Today we will talk about a collection of miniature copies of houses and streets.
I recently visited a very nice family whose hobby really delighted and interested me. In a specially designated illuminated rack there live... miniature copies of entire city streets visited by family members. Yes, I wrote exactly “inhabited”, because I want to talk about these houses as if they were about someone living. A very warm energy emanates from them; it is impossible to look at the streets without smiling. All items are made by hand and with soul. You pick up a miniature, feel its rough surface, as if really heated by the sun, and immediately a picture of a real city appears before your eyes.
From their travels, my heroes bring not only houses, but also many photographs, in which they try to capture real houses, miniature copies of which they purchased. And already at home they print photo books based on the trip. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the head of the family, Papa Anton, at home, but I enjoyed talking with my mother Elvira and daughter Lilya.
- How did your collection begin?
We traveled around Croatia and were amazed by the beauty and hospitality of this small country, the cleanest beaches of the Adriatic, surrounded by pine trees and rocks, and incredibly well-kept and cozy houses. We were very surprised and captivated by the local architecture - white walls, tiled roofs and an amazing mixture of Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance. And when in a store in Sibenik we saw miniature streets consisting of small charming houses, my mother offered to buy a whole collection as a souvenir. It was a small composition, consisting not only of houses, but also of a bell tower, a church and a fountain, which reflected the features of Croatian architecture. We were so carried away by the purchase that we almost missed the last bus, and with the last of our strength we ran with the houses at the ready (smiles). This was the beginning of our collection.
- Now, I see, the collection has increased a lot?
Yes, houses appeared from Greece, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Monaco. Among the latter are specimens from the Baltic states, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, as well as luminous houses from Crete. Our friends also sometimes actively contribute to the replenishment of the collection. For example, one of my friends from a trip to the Czech Republic brought me, in addition to the usual souvenirs, an exact copy of a house located on the central square in Prague and a business card of the only store in the city that sold such ceramic houses. At that time, as well as in the foreseeable future, we were not going to Prague, but circumstances were such that literally a couple of months later we ended up in this city thanks to my husband’s timely organized business trip. This is how our collection includes wonderful copies of houses on Golden Street - a miniature, almost toy-like ancient street in the city center, which is one of the symbols of Prague, where, according to legend, alchemists and gold minters lived in the Middle Ages, and also where guards who guarded the city lived.
- Why did you start collecting houses in the first place?
- We love to travel, and, of course, like any traveler, we were faced with the question of what to bring with us as a souvenir of the beautiful country and the wonderful time spent there. Of course, you can bring something gastronomic, but from such a gift nothing remains in the memory except a pleasant aftertaste (laughs).
We really wanted to leave as a souvenir of the trip not only beautiful and bright photographs, but also some authentic and original souvenirs that convey the spirit of the place and the flavor of the country. This is how houses appeared, which are not only hand-painted, but also convey a special atmosphere, being exact copies of existing houses, bell towers, mills and churches in a given country. In addition, such miniature houses have an amazing effect - they awaken positive emotions, delight and take us back to childhood, when trees were big and miracles happened almost everywhere (laughs).
- Lilya, what attracted you to this hobby?
Seeing the excitement and interest of my entire family, I, of course, could not remain indifferent and also gladly joined in the replenishment of our collection. Moreover, I am an artist, and architecture is very interesting to me professionally.
So now every time you find yourself in new country, we are racing to explore not only the features of culture and architecture, but also “protected” places where we can easily expand our collection.
- Elvira, would you like your grandchildren to preserve and expand the collection?
We already had a conversation about this once. I said that perhaps in the distant future my collection would hardly be of any interest to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren. To which my daughter objected and said that she would make every effort to ensure that the collection lives and grows and brings joy to everyone future generations. We believe that the desire for beauty is transmitted at the genetic level, and if parents raise their children correctly, then family heirlooms and valuables will be carefully passed on from generation to generation. Perhaps in 50 years the houses, like now old pre-war and pre-revolutionary postcards and photographs, will be valuable rarities and objects of art! Well, life will tell, of course!
- Thank you for the conversation!
Mutually!
If you have interesting family hobbies, write to us! Perhaps you will become the next hero of the conversation with Olga.
Collecting is one of the most enjoyable, popular and least time-consuming human hobbies. Half of the inhabitants of our planet collected something, albeit in small quantities. In global society, people collect a huge number of items, ranging from beer caps to real cars. But an interesting niche in this type of hobby is occupied by collecting houses:
- Puppet;
- Card;
- Ceramic.
Each of these types of houses has its own characteristics and requires certain preparation if a person is going to start creating an impressive collection of objects.
Preparing to collect houses.
To begin with, you need to understand main mistake of all people - lack of preparation for a hobby. For an impressive collection, you need to prepare a place to store it, and this should not be a shelf in the garage, which only a few will see, but a prominent place in the house. Ideal option There will be an individual rack or display case where the houses will be stored. If you are creating a small collection of items, 1-2 shelves may be suitable for storing them. After creating a place to store your collection, you need to decide on ways to replenish it.
There are three main ways:
- Gifts from friends- one of the most economical ways to replenish your collection when your friends give you new exhibits for the holidays, or simply when they come to visit. The disadvantage of this method is the long time and the possibility of duplicating items.
- Purchasing collectibles– the fastest and most convenient way to replenish your collection of houses or other items. The downside is the financial side of this method; the costs are quite significant.
- Needlework– if your collectibles can be made with your own hands, then this is an ideal way to make an original collection, which over time can become a very profitable business when wealthy collectors may be interested in exclusive exhibits. But this method requires a creative touch, which, unfortunately, not everyone has.
Collecting doll houses.
Dollhouses gained their popularity back in the 19th and 20th centuries, when craftsmen began making small copies of large houses where dolls could be placed. At the same time, the copies turned out to be so realistic and functional (any part of the dollhouse could be reached) that they immediately became the favorite toys of children from wealthy families. IN modern world It became possible to purchase not only doll houses made of wood, but also glass or plastic. But it is the classic dollhouses made of wood, with perfectly precise detailing of all the details inside such a house, that are the subject of interest for all collectors and, to be honest, are quite expensive. An alternative would be to make your own dollhouses.
Collecting ceramic houses.
Here everything is still more diverse and interesting. A collection of ceramic houses (for example, http://geo-podarok.ru/keramicheskie-domiki) can decorate any home that has room to accommodate them. Ceramic houses can be easily purchased in the online stores of various workshops, which provide a wide range. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to make a ceramic house yourself, but, as you know, the main thing is to have the desire. The advantage of most ceramic houses is their second function - the role of table lanterns, since you can place candles inside them and create the image of a lit light inside a small house.
Collecting houses of cards.
This type of collecting requires a lot of perseverance, patience and creativity. To build even a small house of cards you will need to spend an hour of your time and endure a lot of disappointment, but it is worth it. Some fans of this type of hobby create truly amazing common man houses of cards.
Any collecting of houses is an exciting process, which, if a person is passionate, can turn into a hobby of his life, and will allow him to leave an original legacy to his descendants!
Dear friends!
More than five years ago, I found myself on Beibiki thanks to De'Agostini's "Dream House" magazines. And who among the girls did not dream of a doll's house as a child?
I was probably lucky - they bought me GDR furniture for little dolls, I still remember a wooden sideboard with patterned glass doors and an aquarium - wooden, on legs, like a TV. In front there was glass with painted seaweeds, fish... It seems that there were even several layers of glass. And at the back there is a light bulb. Sometimes I look through German e-bay, but I haven’t seen anything like this. However, like other furniture that I barely remember. The only thing is a clock, a wooden clock with weights and a pendulum. It seems they were part of a set of doll furniture. I recently bought a set precisely because of this watch. The furniture is in a box, and the clock is in the kitchen in the “House of Dreams” (hereinafter referred to as DM).
So, let's return to De "Agostini. With what delight I waited for each issue! Here! It! Real! Dishes, cabinet, bed! Another cabinet, table! And so on...
And finally the house itself! I was lucky, a year after purchasing it I managed to find a place to put it. Only this year I realized that one thing is not enough for me. I managed to buy a second one. And now I have 4 floors and an attic. And also a balcony and a courtyard under the house.
I never fully realized all my ideas for this “living block”; I got carried away with other dolls.
But the House stands, so I decided to show it after all. Forgive me in advance for any flaws in the design (there has been no renovation for a long time).
Initially, the house was closed in front by “walls” with windows and a door. But I wanted to observe life inside constantly, passing nearby. It was not wise to keep it open - in our area there is a lot of dust from roads and railways. In general, I bought pieces of plexiglass of the required sizes at the construction market, attached them to the best of my abilities, and moved the door to the end. The house, however, remained inside without windows, but that’s okay. But the doors are real - opening, and not decorative, as was originally the case in DM.
In general, it must be said that although De"Agostini did not write a word about lighting, the DM has the necessary “cable channels”, that is, at least it is designed for chandeliers.
I don’t remember if the lighting was done earlier, or if the inhabitants arrived first, but now life in the house is in full swing!
Our “plot” does not contain many “acres”, so we have to use the existing territory - a house on stilts, and under it a yard for walking.
Where the house is located is a mystery. Everything is always in bloom there, huge fruits ripen (something like giant apples), pine trees grow. But at the same time, as it turns out, they are preparing to celebrate Christmas in the house... In general, some tricky lands where it is always warm and pine trees grow.
This is what the entire house looks like. Even a stork settled high on the roof.
And now I suggest you look into all corners of the house and site. I’ll say right away that I still haven’t figured out who considers himself the owner and who came to visit. People are distributed on all floors and who is who, who belongs to whom, is not recognized. And everyone loves animals very much. They are allowed to be everywhere.
I suggest starting the inspection of the DM from below, from the yard.
This is the yard. Here they walk with the baby (nanny or wet nurse, I guess). A man watches boys learn to ride ponies. Large dogs hang around nearby, they prefer to spend time in the yard; the house is cramped for them.
The lady on the bench and the man are Caco, very active and naturalistic, the boys are modern Chinese porcelain.
On the right we see a water pump (in fact, it is a working “fountain”). 
On the left, girls are swinging on a swing (an old German one), nearby a cat is watching the fish in a decorative pond. 
A dog and a cat are playing inside the yard. But in general, animals live here together.
There is also a carousel in the yard, but few people ride on it now. 
A couple goes horseback riding. The bridles and saddles are my work, and the horses are from BRYER, amazingly realistic. The man and woman are porcelain Chinese dolls with a frame, they can change poses, and the man’s head also turns (a rarity). 
There are cats running around the stairs leading into the house. Kittens play in the grass. 
By the way, the woman sits as expected in a side saddle, lifting her skirt to show her legs. Although, of course, shoes are not suitable shoes for riding, she needs boots. 
A pug struggles to climb home along the stairs, but the cats in the tree and on the fence don’t care... 
This French couple takes care of the plants. In general, it somehow happened that everyone who works in the house - both the cooks and the maids - are also mostly French, antique and vintage.
A hedgehog runs in the fern thickets. 
And an owl and white doves sat down to rest on a pine tree. 
This is the entrance to the house. We are met again by a French woman. 
At the entrance, of course, there are also flowers. 
This is the front (or hallway, as it should be called?). Here you can leave your clothes or make a phone call.
The lady in blue obviously came to visit with her daughter and her two dogs - a Chihuahua and a toy terrier. 
Someone left a toy hare on the banquette. Of course the cat is interested in everything! 
The boy was already in the house before the guests arrived. I believe that, like me, his favorite breed of dog is a Chihuahua, he rather rushed to stroke this short-haired girl. 
Next room. The stairs lead to the second floor and the door on the left leads to the bathroom. The governess is a French woman, the boy is an old German doll. 
Supplies under the stairs. 
This is the bathroom. Here the mother and children are still getting themselves in order. The mother is a modern Chinese porcelain doll, the girl is a vintage celluloid doll from the 8 March factory. And the baby in the bathroom is antique. 
Of course, kittens managed to sneak into the bathroom! 
And this is already the second floor. Kitchen. The ladies of Petitcoline perform their magic here.
What is there in the kitchen! A pug rolls on its back near a stool, gnawing on a bone. 
Here they are on the wall - the clock from the GDR, which I remembered at the beginning of the publication. One to one, as we remembered in childhood.
And the cat on the chair thoughtfully watches the pieces of salmon on the plate... 
The serving table with the turkey moves towards the living room... 
And here is the living room! I think that the guests either haven’t arrived yet or have been celebrating for a long time - there aren’t many people at the table. Drink, relax... 
There is a Christmas tree in the corner, and on the table there is a decoration, Santa Claus! Thanks to Svetlana (kiskis) - this is all her work - the Christmas tree in the room, and Santa Claus, and almost all the food in the house.
The dolls, as you probably understood, are Chinese porcelain. 
A curious cat climbs onto the back of the chair, a chihuahua - clearly a long-haired miniature - watches from the side. 
And this guy managed to beg for his piece of sausage! 
This is a balcony on the second floor. 
There are flowers and a bird in a cage. 
Mainly orchids, I love them very much! 
Remaining premises
“There are only six such specimens in the world”
The other day, the capital's FSB Directorate made a loud statement: in the Moscow region, security officers caught a “black archaeologist.” A resident of Kolomna had a rich collection of security forces: more than a thousand medieval coins, wallets from the times of Ivan the Terrible and Peter the Great... However, the hero of the archaeological scandal himself stated that he was not a criminal, but just a collector who had become a victim of a hunt for his unique collection of rare coins .
The oldest coins date back to the 15th century.
54-year-old Mikhail Amosov is a local Kolomna celebrity. He is a collector, local historian and a well-known numismatist in the Moscow region. However, the security officers suspected that the man, in addition to collecting, also engaged in illegal archaeological excavations, as well as the resale of found curiosities on the black market.
As a law enforcement source said, surveillance of the “black digger” was carried out for more than a year. The result of such surveillance was a special operation that FSB operatives from the Moscow region and local Kolomna police carried out on September 14.
In the private house of a local historian near Kolomna, law enforcement officers seized rare artifacts from different eras. In particular, a treasure of silver dirhams (Arab coin from the times of the Golden Horde), unique coins Kievan Rus, wallets with coins of Ivan the Terrible and Peter the Great. In addition, in the home, which was furnished like a real historical museum, the security forces found a collection of antique belt trims and other jewelry. According to law enforcement officers, the collection is of great (and some specimens are unique) historical and cultural value. However, only the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where the artifacts were transferred for examination, can say for sure.
A pre-investigation check is currently underway, but no criminal case has been filed yet. As security officials say, we can talk about criminal liability only if it is proven that the local historian himself was involved in illegal archaeological excavations. Otherwise, Amosov faces a fine for illegal trafficking of archaeological objects - from two to five thousand rubles with confiscation of artifacts. The local historian himself claims that it is his rich collection that is the real subject of a long-term dispute between him and the local Kolomna museum workers. They allegedly only dream of how to take back the coins that Mikhail has been collecting for more than ten years in a row.
You could not only see the medieval money itself, but also learn about the methods of storing it. Instead of banks then there were pots.
"The Secret of One Money"
According to Mikhail Amosov, all those artifacts, because of which law enforcement agencies have now raised claims, are in fact a private collection that he collected for many years in a row.
As long as I can remember, I have always collected something: candy wrappers, badges, stamps,” says the collector. - There were coins too. As boys, we constantly climbed the ruins of the Kolomna Kremlin and found something. All this archeology, for which I am now threatened with prison, was simply lying under my feet - I don’t want to take it. And no one did this, no one studied it. And I felt that there was something in this, I became interested in numismatics. At the beginning of the 2000s, I bought various literature and studied it. Then he began to slowly collect coins. It was ours, Kolomna, that were minted here. Back then I couldn’t even imagine what results I would achieve.
The numismatist considers the pearl of his collection to be a coin minted in Kolomna from the early 15th century - the era of the reign of Prince Vasily the First (son of Dmitry Donskoy).
This money was first mentioned in 1842,” said Amosov. - Count Tolstoy, in his work devoted to the coins of Vasily Dmitrievich of Moscow, reports three copies of such coins. There is a full description of it: on the front side there is a horseman riding to the right, with a falcon in right hand. The image is placed in a linear frame. Circular inscription “DENGAKOLOMSK”.
It was believed that there were only three such coins in the whole world. They are kept in the Hermitage. Moreover for a long time scientists believed that these coins were counterfeit and not minted in the 15th century. In the mid-2000s, I came across a collector who wanted to sell old coin. But he didn't seem to fully understand what he was selling.
When I saw what exactly he wanted to offer me, I was speechless. The same coin lay in front of me - the fourth. I won’t say the amount I paid. But I was ready to pay three times more.
Subsequently, this coin attracted two more of the same kind. Now there are six of them in the world: three in the Hermitage and three in the collection of the Kolomna Museum “Iznachalie”. I gave my coins to experts for study. They confirmed: the money is genuine, indeed from the beginning of the 15th century. It essentially became a scientific sensation. This means that the money of the Moscow Principality was produced not only in Moscow, but also in Kolomna.
The museum is located in a small ancient building in the historical center of Kolomna.
Over the course of a decade and a half, the collection of coins has grown to more than a thousand copies. In fact, it became the living embodiment of the history of not only the city, but also the entire Muscovite Rus' during its formation.
The Moscow and Ryazan principalities constantly fought for Kolomna, says the local historian. - The question is, why? Yes, because this city was the economic and spiritual center of the principality. And therefore, one of the symbols of power. At that time, power was churches, trade and money.
From numismatists to philanthropists
As Mikhail Amosov says, his collection was completely completed by 2012. And the numismatist began to exhibit his coins. At first there were one-time exhibitions in cultural centers of Kolomna. Then a much more ambitious plan emerged - to create our own museum of Kolomna money.
Amosov opened it in May 2014. The permanent exhibition is located in the very center of Kolomna - in a building on Zaitseva Street, 14, belonging to the municipal museum center. This is a small two-story house in the historical center of the city near the Pyatnitsky Gate of the Kolomna Kremlin, built in the 17th century. In two small rooms (25 square meters each), the local historian placed more than four thousand exhibits. Visitors were delighted: reviews in the museum magazine speak for themselves:
June 19, 2014: “As the first visitors to this museum from Germany, we would like to thank you for wonderful story about the history of Kolomna money. Please continue further. We are impressed! Olga, Natasha and Charles."
September 05, 2014: “Employees of the All-Russian Scientific Research Center named after Academician I.E. Grabar. We visited your unforgettable museum. We were amazed, pleasantly surprised and delighted by the small but unique exhibition. The professionalism of the guides and the information technology of the story are unforgettable.”
October 17, 2014: “Thank you for the interesting excursion. Very interesting story about treasures of coins and unique coins of Kolomna" (Center "Kolomna-Knowledge").
Review of a young visitor in a museum magazine.
The history of the creation and activities of the museum took place before my eyes,” says Alexander Denisov, chairman of the board of the Kolomna Local History Club. - Long before the official opening, Mikhail did a lot of preparatory work. Together with the Kolomna Kremlin, he published a book about early Russian coins of Kolomna and the surrounding area, established contacts with the staff of the State Historical Museum, systematized the numismatic collection, compiled the text of excursions and trained guides. The design of museum equipment was thought out in detail: display cases, lighting, glass lenses for examining coins in detail. He created a unique museum that tells in a popular scientific form about the history of coinage in Kolomna during the reign of Dmitry Donskoy and his son Vasily Dmitrievich.
As the local historian noted, “Primordium” collected more than two dozen exhibits that are not found in any other museum in the world. In addition to rare coins, there were also items related to the technological process of minting money. And all kinds of ceramic vessels in which city residents hid their savings five centuries ago, burying them in the ground in pots to protect valuables from robbers and fires.
Moreover, the young museum managed to receive a diploma from the governor’s project “Our Moscow Region” in the “Heritage of the Moscow Region” nomination.
The exposition of the Kolomna Museum “Original” was also interesting for adults...
“We will make you an honorary citizen, just give everything.”
The museum's problems began a year after its opening. The official version is due to the fact that the collector did not register the valuables as a non-state part of the museum funds. Amosov acquired this responsibility after amendments to the law “On Museum Funds and Museums in the Russian Federation” were adopted in the summer of 2013. It stated rather vaguely that all private collections related to archeology and material older than a hundred years were considered the property of the state. Such a collection could only be legalized by registering it.
“I have been trying to register the coins with the state for ten years,” says the local historian. - But this is an extremely complicated procedure. For each copy, you must obtain an expert opinion stating that this item is of historical and cultural value. Expertise costs a lot of money.
The collector, as he explained, did not have the financial ability to spend money on expensive examinations. He limited himself to transferring the collection to his own museum under an agreement of free, perpetual use. In fact, the collection moved from individual to legal, but its status has not changed and it has not become more legal for the state.
Soon after this, Amosov said, he received an unequivocal offer from one of the leaders of the non-profit organization Museum City. This structure acted as the lessor of the municipal building in which the Origin Museum was located.
I was offered the status of an honorary citizen of Kolomna. But with one condition - I give the collection to the state. I refused. I was afraid that the collection would either end up in someone’s pockets or lie like dead weight in museum reserves. That's not why I collected it. I needed people to see these coins. I showed them to schoolchildren; delegations from France, Spain, and China came to the museum.
According to security experts cultural heritage, registration of artifacts and valuables with state records is indeed a long and expensive procedure. But the costs can both protect the collector from claims from officials and the police, and simply help distinguish a genuine coin from a fake.
The mechanism is complex, each coin requires a separate expert opinion, which costs money,” explained Vladimir Khutarev-Garnishevsky, chairman of the Moscow branch of VOOPiK. - But if a person pays several hundred thousand rubles for one coin, doesn’t he really want to at least know for himself that he paid for the original?
Even in state museums there is a very high percentage of rejection. Experts sometimes discover that a museum contains a fake. But there is a scheme that allows you to “whitewash” an artifact without an expert opinion. The owner simply exhibits it in the museum and takes it to various exhibitions. After each exhibition, he takes a certificate stating that the item was exhibited. With five or six such certificates, he will then calmly sell his item without an expert’s opinion. In fact, this is dust in the eyes, but most often such certificates are enough for buyers.
And children of all ages
Since October 2015, landlords have refused to renew the contract with the Mikhail Amosov Museum. The local historian was forced to move the entire collection to his private house in the village of Molitvino near Kolomna. By the way, the museum has a legal address there. So, from a legal standpoint, the artifacts were in the museum and remain there.
The closure of the museum in the historical center of the city caused a wide resonance. Representatives of the city's cultural community came to the collector's defense.
“In 2014, Amosov’s collection formed the basis of the exposition of the “Original” museum, which was of great interest to residents and guests of the city,” wrote Vitaly Khitrov, general director of the Kolomna Kremlin Museum, shortly after the closure of the exposition. - Unfortunately, the museum lost its premises, and this was a great loss for the culture and history of the city of Kolomna. We hope that the continuation of our joint work will be the release of a catalog of the museum’s exhibition dedicated to the revival of the grand ducal coinage in Kolomna as the largest and most diverse of all existing today.”
“The Origin Museum was created from money, but it introduced people to what cannot be bought and sold - the place of power of Kolomna, where Russian coins first began to be minted,” noted the founder of the Kolomna Center for the Development of Educational Tourism “City Museum” Elena Dmitrieva in a letter Chairman of the local council of deputies Nikolai Sidelev. - More than a thousand people visited the museum every month, most of them schoolchildren who received knowledge about medieval Kolomna. Scientific works were written and conferences were held on the basis of the museum collection.” (Copies of both letters are available to the editors.)
"31 boxes with various items"
Mikhail Amosov gave explanations to the prosecutor's office many times. Summons there, according to him, began in connection with statements from citizens who suspected that something was wrong with the collector.
“I allegedly promoted illegal excavations,” the local historian is indignant. - But not only did I not engage in such propaganda. I have published in many scientific and socio-political publications and everywhere I have directly condemned this approach to the search for artifacts.
Moreover, the authors of the complaints to the prosecutor’s office even accused the collector of running an underground business of buying and selling artifacts dug up by illegal archaeologists. And he allegedly even told them where to dig. However, if this is so, why was the local historian, being in the sight of law enforcement agencies, never caught red-handed in such a deal?
The last episode, when Amosov had to give some explanations, became the most terrible.
On September 14, at about seven o’clock in the morning, a group of eleven people entered his house in the village of Molitvino, 77 (also the official legal address of the Primordial Museum). They turned out to be several employees of the FSB Directorate for Moscow and the Moscow Region, police officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Kolomna City District, two witnesses, as well as an employee of the local archaeological municipal center and, for some reason, an IT specialist. Amosov himself was not at home - only his wife Nadezhda and his minor schoolgirl daughter Maria were there.
The daughter said that one of the police officers told her: “Now your dad will be in prison.” Instead of going to school, from 7.30 to 17.30 she was present during the entire procedure and helped my mother make sure that no one threw or stole anything. The next day, when I arrived, the house smelled of valerian, and they even wanted to call an ambulance for my wife - her blood pressure had jumped.
Household members told the collector that law enforcement officers briefly showed them the order to inspect the residential premises, issued by the judge of the Kolomna City Court, Irina Sineva. They reported that operational search activities were underway and offered to voluntarily hand over items prohibited or restricted in circulation.
If I wanted, no one would ever know about this collection. But I never tried to hide anything. On the contrary, I specifically gave it to the museum in order to show it to people and introduce the coins into scientific circulation. As a result, I myself, with my own hands, made it so that none of my heirs could dispose of this collection. They won’t be able to sell or export anything. I specifically did this so that she would always remain on the territory of my state. And now this same state says that I am a criminal.
Everything that happened in Amosov’s house almost immediately ended up on the Internet. The operatives filmed everything on video. The minute-long video shows a huge number of tablets with orderly rows of coins. The same wallets from the times of Ivan the Terrible and Peter the Great. Next to them are plastic museum plaques with descriptions of the artifacts - left over from the permanent exhibition of the museum.
The security forces had to examine and count the artifacts until the evening. Then they collected everything in boxes and took it away in an unknown direction.
However, in the protocol for the inspection of the premises (a copy is available to the editors), for some reason there is no list of these same artifacts. Instead, the security officers published something unimaginable. Here are literally a few points from the entire sheet that occupies the list of confiscated items:
“a plastic container containing 2 plastic bags, 3 plastic boxes, a plastic bag with various items”;
“a plastic container containing one bag containing assorted items, one cigarette pack containing assorted items.”
Amosov’s wife, Nadezhda, did not stand aside and indicated her objections directly in the protocol:
“The seized items, namely each of them, were not properly examined, photographed, described, and their identifying features were not counted. Many of these seized items have significant value, including historical value.
Subsequently, I do not rule out the possibility that something may be lost or replaced in a certain way, which could lead to irreversible consequences. In this regard, I request a recount, photograph and description of each seized item and thing.”
Of course, there are still many questions in this story that the Kolomna local historian himself either found it difficult to answer or answered vaguely. For example, why didn’t he register his collection even after the local prosecutor’s office had complaints against him?
Essentially, Amosov said “a”, but for some reason did not say “b”. He gave the coins to his museum, but did not complete the matter and did not make them part of the museum’s funds, as the law dictates.
The sources of origin of the artifacts are also unclear. Where did they come from? If purchased, from whom? If dug up, where? After all, as archaeologists say, any find is valuable only when it is reliably known in what place it was raised from the ground. Otherwise, it is better not to dig it up at all and leave it in the cultural layer to which it belongs.
If valuables were found during excavations, then who did the digging? And did this man have an open sheet of paper - the only document giving the archaeologist the legal right to pick up a shovel and dig “back into the depths of centuries”?
And if a collector bought coins and other treasures at auctions and from private individuals or, for example, accepted them as a gift or exchanged them - where are the papers confirming this? Their presence, too, until January of this year was a requirement of the law “On the export and import of cultural property.” Any such transaction had to be formalized in simple writing, an agreement or a receipt. Does Mikhail Amosov have them? The answers to these questions have yet to be found by the investigation.
At the same time, I really want to believe that each artifact will actually be handed over to competent specialists for examination, and then hidden under lock and key in the evidence storage room until a legal decision is made on the case. Otherwise, there is a risk that neither tourists, nor schoolchildren, nor simply inquisitive citizens will ever see the rare Kolomna money.
If it weren’t for this cute doll, I would not have visited Brest, and you would never have known that there lives in this world a wonderful person who collects everything in the world in his sweet and cozy house. But no one sees this, because Lilya lillyho
believes that no one is interested in her collections, from which I fell into quiet delight and, no matter how hard I tried to look at everything, I failed, although I spent almost 8 days in Belarus.
And if you ask me - what is my strongest impression from a recent trip, then without hesitation I will tell you - Lily’s collections.
My friendship with Lilya began precisely with this doll, which has a rather unusual story.
Once upon a time, my husband brought a postcard from Brussels that depicted a doll in a national costume. My handicraft mother was inspired to make such a doll, which, of course, we immediately fell in love with.
Once in one of Lily’s posts, I learned that she really loves dolls, and after seeing several dolls in her photographs, it was decided that this was the most suitable company for our favorite. And the doll was sent to Brest. And Lilya and I began to correspond, became friends and, finally, exchanged visits.
Imagine my delight when I saw what a friendly company my beloved Belgian girl found herself in!
And this is not just a collection of dolls. Each of these dolls has its own history, and some, collectible and numbered, even have passports. But that's not all. Each (!) doll has a “document” written out personally by Lilya, describing the date of acquisition, name, height and other doll details.
Imagine how long this collection took to assemble!
Lily keeps the most rare dolls in another place.
Here is one of them - her name is Elizabeth the Second. Lilina's collection began with this doll.
It was released by the German company "K&W" in 1952. True, it was given to Lila in 1958.
(I didn’t want to let go of this doll, because in my distant childhood I had a doll very similar to it, which I called Veronica).
The next rarity lies in this rare chest.
This is already the GDR, produced in 1965. The baby doll has a dowry, which, in addition to clothes, a blanket and a rattle, even contains a washcloth and a clothespin.
And another whole shelf of GDR rarities from 1975-1981.
Eric, Matilda, Elsa, Bridget, Gretchen...
Tell me, is it possible to look at these faces without smiling?
Among the rarities is an exceptionally beautiful Florentina doll, also from the GDR, which turned 48 this year! Lila received it without her original outfit. The hat and dress were made by the needlewoman Lilya herself. But she didn’t have any shoes.
But - don’t have a hundred rubles, but....
The most interesting thing is that the golden slippers for Florentina were found! And they came from the USA. They were won at auction by Lilina's friend especially for this doll!
But if you think that’s all, you’re deeply mistaken! Let's take a look into these boxes with boxes neatly signed by Lily's pens.
Each box contains a doll. And each of these dolls is a work of puppetry art. And all of them are heroines of famous novels by famous writers.
Lily also has a collection of fairy houses. Or rather, not fairy-tale ones, but simply houses in which one would like to live.
This house was assembled with my own hands from individual parts without any diagrams, which Lilya is very proud of.
All these houses on the eve of the New Year seemed fabulous to me...
And I would like to live in each of them.
And what wonderful houses are displayed in Lily’s window, which faces Gogol Street.
This is what it means to be a generous soul! I would admire these houses myself. And Lilya puts them on display for everyone to see.
Which, in general, is fraught with unnecessary curious glances and knocks on the window. But Lilya is not the kind of person to pay attention to this. Let them admire!!!
And this house in Lily’s house completely blew me away,
as soon as he opened his doors.
I have seen similar houses in foreign films. And to be honest, I envied those children who could own such “wealth.”
And here, in Lily’s house, there was such a house, fully equipped with doll furniture.
Lilya collected it with her own hands for several years. It's called the Dream House.
I show some of the insides of the house.
You can look at these little things endlessly.
But Lilya is not happy with her house - there are no chandeliers yet. And she still doesn’t have enough pictures on the walls. By the way, the paintings have already been ordered. Only gilded baguettes are expected...
And here are the residents of the Dream House.
It was quite difficult to settle them in the Belarusian Dream House.
The thing is that the Italian company " DeAgostini" For some reason, it only accepts orders for these dolls from US residents. But for Lily there are no barriers, since in every corner globe she has true friends.
So - admire it. Exclusive!
Let's look at the next collection.
In my opinion, this collection of Belarusian ceramic whistles is unique. It has been collected by Lily for three decades.
It would seem - A WHISTLE! But its original purpose was to protect the home from misfortunes and protection from wild animals.
All whistles are working. Checked!
It is clear why Lily’s home is not scary for any of Gogol’s characters, although they live literally in front of her house. WHISTLES!!!
Collections of ceramic jugs are about as old as whistles.
Pay attention to the background. There are larger vessels there. And believe me, they are not only on these shelves...
There is also a small collection of locally produced “mini-glasses”. But this collection, as I understand it, is only at the beginning of collecting.
Netsuke and the same ceramic jugs.
For some reason I didn’t photograph a very interesting collection of porcelain painted eggs. Probably from an excess of feelings. But there is one such egg, given by Lily, in my house. It's unusual. You open it, and there is another egg, decorated with beads and ribbons. And at the top is a touching butterfly.
This bead weaving is made by Lily's hands. The design, of course, is also from our craftswoman.
Now I think you understand why I didn’t have enough time to look at all of Lily’s collections. After all, there are also photographs, paintings, and a collection of old postcards, stamps, boxes, and a collection of coins, and a collection of handkerchiefs. And I’m generally silent about books...
And what’s important is that all the shelves you saw for Lily’s collections, all the furniture, visible and invisible, were made by the hands of Lily’s husband, who, I think, is proud of his wife’s unconventional hobby.
Lilina's children are also keen collectors. My daughter and her husband, who live in Poland, collect illustrated children's books. And my son, who is now on a long sea voyage somewhere off the coast of Ecuador, is collecting bunnies, which I show you with great pleasure.
I slept under these bunnies and believe me, my sleep was strong and deep - the good energy of this hospitable house was so strong.
Well, in conclusion, I’m showing you the latest addition to Lilina’s doll collection. I think that you understand where this doll, which Lilya named Olesya, came from. I know that she will be very comfortable in the doll community. And don’t think that this is because the dolls are silent. Just remember Andersen's fairy tales. The doll world is complex. But I am sure that in Lily’s house everyone will love Olesya, because she, with a big heart, brings peace, friendship and kindness to everyone.
There are people who remained to live in childhood. There are few of them, but they exist. They look at the world with their clear, childish eyes and see it completely differently than we do. But next to them you become better and cleaner.
And I’m just happy that fate brought me to this small country, where a Man lives with a big, pure and kind hearted- my dear collector - Lilya.
