By Zach Goldsand and Zach Topolosky / Staff Reporters
Social studies teacher David O’Reilly
From simple time-keepers to flashy fashion statements, watches have been amassed in collections for ages. Social studies teacher David O’Reilly has taken part in this time-honored tradition himself.
O’Reilly said he started to collect watches almost five years ago.
“Back in 2019, a buddy and I were talking about watches, and I made the comment, ‘I wonder if somebody has a watch of the month club?’” he explained. “So I looked it up online and somebody does. It’s called ‘Watch Gang.’”
O’Reilly explained for a monthly fee, each month members of “Watch Gang” receive a unique and cheap mystery watch in the mail.
“At one point I had over 35 watches, and I could go an entire month without wearing the same watch,” he added.
O’Reilly said he didn’t keep every watch he received. He said he uses many ways to trade or sell watches, including numerous Facebook groups.
“Anything I didn’t like or didn’t want anymore, I’d either trade with somebody else or I’d just sell it on eBay or one of the Facebook groups,” he said.
O’Reilly said he’s trying to keep his collection under control, and he added he doesn’t like to leave a watch unworn.
“I’m down to 16 watches,” he said. “So I can at least wear every watch a couple of times and not think that I’m ignoring another watch.”
O’Reilly added he makes a conscious choice to opt for unique watches instead of larger brands such as Rolex.
“I’d rather have something unique than something really expensive,” he said.
Junior Drake Grossman
Junior Drake Grossman’s passion for collecting vinyl records started around a year ago when his dad gifted him a turntable.
Over the span of a year, he has collected over 200 vinyl records, but he only listens to around half of them. His dad and grandpa both collected vinyls and ended up giving him theirs.
“I really only listen to the ones that I got,” Grossman added.
Grossman recently went to Israel and ended up finding a little record store and was amazed how many records that they had.
He said if he had to choose a favorite vinyl, it would be “Songs in the Key of Life” by Stevie Wonder because it’s the record that he values the most.
“I went to a little hole-in-the-wall record store in New York, and there it was,” Grossman said. “I knew I had to have it.”
He explained the vinyl is so expensive because the record is an original press. It was originally created in 1976, and that vinyl is worth up to $240 today.
Grossman said he will continue adding to his collection for as long as he can because it is one of his passions, and he plans to gift his vinyls to his kids in the future.
“I love that there are always more vinyls to collect, and that is why I am not going to stop,” he added.
Junior Teddy Weiland
Whether it’s plants, cameras, fashion magazines or action figures, junior Teddy Weiland has a multitude of collections.
“I’ve always loved collecting things,” he said. “I just like having stuff to call my own.”
Of Weiland’s many collections, he said his most extensive is his glass bottles. Over the years, he has picked up glass bottles from all over the world, accumulating a total of 86 bottles.
“I didn’t really have anything that I could call my own, so bottles were definitely a good thing to find with no money as a kid,” Weiland explained.
He said he still remembers the family road trip when he started his collection. A glass bottle of Fanta Pineapple that he bought on his trip sparked his obsession with both glass bottles and the soda itself, Weiland explained.
“I was 5 or 6,” he said. “I’d usually grab a drink on the way to my grandpa’s place in Naples, and the bottle of Fanta Pineapple was what started it all.”
Despite the extensiveness of his collection, Weiland said there are a few bottles that are especially valuable to him. He said his favorite bottle came from a trip to Guatemala.
“My favorite has got to be the glass Gatorade bottle,” he said. “It’s just super unique, and it was really cool to find it in Guatemala.”
Every glass bottle has a story behind it, Weiland said.
“I have such a connection with them to where I don’t think I could get rid of them,” he said. “I’ve been collecting them for so many years now and from such a young age. There’s lots of memories behind these bottles.”
Junior Griffin Heideman
When junior Griffin Heideman started collecting shoes after acquiring a pair of Nike Lebron Soldier 1s in third grade, his love for shoes skyrocketed.
“My mom definitely influenced me on my obsession with shoes,” Heideman said.
He said his mom bought him his first pair of basketball shoes, and now he continues to buy shoes at the Nike outlet with her. He added that he believes that they go to the Nike outlet too much.
“I go to the Nike outlet so much that the employees know my name, and I get an employee discount from time to time,” Heideman said.
He added that he has around 40 pairs of shoes including basketball and everyday gym shoes, but his mom still has roughly 20 more pairs than him.
Among his vast collection, there is one pair of shoes that he wears more than others: the AirMax 95 Japanese Plum Blossoms. They are his favorite pair, and although they are valuable, he wears them often.
“I wear all of my shoes,” Heideman said. “What’s the point of having nice shoes if you can’t wear them?”
He said his most expensive pair of shoes is a pair of $120 basketball shoes. He said that he never spends an unreasonable amount of money on them because he always manages to find a good deal.
“Collecting shoes has always been a passion of mine, and I don’t plan on stopping,” Heideman said.
Zach Goldsand is a senior at Bexley High School and is a staff reporter for The Torch. Outside of The Torch, Zach studies Chinese and plays tennis.
Zach Topolosky is a junior at Bexley High School and a reporter for Torch Student Newspaper. Outside of Torch Zach plays Golf and Lacrosse for Bexley.
