I’VE ALWAYS BEEN A COLLECTOR. When I was very young, it was snail shells. Then it was Matchbox cars. Then Cracker Jack prizes and souvenirs from everywhere I traveled. For a while, I saved found photographs, mostly for the questions they evoked. And more recently, I've been hunting for vintage car dashboard toys. To be sure, what I collect is always changing, but what hasn’t changed is this: I’m really curious about stuff. Not like, get-into-trouble curious (though I’m willing to bet I've had more stitches and broken bones than you) but more like, why-is-this-interesting-to-people curious. It’s made me dig deeper when I work. Not to mention more prolific and a better writer. And it’s won me some awards and lots of repeat customers. Take a peek at the things I collect now – what I think is my best advertising.