The collector: Vicente Zorrilla Palau, Valencia, Spain.

The collection: Vicente has numerous collections, many of which can be seen on his Flickr page. Shown here is just one of them - his collection of El Casco staplers.

The story behind the collection...

I am not a collector in the sense of "seeking" a particular object to complete or add to a collection. For 25 years I have gone every Sunday to Valencia fleamarket, but I am not looking for anything in particular. I am interested in the design, colour and usefulness of objects that I find at a price I can afford.

My main interest is to return these items, often damaged or in need of cleaning or restoration, to their original condition. To do this I have a well-stocked workshop with materials and tools of all kinds.

An example of this is my collection of over 120 staplers of the same model (M-5) of the Spanish brand "El Casco", bought only with the intention of retrieval for use and to demonstrate how people often throw good thing away for a reason as simple as the fact that they are stuck.... the solution might be as simple as loosening a screw and removing the jammed staple.

I began collecting when I went to learn watchmaking in the Watchmakers Guild School of Valencia, which made me interested in clocks and particularly in the old watchmaker's tools. I have now collected nearly a hundred of them. A few of them can be seen in one of my Flickr sets.

Shortly thereafter, and by chance, I started buying pencils, and now have more than 500. Only the Parker Duofold (Streamline and Flat top) and Kanoe Peace Pencils (I have 40 of the same model) can be seen on Flickr.

I gradually began expanding the scope of my collecting and the objects that can currently be seen in my collection are: Alarm clocks, Plastic ashtrays, Radio & TV, Cassette tape recorders, Typewriters, Perfumes, Braun items, El Casco Staplers, Office stuff, Wall clocks, Lighters, Telephones, Mechanical pencils, Tape writers, Electric razors, Earth globes, Polaroid, Table lamps, Calculators, Drawing instruments, Bakelite, Pocket watch boxes, Wood boxes, Siphon bottles, Fans, Clocks & barometers, Watchmaker & Clockmaker tools.

On the other hand my wife Margarita Cebrián some years ago began collecting boxes of face powder, and now has over 125 boxes.

In total some 1500 objects are now photographed in my Flickr account and I have about 800 more to photograph, which I hope to do in the near future. Objects once cleaned and restored and almost always in working order are then stored in cabinets and shelves, wrapped in plastic. Only a few of them can I show at home.

Vicent's collections on Flickr