M&M's chocolate and collectibles

Yes, by looking at the picture, you can guess what my topic would be about this week. I am exploring the world of collectibles that is the famous "milk chocolate that melts in your mouth, not in your hand", M&M's.

To most of us, M&M's is just some chocolate wrapped in a sugar-coating candy. They are yummy and easy to eat as they come in small bite size pieces plus they are colourful :D

According to wikipedia, the candies were first manufactured in 1941. Did you know that the founder of the Mars Company, Forrest Mars, Sr., got the idea of making M&M's from Smarties? In fact, the chocolates were first packaged in cardboard tubes just like Smarties.

Now, M&M's comes in various packaging of varying colours and sizes. M&M's also isn't just restricted to chocolates anymore. There are dark chocolate, peanut butter, crispy, almond, toffee and minty flavour. M&M's has also introduced all kinds of memorabilia and collectibles to the M&M's brand. One of the favourites among avid collectors is the M&M's dispenser.

Source: http://mmcollectorscorner.com/mmcollectibles/dispensers/dispensers.html

Besides the dispenser, there are also:

M&M toppers where it serves as a cap for the tube packaging.
Source: http://mmcollectorscorner.com/mmcollectibles/toppers/toppers/christmas.html
See more here.

M&M figurines
Source: http://mmcollectorscorner.com/mmcollectibles/figurines/fig.html

M&M mugs
Source: http://mmcollectorscorner.com/mmcollectibles/ceramics/ceramics/mugs.html

M&M tins
Source: http://mmcollectorscorner.com/mmcollectibles/tins/tins/round.html
See more here.

M&M plushies
Source: http://mmcollectorscorner.com/mmcollectibles/plush/plushies.html

Also check out the M&Ms lady's collection. She has such an extensive collection of M&M's memorabilia that she call her home a "museum".

It so happens that my sister is an amateur M&M's collector too. Here is her mini collection:

M&M's minis

M&M's assorted flavours

M&M's dispenser

M&M's minis dispenser

M&M's toppers

M&M's figurines

M&M's calculator

M&M's

I think M&M's collecting is fun and easy. You do not require a big budget to start a small collection that will eventually grow. Some of the collectibles are rather like toys so they are fun to keep and colourful. They are also easily available at candy shops such as The Coco Tree and doesn't cost too expansive for simple figurines and dispensers. For more complicated electronic ones like M&M's calculator and M&M's Sudoku, the prize would be higher around S$30-50. Although they are more expensive, these items would make your collection more special.

The collectibles do need some tender loving care. They easily collect dust when exposed so you should do regular cleaning and wiping with soft cloth. Or like my sister, you can wrap larger items in clear pastic to prevent dust from sticking to them. Because the items are colourful, I suggest displaying your collection where there is good white lighting and space the items out so each can be viewed separately. Or else, your shelf would look too crowded and messy. I think this would make a good hobby for chocolate lovers and cartoon lovers. There's chocolate and cartoon character. This is not exactly my cup of tea, but if it appeals to you, go head and give it a try.

If you want to find out more about M&M's collecting, visit http://mmcollectorscorner.com/. Or if you are really interested, join the official M&M's collectors club.

Coca Cola cans & bottles

What are your favourite pastimes? For most of us, we would say chatting, reading, listening to music and watching TV as our hobbies. But there are numerous other interesting hobbies that people indulged themselves with and my first post would be about Coca Cola cans and bottles collecting.

Coca Cola has produced rather interesting designs throughout the years to promote the drink. From the contour bottles, also know as 'hobbleskirt' bottles, to the everyday aluminium can. This has prompted many enthusiasts and fans of the famous drink to collect the cans and bottles as collectibles. This deep fascination with the cola company and its brand has spread to other items as well and there are plenty of memorabilia such as shirts, toys, posters and signs on the market that celebrates the world famous brand that is Coca Cola.

Collectors worldwide have used the Internet in order to trade cans with other collectors. With the help of the Internet, collectors are able to widen their international collection and circulate in-demand sets of cans without having to leave their home country.

I started collecting my first Coca Cola can 9 years ago and it slowly grew into a hobby. Its is a very small and random collection of cans compared to other more organised collectors.

Ronen Liwski(pictured) with his collection of Coca Cola cans. He has set up his own website in order to trade cans with other collectors worldwide.

Here are some of my own collections.

(From left)Euro 2008, McDonald's Beijing Olympics Contour cup, Coca Cola contour bottle from Thailand

Beijing Olympics 2008 series

Vanilla Coke during Hari Raya from Malaysia

Cans in assorted sizes

Aluminium cans from Japan

An older version of the Coca Cola can and Coca Cola with Lemon from Korea

Coca Cola glass and mini can imported from Japan

Contour bottle imported from Thailand

Contour bottle to commemorate Singapore's 40th National Day(front)

Contour bottle to commemorate Singapore's 4oth National Day(back)

Below is my mini collection

I know, my mini collection is nothing much to be proud of but they are my babies :D

My amateur collection requires little budget and is easy to start as different variations and designs of the cans and bottles are available all year long. All you need to do is to just keep your eyes peeled for the latest or newest design available. Sometimes, if you look hard enough you can get your hands on special imported ones from stores like Giant. I have bought a number of imported cans from Giant without having the hassle of travelling outside the country or doing online exchange. But if you are a serious collector, online exchange would be sensible in order to get your hands on exclusive and prized cans from overseas.

You would also need a designated place to store your collection. As the cans and bottles do take up some space, try to get a rack or shelf to display them. You can arrange them as you like, but since I have limited space, I stack them up on the rack which doesn't display all the cans on their front. Keeping the cans clean from dust do take some effort as their tops collect dust easily. If available, keep your collection in a closed shelf. One important reminder is to always keep the cans AWAY from sunlight. If exposed to sunlight for prolonged period, the colour turns dull and the can's shine fades. This is learnt from experienced, unfortunately.

If you are interested to know more about Coca Cola can collecting do head to http://www.cocacollection.com/ to get information about trading cans and tips on collecting valuable cans. Also check out this blog dedicated to Coca Cola collectibles around the world. Or if you are interested in buying any other Coca Cola products, go to http://www.coca-colastore.com/