to your hobbies/interests, do you like to show those things to other people whilst talking about them incessantly or do you prefer to keep it to yourself and not show your collections when you get the chance?

I wonder because whether I am NT or not I do get obsessive about my interests and acquire (over time) huge collections relating to them which I won't part with, even if the particular interest related to the collection fades in favour of another one (they change every so often, but some can cycle back around again). I also get very emotionally attached to my collections. I will show my collection to people, whilst rattling on endlessly about it, at every opportunity I get!

I do wonder though in that with Aspergers it says that you don't share things of interest with others. I don't if I am out and see something of interest, I either just look at it or wonder off to go take a closer look, ,often without telling anyone lol, but when it comes to my passions...I have them out whenever I get the chance lol.

As I only suspect I may have some aspergers traits, (I may well be NT but I am a strange one all the same) do people with Aspergers show their collections to others if it relates to their special interest at the time?

Right now I am driving anyone I encounter nuts with my babbling about my OU course and showing them all the books. The subject is Geology/Earth Sciences along side some maths...which tends to be a good cure for insomnia for most people. I find it extremely fascinating though! My previous hobby (sequin art and cross stitching before that) seems to have faded for the time being in favour of the science stuff...

I collect a few things. In particular, children's books, American Girl dolls, Monster High dolls, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic toys, stuffed monsters, and stuffed penguins.

I try not to talk about my collections to people who don't share the same attractions. For example, re, American Girl dolls, I found a community on LiveJournal that is strictly for collectors of the dolls who are over 18. I also found one for the Monster High dolls. The majority of my friends are interested in MLP: FiM, currently, so that's not a problem to find someone to talk to about.

I do enjoy talking about my collections, however. Particularly the American Girl dolls, because each doll has her own 6 book series and a huge collection of outfits and accessories. It's very involved (unfortunately also very expensive!). And when it comes to the children's books, people generally remember the books from their own childhoods, so it doesn't seem so weird.

It depends. Some collections I'm more open about, in that I don't mind people seeing them, although I wouldn't go out of my way to show them to people (my retro games consoles, for example).
If somebody came across my Spongebob collection, however, I'd be mortified. I think it's because Spongebob is still very much my "main" obsession. I find that once an obsession has passed, I'm not as embarrassed to talk about it with people.

While I don't often show it, or not all of it, I have a HUGE shell collection.
I mean Museum Class (I'm going to donate it to a museum someday if I still don't have a family when I'm older). Nobody in my entire family knows the exact size of this since its in different things (display cabinets from my old roommate, collector cabinets found in an old building)so even when I show it, its the tip of the iceberg! LOL

Sincerely,
Matthew

The only thing that I currently collect is wolf art and sculptures. They are all over m room.

I had several odd collections as a child, including robo-chi pets, micropets, neopets, idogs, and animal figurines. I could never just buy one, I had to buy a ton of similar toys when I was younger. I don't really do this often anymore.

I don't really show my collections. No one goes in my room but me. When I was younger, I was embarrassed about all my strange collections.

I collect books. I collect orchids. I collect nepenthes plants. I rarely show them to anyone because it upsets me when people can't relate to why those things fascinate me.

I get upset sometimes when people tell me to shut up because they are not interested. I find my topics of interest so fascinating I kind of feel a bit flat when I can't talk about them . People also say I am obsessive about them but I prefer to say that I am passionate. I do hate the word obsessive. I love my fascinations and I am at my happiest when I am tinkering about with them! It kind of guts me that people make my passion out to be some kind of illness. I'd be lost without my passion!

I don't mind the word obsessive, but my time gets devoured by my interests, so I figure, if the shoe fits...

I know what you mean about feeling happiest when you're tinkering with things that interest you. I'm the same way. My plants tell me when they need attention, and what they need, and it seems like a language of their own; leaves turning purple, they need more light. Leaves wrinkling up, they're getting too much water. Etc.. People are never that simple or that easy to understand. I always think people are secretly condescending me for what I do or what I enjoy, so I just don't talk about what I enjoy. I feel like I live in a world of surface appearances, and I'm just an actor when I'm not tending to my hobbies.

I used to collect Breyer horses when I was younger. I still have them and can't part with them.

I didn't really have friends over my house when I was a kid, so I never really shared my collection. I didn't know anyone else who was collecting these horses either.

I don't allow myself to collect. I consider almost any object able to be gotten rid of, replaced, or altered. For me, getting too sentimental about objects caused nothing but badness, so I broke myself of it. Another thing is I don't want to become a hoarder or something like that.

When I was a kid I collected lots and lots of things. Pokemon cards, all sorts of stuff.

Hoarders tend to collect all sorts, even stuff that is not useful. I don't worry about it as I only collect stuff that relates to my hobbies at the time and don't keep anything that is not useful to me outside of that. So I would collect things like jigsaw puzzles and cross stitching kits but not old newspapers.

I have several different collections: books, DVDs, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic toys, and Alice in Wonderland merchandise.

My Alice in Wonderland collection is my favorite. I have books, stickers, plush toys, figurines, necklaces, and cards (like birthday cards and such, not playing cards). My favorite item from that collection is my 19 in. (48 cm) Alice plush, in the likeness of the Disney version. She's as detailed as a plastic doll, but incredibly soft and the perfect size for cuddling. I sleep with her every night. My only complaint is that they didn't make a similar type of doll for the Tim Burton movie version, because she's my favorite.

I love showing my collections to others. It makes me feel proud.

I love Alice in Wonderland too. I have a Tenniel illustration of Alice tattooed on my left forearm.

That's how I feel. I feel most like myself when I am absorbed in my interests.

I like to show my many collections to the people that I know. Some of the things that I own are conversation pieces.

I have obsessively collected music for the past 15 years. I have over 2,000 C.Ds and they must be arranged correctly.
I am not sure if I feel an emotional connection with CDs but I do feel a very strong emotional connection with music.

I only obsessively talk about my interest with people that I am very close to. I am embarrassed to share it with people that I don't know well. This does not mean that I don't want to share because I do.
When I feel very passionate about something it is hard not to share it with others. Talking about my interests can be similar to an addiction.
I have stopped because people find it selfish.

I am diagnosed with aspergers but I don't relate to some of the traits. I have never heard that people with AS don't share their interests with others.
If somebody wanted to see my collection then I would be very happy to share with them.