Aside from gold and lockpicks, what is the one item you find yourself picking up just for the sake of having it? I find myself collecting leather strips for no reason imparticular. Around 1,700 now. I used to collect iron arrows, but after stocking up on Daedra arrows I stopped.

Holy cow that's a lot of strips.

I'm at the point where I hardly search anything besides the better enemies and the chests. Forget the Foresworn, lol.

on my one Char, jem's, I don't need them, don't sell them, just collect them and put them in a shallow bowl. They look nice in the candle light.

I collect books in-game. This is why I wish that there was a house with a dedicated library in it.

I honestly don't collect anything. I dunno I'm not really like that.

my thief collected skulls, gems and silver - kept them all in the thieves guild vault. Looked pretty good. I used to leave the skulls on the steps outside breezehome but they faced after a while.

calipers.....oh yeah

Books and gems. I don't sell either and have a whole bunch of them covering my house.

In Morrowind it was Dwemer Coins, cause I thought they were kind of intresting, plus I collect coins in real life. Oblivion was forks, since innkeepers call you a madman for taking one, then the guard comes busting in calling you "criminal scum." People value them so much I decided to break into places at night and steal all of them. Here, I would have to say gems. I have no shortage of gold, and in real life I collect rocks.