Interview: Fraser Allen
Longstanding Mensa member Maureen Day explains her passion for collecting everything from silver, brooches and Tunbridge Ware boxes to cat-themed paintings, books and postcards
“I don’t know why collecting appeals to me,” says Maureen Day. “Nobody else in my family is interested but I always have been. I’m 78 now and have probably been collecting since I was about 10.”
Maureen’s collections focus mostly on jewellery, figurines, art and books – and there is a common theme to many of the treasured items in her north London home. “I’m the Secretary of the Mensa Cat SIG, and a lot of my collections are to do with cats,” she says. “That all started in 1979, when we got our first pet cats – and we’ve had a lot of them since too!”
Sadly, Maureen’s husband died back in 2008, but her collections keep her busy. “I’ve got plenty of Lalique cats – they’re nice – and I might just about have the whole set by now.” These small figurines were made by the French jeweller and glassmaker René Lalique (1860-1945), who championed the ancient technique of pâte-de-verre, through which ground glass is moulded into lifelike forms.
She’s also a big fan of the work of Louis Wain (1860-1939), the English artist famous for his drawings of cats, and has several of his paintings. Wain’s often humorous illustrations ascribed human personalities to cats and other animals. But while prolific, he made little money from his work. In later life, he suffered a serious head injury during a horse-drawn omnibus accident and spent the last 15 years of his life in mental hospitals, where his work became increasingly abstract, and was later compared to psychedelic art.
“I’ve also got around 700 cat books of varying ages,” she adds. “I do also collect Agatha Christie and Dick Francis books – not first editions or anything, but they were a boon during lockdown because I read the lot again. My walls are covered in art – mostly cats, but also some political cartoons by Edward McLachlan (1940-2024) and Matt (the Telegraph cartoonist). And I must mention my collection of more than 3,000 cat postcards dating from 1900 to 1920.”
Yet it doesn’t end there. “I collect silver, mostly to do with table settings,” says Maureen. “I have a nice 1920s style tea set and beautiful goblets – a set of six on a tray and four other wine goblets, which I use regularly. I also have several cruet sets, cat-shaped menu holders, fancy Victorian bowls of varying sizes and a set of American silver cutlery. One of these days, I’m going to get them all out and have a posh dinner party.”
Maureen also collects Tunbridge Ware boxes. Named after the Kent spa town of Tunbridge Wells, these little boxes (mainly crafted in the 19th century) are often inlaid with multi-coloured mosaics, and are usually made from wood, although Maureen also has some silver ones.
“I also collect Lea Stein brooches,” she adds. “I have more than 150. They’re multi-layered in lots of different colours, and lightweight, so I can wear them on anything. I’ve been a brooch fan forever and I’m glad they’re making a comeback.”
But as much as she enjoys collecting, Maureen doesn’t always manage to hang onto everything. “I’ve now managed to lose three wedding rings and am on to number four,” she says. “Completely lost them all but the first one must be somewhere under the bath. And over the years, I’ve gifted a lot of the things I’ve collected to friends and family. People have said I should sell them, but I prefer to give them away to people who will enjoy them like I have.”
In the September/October issue of IQ, we speak to three more Mensans about their passion for collecting – interests that span everything from stamps, books and harmonicas to ceramic tiles, uranium glass and samples of chemical elements. We also delve into the reasons why people collect, and why it can make such a satisfying pastime.
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