The Less Conventional Side of Collecting
Withthe month of October some people tend to let their thoughts stray towards thecreepy or unusual or even strange things that people have an obsession forcollecting. We have an innate curiosity to check out these collections as wehave the same draw when it comes to the circus sideshow acts or going into aRipley’s Believe It Or Not booth. There is a childish wonder for the regularJoe as to why the eccentric choose to save the unsavory and why do we have a needto view them.
Inthe world we live in today, there are few products being made that will surviveinto next year let alone the next century. If you buy a new computer, it maycost you a pretty penny, but in the blink of an eye it will be outdated and replacedwith the latest device. The objects that people have chosen to save in theircollections have an infinite lifespan. There is nothing going to take theirplace. Say for instance, a lock of hair from a loved one who passed away thatyou have formed into a lovely piece of jewelry. These pieces of ‘mourningjewelry’ are very collectible and irreplaceable. Let’s look at other thingsthat many collectors have chosen to hold onto.
TheBizarre, The Strange Yet Fascinating In The Collectible World
Holdonto your hat; some of these are truly wild and some of us would have nevereven thought of using some of these items for a collectible. It makes youwonder what will happen to these far-fetched pieces when the owners are throughwith them. They may be surprised to find that there may be a very small marketfor what they found joy in amassing.
- There exists a collection of toenailclippings and it has been deemed the world’s largest collection of toenailclippings implying that it is not the only one in the world. It had beencollected for a scientific study that had been performed in 2013 and consistedof samples that were donated from individuals totaling 24,999 people. It’s notclear what is going to happen to these now that the study is complete.
- Traveling sideshows used to be a hugelypopular pastime in America. Today they are simply a relic of bygone days butthe memorabilia from the old freak shows as they were coined are very valuable.Normal items like the colorful banners made from canvas can sell forupwards of thousands of dollars. But more unusual collectors prefer to seekcreepy objects such as the ‘Fiji Mermaids’ which was a monkey/fish combo thathad been taxidermied as well as other pieces which depicted the dark side oflife in the carnival.
- There is a Dutchman who is an avidcollector. His name is Niek Vermeulen and he has accumulated over 6,000 airsickbags from nearly 1200 different airlines across almost 200 different countries.If he travels he has no worries about becoming ill. He comes well prepared.
- There is a gentleman by the name ofGraham Barker who has been designated as the collector with the world’s largestcollection of belly button fluff. It has grown to be over 21 grams and has allbeen homegrown, none has been purchased by way of the internet. He started thehobby in 1984.
- Creepy as heck describes this one.Corpse tattoos. This is not about getting a tattoo after you have passed. It’sabout those, let’s say with a bizarre mind, who choose to collect skin that hasbeen stained or tattooed and has been torn from a corpse in order to bepreserved in a type of mummified condition under a sheet of glass. It becomesalmost translucent from being pulled so tightly with mounting. This is a rathermorbid memorial to send on to future generations. There is a doctor from theJapanese Tattoo Institute known to collect these with the most rare coming fromYakuza.
Thereis some wacky stuff being held onto by some very special people who find itcomforting to hold these items in a collection. Some of them are very dark andextreme and some are obsessive and odd, but everyone finds joy in collectingregardless of what their object of choice is and that is what the whole pointis. It’s a very personal, intimate hobby that is not out for debate or judgmentand we should all just have a good time with it. It’s actually kind of fun tocheck out some of the less conventional options.