Part 1
From rare coins and autographs to vintage comics and valuable documents, collectors carefully acquire and catalog a wide variety of items. Hobbyists often see collecting as an enjoyable way to spend their free time. Some collectors are motivated by investment value. Others do it out of sheer love – or obsession – for the items they collect.
However, some collectors have very unusual collections made up of unusual items. In these cases, monetary value may not matter. But before we look at these curiosities, let's define what a real collection is.
COLLECT VS. ACCUMULATE
Accumulating is not collecting. For example, someone with drawers full of jewelry or closets full of purses or shoes is probably not a collector. They just really like accessories. Maybe you have a jersey from every team you follow and refuse to throw away even the worst one. This is not a collection. This is accumulation with preference and good taste, we are sure of it.
For some people, compulsive accumulation and the inability to let go of things develop into hoarding. Hoarders can be attracted to many of the same types of objects. But instead of carefully purchasing individually selected keepsakes, they accumulate “stuff” – often several identical items.
Conversely, collecting is a goal-oriented activity. The serious collector is knowledgeable about his chosen treasures. They typically organize and catalog their inventory. Details of each item in their collection are noted. This information may include when and where the piece was purchased, its value or significance, the date of manufacture, and other relevant data.
Additionally, most collectors present their compilations in some way. Both public and private advertisements are common. You can organize each purchase by date of manufacture or any other method that makes sense. They also typically know exactly what they are missing and hoping to acquire.
So, having made these distinctions, let's now turn to some unusual collector's catalogs. The following selections are strange, unusual or bizarre in the world of collecting.
1.Barf bag
There is actually an online virtual museum of aviation plague bags. Curator Steven J. Silberberg created a website highlighting his dubious treasures.
Unfortunately for “baggists,” who are called vomit bag collectors, bizarre airplane vomit bags are a thing of the past. So a lot of her collecting involves chasing down old Airsick bags. Two of the sickies on Silberberg's "Most Wanted" list are "Beastie Boys License to Ill" and "I Survived the Clinton White House."
Before this sad turn of events, Niek K. Vermeulen from the Netherlands set the Guinness World Record for collecting medical bags in 2012. Over the past four decades, he had collected more than 6,000 Airsick bags from almost 200 countries. One of his bags was even in space. It's a NASA space shuttle barf bag.
2.Celebrity Hair
Another notable Guinness World Record holder is John R. His collection consists of celebrity locks. He authenticated a piece of Elvis Presley's hair for a sale of $15,000. John R. also sold some of Michael Jackson's hair from his own collection for just $2,000.
In the Victorian era, a scrap of hair from a notable personality was today's autograph of a celebrity. In the mid-1800s, people even sold celebrity hair. The John R. collection includes samples from Albert Einstein, Napoleon Bonaparte, Abraham Lincoln, Eva Braun, Ludwig van Beethoven and Marilyn Monroe.
Paul Fraser is another successful celebrity hair collector. When Fraser parted ways with a sample of Marilyn Monroe's hair - cut short after she sang Happy Birthday to President Kennedy - she asked for a record $331,233. He is also linked to selling Justin Bieber's locks worth $40,668.
3.Nails
At first glance it may seem that a collection of nails would be limited and boring. But this collection, slowly acquired by Richard Jones, is more diverse and interesting than you can imagine. The retired carpenter from the UK collected nails for over five decades. He mounted his inventory of more than 3,000 nails on more than 32 panels for display.
Jones collected his assortment of nails while working in a carpentry and construction company, as well as at flea markets and antique fairs. As Jones' reputation grew, so did his collection. People started sending him interesting nails from all over the world. In fact, some of its items date back to Roman times.
4.Fossilized feces
The question “Why do you collect this crap?” has perhaps never rung so true as with George Frandsen. Frandsen, another Guinness World Records recipient, is a collector of fossilized feces. His “poozeum” is a whimsical play on words that describes a very bizarre collection.
Frandsen has amassed more than 5,000 fossilized poop specimens from around the world. These historic turds are small, medium, large, and ancient - ranging from 10,000 to 400 million years old. Coprolite is the official name for the animal dung that Frandsen collects.
He explains that his hobby isn't as gross as it sounds. You would be more likely to mistake his collectibles for rocks than feces. They are also very educational. But he warns people that most of the alleged coprolites on the market are fakes, especially alleged dinosaur shit.
“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
You've no doubt heard the old saying that "one man's trash is another man's treasure." That's pretty accurate with some of the strange and unusual collections in the spotlight here. But isn't it interesting to see something you thought was worthless with new eyes? Maybe you too will find hidden treasures in unlikely places. Isn't this every collector's dream? Next week we continue in the second part of the craziest collectibles in the world 😉
