Whole lotta shakin' goin' on with Eastport woman's unique collection

The Oxford Learner's Dictionary defines the noun "collector" as "a person who collects things, either as a hobby or as a job."

Nancy Morgan of Eastportcould have been the originalinspiration for the word.

At the age of 80, Morgan has a remarkable collection of salt and pepper shakers 2,920 sets, to be exact. She's hoping to pass the 3,000 mark by Christmas.

In the beginning ...

Morgan received salt and pepper shaker sets before she was married, which was in 1961. The collector's bug, however, didn't take hold foranother 10 years.

"I think when we were in Ontario living, I went to a store there, a hardware store, in fact," she said."And I picked up a couple of pairs I liked, and that was in '73."

Thus began a lifelong passion.

Today in Morgan's bungalow, a treasure has been carefully placed in every part of her home.

I do value anything given me and they're all marked.-Nancy Morgan

From Christmas-themed sets to frogs,Morgan has gathered an enormous collection, made from a host of materials like ceramic, china, glass and brass.

Many of Morgan's pieces are vintage, with one particular shaker set that holds a special place in her heart.

"It was made in1904. That came from a yard sale in Ontario," she said. "Just married."

Much of Morgan's collectioncomes from the garage sales she's searched out over the years. She's also frequented local dollar stores, goodwill centres and antique stores for the next exciting find. Friends have also been on the lookout for her in Florida, where there are hundreds of flea markets..

"My friend and her father used to go to Florida, and they came back one time, I think, with something like 80 sets, between him and her," said Morgan.

"And another time he wenthimself, she didn't go andhe came back with over 40 sets for me."

From the Azores to Badger's Quay

The salt and pepper shakers are organizedin every nook and cranny in Morgan's home.

In the hallway, on windowsills, and in the sunroomwhere the deep freeze is kept. Morgan eventually wants to move out the freezer to make space for more sets.

She's purchased hundreds of sets herself, but Morgan's friends and family on vacation have brought hersouvenirsfrom all over the globe from Vancouver to Cyprus to the Azores.

"I do value anything given me and they're all marked.I number them, I put them in a book."

But Morgan also enjoys the sweet sets close to home too, pointing to a set that came from a store around Badger's Quay.

"A lady who lives here, she went down, and I guess her mom was closing out the store."

How about that dusting!

Once a year, Morgan carefully takes each salt and pepper shaker off its shelf and begins the process of dusting.

It's a labour of love andtakes several weeks. Morgancleans the shelves, and then the sets, and puts them all back, as pristine as when they were first set in her home.

Salt, pepper and one heck of a collection: Listen as Nancy Morgan describes her passion to Weekend AM's Heather Barrett:

"I only do a few at a time," she said.

"Like I don't come out and say, 'OK, this got to be done this week.' And if I don't feel like it they don't get done until next time."

Oh, the irony

But for all the salt and pepper shakers in her house she never uses them for practical purposes.

She has a working set in the kitchen, but oddly enough, doesn't use pepper. "Pepper, not ...salt, too much," she said.

When asked what she enjoys most about collecting salt and peppers, Morgan says she loves the thrill of the chase.

"I don't know. Maybe it's just seeing how many different sets that I can get," she said.

"I was wondering how many ... how many different sets do you think that's been made.It would be something, wouldn't it?"

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