On the "collecting" pages you will find information about the hobby of sugar collecting together with some examples of packets that are available to collect. You will see plenty of UK and foreign packets in the sidebars on the website. We hope this will encourage you to start collecting and/or join UKSC.
Tips and information
Opening Packets
Different sorts of packets
The UKSC generally distinguishes four main times of sugar packet.
Lump - far fewer of these are produced today than was once the case. The sugar is in lumps and the wrapper is printed on only one side folded around the lumps. Generally the packet has two lumps. Some lump wrappers, in particular most Tate & Lyle ones, have a manufacturers reference number on.
Sachet - by far the most common today. The packet is usually sealed around all four edges by crimping. Some sachets are a single piece of paper folded along both edges. Sachets may have the same printing on both sides or be different. Sometimes there are minor variations on one side, such as printers marks and numbers.
Flat Stick - the same principle as a sachet but long and thin. They therefore have a crimped seal on all four edges and becuase of the relative size of the packet these take up far more of the space overall. As with sachets the two faces can be identical, subtly different, or completely different.
Stick - this is a tube shaped packet, although once empty it will lie flat. The tube is sealed at both ends and on the reverse. The reverse seal is usually in the middle running along the length and thus there is a folded flap. Generally only one side has significant writing or pictures on but the reverse often contains text given a name, website or other factual information.
However, packets can come in other shapes and sizes too, such as pyramids.
Buying and Selling
Displaying
Organising a collection
As a person’s sugar packet collection grows they will need to organise it in some way. Whilst there may be different reasons people do this, three come to mind.
First, because it is what collectors do, it is probably in our genes, but generally we like to have such things organised and it gives us pleasure to see a well organised collection.
Secondly, because it makes it all the more interesting when we show other people (though sadly not all the people we show see it this way).
Thirdly, unless you have a photographic memory a collector needs to be able to check new acquisitions against the existing collection and this means having a system which allows us to know quickly where we would have filed a particular packet if we already had it.
The problem, of course, is that no matter what system you adopt there are always going to be packets which don’t quite fit or might legitimately be filed in more than one place.
See the article from Sweet Thoughts 53 to see the different ways people organise their collections.
Album
Articles
The following are largely past articles from Sweet Thoughts.
See also the articles download list.