I have to admit, as much as I love ties, I only have three. I used to have more, but they had cartoon characters on them. As much as it pains me to admit, I’m old enough now I have a hard time justifying a Tasmanian devil necktie.

Not saying I wouldn’t. It’s just harder to justify now.

Still, despite my collection’s current limitations, I do all right. One of my ties is just a solid black tie. It matches my vest, so I can pull it off with any of my shirts.

My collection is small, but versatile.

Now, where I find myself is trying to decide how to grow the collection.

Most of my life, I’ve had more of a love-affair with the idea of collecting things than actual follow-through. Probably because my geeky tendencies have guided any previous attempt. Geeky collections are fun, but they are also expensive and useless.

But, now I’m getting older and more sophisticated in my tastes, collecting is coming around again. This time, I’m not researching tiny plastic figures or stacks of lacquered card stock. There isn’t even a collector’s guide, as far as I know.

I’m talking about ties and tie-like accessories.

If I’m being honest, I’ve been jealous of my dad’s tie and tie bar collection since I was a teenager. I think I’m ready to build one of my own.

Thankfully, my black tie is versatile enough I can take my time, be selective and discerning. At least once I know enough about ties to be discerning.

Plus, there’s no rules, no checklist to make sure I have them all. I can just pick what I want and never feel pressured to get all the rest.

I might even get one with a Tasmanian devil on it.

Tags: collecting, Style, ties