r/Collections

I guess there are worse obsessions

(Fair warning: This is a deep dive! I love documenting the details of each item, the thrill of the hunt, and my reasons for collecting them. I am mapping everything out now because this writing will serve as the script for my future videos. Rest assured, I’m a real person sharing a real passion—not an AI bot.)

Hello everyone!

Following up on my recent threads, today I want to share my 35th collection post, focusing on a group of intimate, functional items: covered boxes and lidded jars.

The Evolution of My Collection

For those who have been following my posts, you know my obsession with teapots and Totai Shippo (cloisonné on porcelain) branched off 28 years ago due to a fortunate car breakdown. However, my foundational love for Japanese cloisonné actually began 34 years ago.

It all started when my wife and I stumbled into an antique store and were completely spellbound by a Japanese cloisonné vase. The absolute beauty, precision, and artistry of that single piece sparked a lifelong passion. Over the last three decades, that initial spark has led us to curate a collection of more than 40 pieces, spanning various sizes, shapes, materials, colors, and functions.

Bringing Luxury to the Desk and Vanity

This brings us to today's beautiful subset of vanity and desk vessels. These objects brought the luxury of cloisonné (Shippo) directly onto the vanity tables, writing desks, and dressing areas of the Meiji and Victorian eras.

If you read my 33rd collection thread on Totai cloisonné, you will recognize two of the pieces in this family portrait: the small, dark-green round box and the light-blue patterned box. Because they are functional boxes as well as Totai ware, I wanted to include them here to show how they fit into the broader narrative of lidded vessels.

In this group, you can see how Meiji artisans pushed boundaries with different geometries, materials, and background textures:

1. The Gothic Arched Casket (Top Left)

This rectangular box is an absolute standout. It utilizes sharp geometric framing, featuring arched ogival panels (resembling Gothic church windows) that segment individual floral sprays and butterflies against a dark background. This dense panel work gives the piece the heavy, luxurious look of a medieval jeweled chest tailored for the Western market.

2. The Large Turquoise Covered Box with Peach Finial (Top Right - Totsi Shippo)

This round, bulbous covered box with peach finial (Kogo) serves as a magnificent centerpiece. The entire body is blanketed in a vibrant turquoise ground filled with a dense, repeating cloud-scroll pattern. The crown jewel is the lid, featuring an elegantly sculpted finial shaped like a peach knob—a universal symbol of peace and longevity.

3. The Flat Green Compact (Bottom Left - Totai Shippo)

This small, dark green circular box features delicate floral sprays on the lid and a dotted border. It is a wonderful example of early-to-mid Meiji experimentation with cloisonné on a porcelain body.

4. The Material Fusion Round Box (Bottom Center)

Sitting right in the center is a low, round tripod box that beautifully mirrors the technique of my finest teapots. The shoulder features a heavy concentration of shimmering Aventurine glass (Goldstone), creating a starry, glittering contrast against the intricate blue and brown floral scroll panels below.

5. The Sky Blue Round Box (Bottom Right - Totai Shippo Pair)

Decorated with floating butterflies and traditional geometric borders, its tight patterns prove that craftsmen didn’t cut corners just because a vessel was compact.

My Collecting Rule of Thumb: The Power of Variety

When you look at this new group of lidded boxes alongside my previous teapot and Totai collections, my core philosophy becomes clear: Never collect the same item twice. Instead, chase maximum variety.

By following this rule, this collection deliberately covers every possible variable:

The Shapes: Shifting from sharp, architectural rectangles to perfectly smooth, low rounds.

The Scales: Spanning from heavy, large statement pieces down to delicate, palm-sized miniatures.

The Handles & Lids: Moving from flat, flush lids to high domes, complex spouts, and overhead handles.

The Materials & Colors: Contrasting delicate Totai porcelain bases with heavy metal foundations, using backgrounds that range from midnight black to vibrant turquoise.

Why do this?

Because a varied collection turns a simple hobby into a living historical archive. It highlights the incredible versatility of Japanese master enamelers. Firing glass onto a flat surface is difficult, but wrapping wires and flowing enamel across a curved teapot spout, a square corner, or a miniature box lid requires absolute genius. Grouping these contrasting pieces together tells the complete, engaging story of artistic evolution!

Market Insights & Lessons Learned Along the Way

For fellow hobbyists looking to get into Japanese cloisonné, small vanity boxes and covered jars remain an incredible, highly accessible entry point. While masterwork presentation vases can easily fetch thousands of dollars, beautiful, unsigned pieces like these can regularly be found at antique shops, estate sales, or online auctions for between $30 to $250, depending on condition and enamel complexity.

Even after 34 years, my Japanese cloisonné collection is still missing two major types: wireless cloisonné (Musen Shippo) and Plique-à-jour (Shotai Shippo).

I do own a pair of Chinese plique-à-jour ducks, but I had never encountered a Japanese example until recently. After sharing my duck collection, another collector reached out to tell me they collect Japanese plique-à-jour vases and bowls, so I hope to acquire one in the near future!

The search for a wireless piece also led to a funny (and slightly disappointing) collecting story. I saw a vase on eBay listed simply as "cloisonné" that looked exactly like wireless work. Since I had never owned a piece before, it was hard to confirm from the pictures alone. I even asked an AI tool, which assured me it was wireless cloisonné! Excited by the great price, I bought it immediately. When it arrived, I discovered it wasn't cloisonné at all—it was a porcelain vase painted to look like it. It was a classic collecting misstep, but those little surprises and learning moments are all part of the fun of the journey.

If you love my collection and like to see the fake wireless vase I mistakenly bought, please keep an eye out for my upcoming 36th Collection post! In that thread, I will be showcasing my 10 genuine Japanese cloisonné vases right alongside this fake wireless one to break down the differences up close.

I would love to hear your thoughts! When you make a series of collections, do you have a rule of thumb?

This is my frog collection. I inherited most of the top two shelves from my grandmother. I’ve added a few figurines over the years but I’ve added mostly the stuffies on the bottom two shelves!

Going thru my small storage unit to get rid, organize some hot wheels, etc. finally got amazing progress after about a week and a half.

Ex employee here, possibly looking to sell, does anyone know a rough price for these BioWare studio edition?

Edit - removed the s from editions to prevent confusion, only have the 1.

Edit 2 - Now posted on EBay, happy to post internationally. Link removed.

Edit 3 - Someone has reported an issue where it claims it cannot be shipped to the USA, International shipping is on so looking in to why that error is popping up. Will update when fixed.

Edit 4 - Had to re-list to allow bids from the USA: https://ebay.io/m/mFY1O4

My current collection of Art Nouveau brooches and decorative pieces. All are c-clasp type, some are signed, most are early 20th Century.

don’t have just one collection of things, so my entire room is my collection pretty much

Just got my first ita bag in the mail today! Fits my plush hangcards/keychains and collectibles perfectly! There’s plenty of room space in the purse too! Totally adorable 🥰!!

I love being a nerd

Just got this beauty in the mail today! It’s the Mijuan ShuiLingLong. She is absolutely stunning! Love her Water crown! She has gorgeous dress! 🥰

Watches in order owned:
My first watch was the Burberry sport that my parents bought me right before I moved to the Caribbean for pre-med.
Guess watch I bought on a cruise as a teenager. Funny enough, I always got the most amount of compliments on it. I rarely wear it anymore.
Movado present from 3 of my best friends who bought it for me for my 18th birthday.
Tag Heuer my parents bought me for my 18th birthday.
Gucci Grammy Edition was a birthday present from my parents while I was studying for my first medical board exam. Surprised me while I was studying in the library.
Hamilton two time zone was handed down to me by my Dad when I got into residency. It was the first nice gift my Mom got my Dad when he finished fellowship.
Swatch Jellyfish gift from an ex girlfriend. It’s such a loud watch and drives me insane whenever I take it off and leave it on my nightstand.
Cartier Santos Dumont present from parents for graduating residency.
Tissot PRX present from parents for 30th birthday.
Hamilton Khaki Field present from best friend for 30th birthday. Currently on a google fitbit air.

Thought I would share my love for watches on the thread I spend the most time on.

Next watch will be when I graduate fellowship. Picking between grand seiko snowflake, cartier santos de cartier, omega first omega on the moon, omega seamaster diver (classic black dial with white waves), or omega Speedmaster Moonwatch. Thoughts?

Posted here a while ago so I thought i'd show my collection now

so proud of the burt's bees one especially. I have 48 burt's bees and 32 EOS; 123 in total! I match them to my outfit every day :)

Started this baby as a young teen. In love with them all.

Edit: wanted to add more detail. I thrifted maybe 80% of these in-person mainly in Georgia and Virginia. The other 20% are either eBay or gifts. My sophomore year of high school I went through a hard time and my art teacher gave me one she found. An ex boyfriend gifted me a few, I threw out literally everything having to do with him except the clowns. In high school I routinely got into arguments about clowns and how they weren’t scary LOL

My Collection and my Rankings…. Some are real good but ranked lower than you might think…I don’t rate… everything is worn fir specific times and longevity and projection in the sun count