Recently, Turner Classic Movies played the 1956 motion picture “Love is a Many Splendored Thing,” starring Jennifer Jones and William Holden. The word “splendored” haunted me until I looked it up in my trusted Webster’s.

I was surprised to see no definitions other than a string of single words. These words reminded me of several collections that we had a slight influence in creating.

As starters, our cleaning lady, Margie, after dusting our store three times, asked us, “Dave and I want to do the same. Can you help?” We advised her how we got started and where she could search.

Dave, being handy, built a counter, shelves and cabinets, and they were off and running. They not only filled their little room, but they also very tastefully decorated all their rooms. Today their collection has multiplied in value tenfold due to the quality of each piece and would be the envy of many advanced collectors. Yes, it is a splendored “glorious” thing.

A similar story was close to home, as my wife’s sister from Atlanta visited us in New Jersey and spent a few hours in our little store and saw how much fun we had in creating it. She asked the same question, “How”?

In short order, this couple – by visiting the many Atlanta shows and markets, plus the internet – created a similar collection as Margie but with a different ending. Upon retirement from hospital administration and the police force, they contacted a Florida auctioneer. He walked in and was “dazzled,” another description of “splendored.”

They sold the collection, then took funds from the sale and purchased a home right here in Bluffton. Sister had the foresight to professionally reproduce many of her favorite graphics so she could enjoy the previous collecting journey.

Now, let’s travel on to Louisville, Kentucky, where a couple, so enamored in the company he worked for, started a collection of historic pieces from 1898 on through 1950. We were asked several times for background information, since I worked for the same company and it was at the time the inspiration for our personal collection of National Biscuit Company packaging, signs, displays, and novelties.

Charlie and his wife amassed an amazing “magnificent” splendored collection so complete it resulted in becoming a museum that might someday go on the National Registry. It all started with the purchase of a single biscuit tin.

Lastly, we return to northern New Jersey where Richard collected reggae music in all forms – to the point that he had the largest collection in the country. Many collectors of this category pursued Richard to sell his revered collection.

He made the monumental decision to sell, take the funds, purchase an old, abandoned factory, and start an Irish music business. It immediately was a success. In his spare time, Richard caught the Victorian graphic “bug.”

With vim and vigor Richard purchased an Andrew Wyeth look-alike home on a remote hill, below which was an attractive barn. Richard remodeled the barn and filled it with every conceivable form of graphically attractive bottles, signs, tins, displays, packaging, and volumes of labels.

The best part of this story is his collection must be rated in the Top 5 nationally, so what next? Richard is returning to collecting his beloved reggae! All I can say is there is nothing more than the “grandeur” of his splendored collecting activities.

As a footnote to Richard’s journey, he befriended Irish musician Phil Coulter and sells his CDs to hundreds of outlets. To all my collector friends, if you want a moment of solace, ask Alexa to play Phil Coulter, for a few relaxing moments.

In closing, the release of “Love is a Many Splendored Thing” coincidentally was the year of our marriage, and we often reminisce that in our 66 years together, our best years were in active collecting.

Jerry Glenn, former owner of Legends and Reminisce gift shop, currently is appraising trading card collections.