With the month of October some people tend to let their thoughts stray towards the creepy or unusual or even strange things that people have an obsession for collecting. We have an innate curiosity to check out these collections as we have the same draw when it comes to the circus sideshow acts or going into a Ripley’s Believe It Or Not booth. There is a childish wonder for the regular Joe as to why the eccentric choose to save the unsavory and why do we have a need to view them.
In the world we live in today, there are few products being made that will survive into next year let alone the next century. If you buy a new computer, it may cost you a pretty penny, but in the blink of an eye it will be outdated and replaced with the latest device. The objects that people have chosen to save in their collections have an infinite lifespan. There is nothing going to take their place. Say for instance, a lock of hair from a loved one who passed away that you have formed into a lovely piece of jewelry. These pieces of ‘mourning jewelry’ are very collectible and irreplaceable. Let’s look at other things that many collectors have chosen to hold onto.
The Bizarre, The Strange Yet Fascinating In The Collectible World
Hold onto your hat; some of these are truly wild and some of us would have never even thought of using some of these items for a collectible. It makes you wonder what will happen to these far-fetched pieces when the owners are through with them. They may be surprised to find that there may be a very small market for what they found joy in amassing.
- There exists a collection of toenail clippings and it has been deemed the world’s largest collection of toenail clippings implying that it is not the only one in the world. It had been collected for a scientific study that had been performed in 2013 and consisted of samples that were donated from individuals totaling 24,999 people. It’s not clear what is going to happen to these now that the study is complete.
- Traveling sideshows used to be a hugely popular pastime in America. Today they are simply a relic of bygone days but the memorabilia from the old freak shows as they were coined are very valuable. Normal items like the colorful banners made from canvas can sell for upwards of thousands of dollars. But more unusual collectors prefer to seek creepy objects such as the ‘Fiji Mermaids’ which was a monkey/fish combo that had been taxidermied as well as other pieces which depicted the dark side of life in the carnival.
- There is a Dutchman who is an avid collector. His name is Niek Vermeulen and he has accumulated over 6,000 airsick bags 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 of Graham Barker who has been designated as the collector with the world’s largest collection of belly button fluff. It has grown to be over 21 grams and has all been homegrown, none has been purchased by way of the internet. He started the hobby in 1984.
- Creepy as heck describes this one. Corpse tattoos. This is not about getting a tattoo after you have passed. It’s about those, let’s say with a bizarre mind, who choose to collect skin that has been stained or tattooed and has been torn from a corpse in order to be preserved in a type of mummified condition under a sheet of glass. It becomes almost translucent from being pulled so tightly with mounting. This is a rather morbid memorial to send on to future generations. There is a doctor from the Japanese Tattoo Institute known to collect these with the most rare coming from Yakuza.
There is some wacky stuff being held onto by some very special people who find it comforting to hold these items in a collection. Some of them are very dark and extreme and some are obsessive and odd, but everyone finds joy in collecting regardless of what their object of choice is and that is what the whole point is. It’s a very personal, intimate hobby that is not out for debate or judgment and we should all just have a good time with it. It’s actually kind of fun to check out some of the less conventional options.