English translation Welcome to the site of the chewing gum and bubble gum wrapper collector. If you came across this place accidently, please, do not just turn around and go away. You might think that my infatuation is interesting: I collect chewing gum and bubble gum wrappers. A chewing gum, or just “gum”, is a market product that has its individual packaging, from a tiny paper wrapper up to the self-service machines. After having been used as intended, its wrapper becomes a piece of household waste, and at the same time — a collector’s item, a center of attention of collectors. I am the very collector passionate for this subject: the chewing gum and bubble gum. As for the chewing gum and bubble gum, there are multiple popular types of collecting concerning chewing gum and bubble gum: – The chewing gum and bubble gum wrappers and packaging (without the chewing gum itself), this is type no. 1. – Inserts (those are the pictures that you can find inside), this is type no. 2. – Chewing gum and bubble gum wrapped (unpacked, with the chewing gum or bubble gum), this is type no. 3. – Things related to the chewing gum and bubble gum (self-service machines, retail equipment, promotional materials, and others), this is type no. 4.
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As time passes, and as the collection grows larger, the knowledge of this domain is expanding as well; the items need to be classified by countries, manufacturers, shapes, and year of manufacture. So, I have to focus on a single particular subject. I got enticed by no. 1, the chewing gum and bubble gum wrappers and packaging; but even here I have my favorite and key subject: conventional rectangular chewing gum and bubble gum stick wrappers, this is no. 5. Just for this particular subject I keep the detailed catalogue and assign the individual number to each wrapper. As of now (July 5, 2015), I have 43,347 wrappers from the chewing gum and bubble gum sticks in my collection. My entire collection now has over 88 thousand items of chewing gum and bubble gum wrappers and packaging from 126 countries of the world (up-to-date map). This passion caught me when I was a child, in early 1970-s, but I should say that it happened along with the interest in other types of collecting (stamps, matchbox labels, coins, and others). Later on, this became my main hobby for many and many years ahead. Our subject is not very popular globally; however, the Internet provides for a great opportunity to get acquainted and communicate with the colleagues from all corners of the world. I have good links with the colleagues from the Czech Republic, USA, Chile, Japan, and Korea. In Russia and former USSR republics, there are extremely few collectors; however, back in 1970-1980-s, collecting the chewing gum and bubble gum wrappers and inserts was popular. Nevertheless, a few years ago the situation started to evolve, and there was an activity burst of our collectors, both young and mature, like me, and I am rejoiced over this much. I would like to say a few words about the Czech Republic. Surprisingly, but this subject is extremely popular there, there is even a stand-alone section in the Prague Collectors Club, and I am a member of this Club as well. I have been familiar with the many pen-pal collectors from the Czech Republic since the “pre-Internet” age. I met with them live in 2011 during my one-week trip around the Czech Republic visiting the places where my colleagues live (no. 7-12). By the way, the most powerful collections are in the Czech Republic.
This trip was a great source of inspiration, in 2013 another my dream came true. I visited Japan, I met with my colleagues, my old pen-pals, and participated in the TV Avashi show that was devoted to the chewing gum birthday, Japan celebrates it on June 1 (no. 13-19). Japanese tones are very prominent in my collection. In fact, this all started from the Japanese wrappers years ago… Now the portion of Japanese chewing gum and bubble gum stick wrappers is way ahead in my collection. Far-Eastern countries, besides Japan, this also is South Korea, and also China in recent years, are very fascinating in our hobby, because they mostly make the chewing gum and bubble gum, and those are with various colorful themes devoted to the motion picture plots, video games, and comics. That’s where the happy hunting ground for the collector is… I have already visited Korea, but I haven’t been to China yet. I hope to make it up in the nearest future, but based on the experience, I should say that rather rarely you buy something interesting there during the short visit, the country is too big. Sometimes you can buy a Chinese chewing gum or bubble gum in other countries, by you won’t find it China. I bought interesting Chinese gums in Cambodia, and then received the same ones from Mongolia, but these are the countries that have never manufactured chewing gums and bubble gums. At least, there is not a single item in any collection. To our joy, Ethiopia and Nepal were recently removed from the “blacklist”. (no. 20-21). But there are still significant “blank spaces” in the list of the manufacturing countries.
Basically, the chewing gum and bubble gum is a rather old product patented in the USA in the middle of the 19-th century. I have a gum box dated February 14, 1871 (no. 6). This is the oldest item in my collection. I also have some other paper wrappers made at the turn of the 19-th and 20-th century (no. 22-23). But, anyway, the most of items in my collection are the chewing gum and bubble gum wrappers manufactured in the latest 40 years. However, there are the collectors who focus their attention on the pre-war items, i. e. manufactured before 1940 only. My collection is expanding mainly by exchanges with the colleagues, but sometimes there are opportunities to find and buy small-size old collections through the sales ads; but this is extremely rare case in the recent years. Sometimes people just gave me there collections gathered in their childhood. I am also engaged in other types of collection in order to share with the colleagues (coins, stamps, phone cards, cigarette boxes, chocolate wrappers, and others). These parallel collections also lead to dedication in some extent. But, truly speaking, this is rather for accumulation of the exchange pool, then the collection itself. If I will have to give away the gathered in order to exchange for an item of my main collection, I will do that with no hesitation. In the meantime, I have collected a rather full range of Samara travel tokens (no. 24); this all even came to building a small web-site: Samara Travel Tokens. There are also successful collections of phone cards and chocolate wrappers, the quantity of items is rather large, and so it will hardly get to publication on the web. There is not enough time to make a complete catalogue of the chewing gum and bubble gum wrappers in the Internet, not mentioning other collections. The collection is also expanded when I buy fresh chewing gums during the trips abroad, and in domestic shops; however, the new items are rather rare, but recently there are items from the Russian chewing gum and bubble gum manufacturers. These purchased items are especially useful for the exchange pool expansion, which is necessary for sharing. I make active use of on-line auctions to buy new items.
A few words about myself, I live in Samara, I’m married, I have a daughter and a grand-daughter; when I am not engaged in my hobby, I work in order to fund my hobby 🙂 Are you a collector? You collect other things? You want to have a mutually beneficial exchange with me? You have an old collection of chewing gum and bubble gum wrappers? I am ready for any cooperation, please, get in touch with me, and I will answer for sure.
