Who: Florine Postell of Clifton, wife, mother of two, director of the Sister Cities Association of Greater Cincinnati and Time magazine “affectionato.”

        What: More than 2,000 issues of her favorite publication.

Florine Postell of Clifton (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        Where: In a custom-designed wall unit built by her architect husband, Jim.

        Awakening: “I was drawn to this hobby back in high school,” she explains. “My parents had a subscription and I was beginning to develop my own interests in politics and society's development.

        “At first,” she recalls, “I started off saving covers that highlighted significant people or had creative cover designs. But when I got through with college, I started to keep the entire magazine.”

        That's easy to do when you have a wall unit like Mrs. Postell's. It is in the solarium of the family's home and consists of a glass case with shelves that can hold up to 25 picture frames. This allows her to mix and match magazine covers in ever-changing displays.

        “During the presidential election,” she says, “I did a display that featured covers with Nixon, Eisenhower, Clinton and Truman. Right now, the theme is Man of the Year.” (Now called Person of the Year.)

        Historical perspective: She particularly treasures her Man of the Year issues. “They are a real snapshot of history,” she says.

        Somewhere in time: “Sometimes I will pick up a copy of Time and get lost,” she says. “All of a sudden I will start learning things and reconnecting to things that happened long ago. It's easy to get lost just poring over old advertisements.”

        Always looking: Mrs. Postell's collection goes back to the 1930s.

        “I don't have every single issue,” she says with a sigh, “but it is a pretty sizable collection.”

        She adds to her library by visiting antiques shows, secondhand stores and flea markets. Every once in a while she will place a “looking to buy” ad in the newspaper.

        A family affair: “Right now,” she says, “my investment is paying off. I've been eager to refer to our personal library as my children encounter the rite of passage of writing school reports.”

        Recently, one of her son's teachers asked him to write about a famous woman. His choice was Rosa Parks.

        “Voila!” Mrs. Postell exclaims, “I found a 1956 issue with an article about the ending of the Montgomery bus boycott with her picture in it. In Cub Scouts, he had to research some dates and I had the issue for July 20, 1969, when Apollo 11 landed on the moon.”

        “It makes you realize that history is pretty cool,” she says.

        Share your prize possessions with Marsie Hall Newbold by mail: c/o The Enquirer, Tempo, Prize Possessions, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati, OH 45202; or e-mail: marsolete@aol.com.

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