Lord Noel On The Collection Of Collections

Whatto! Collectors.....

Did you know that excessive hoarding is a recognised Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?

And yet......all around us every day....... people have done just that!

There are already a number of noted and famous collections throughout the world.........

....Art, Antiques, Motor Cars etc. that we all know about.........

.... and many of us will have paid good money to visit them.

But there are other collections, of a more unusual nature, that are slowly becoming recognised.........

Which just goes to show..............if you are willing to persist with any compulsion for long enough....you too can become famous!

Sugar

Phil Miller is a 'Sucrologist' - which basically means that he steals sugar packets and sugar cube wrappers from every cafe, airport lounge and restaurant that he visits.

Indeed, Phil has been 'collecting' in this way since 1978 when he started with the Presidents of the United States sugar packets, and he hasn't looked back since. Isn't life sweet? ... Link

Barbed Wire

And I'm not referring to that rather naff Pamela Anderson movie in which she appears in extremely tight latex suits......... (which incidentally I've worn out....so if anyone has a copy I can borrow?)

No!...... I'm referring to a man called Jesse S. James, from Maywood California; USA who, since 1957 has collected barbed wire. He displays his specimens on panels, has catalogued them and even written a book about them. It is a collector’s item itself but I am led to believe it is out of print.

He will be a facinating dinner guest......must invite him over.

Oil Rags

Did you know that 'Oily Rags' is a Cockney Rhyming slang for 'Fags'.......
(The one's you smoke ....not the American ones).

My charming and attractive wife Lady Jacqueline has an amazing collection of fag butts........ which she likes to display lovingly around our courtyard every time a strong wind blows.

But this item is all about (even by my standards) a 'strange' chap named Ed Haberman of Tama, Iowa; USA who collects used oil rags. He has done this since the 1950’s and has a collection totalling more than 13,000, which (and here's the strange bit) he has washed and stored carefully in his home. I'm not sad to report his love of oily rags is not shared by Mrs Haberman.

Correct me if I'm wrong (and I very rarely am) but surely a collection of 'oil rags' that have been 'washed'......is now...... just a collection of rags!?


Banana Labels

This is MORE like it!

Becky Martz collects 'Banana and Asparagus labels' (and broccoli bands).
She has over 5000 banana labels. And that's an awful lot of bananas! Clearly Becky is someone who isn't happy until she has got a banana inside her.

In 1991, Becky Martz first noticed banana labels when she put two bunches of bananas in the fruit bowl together. She says "I noticed that the 'Dole' labels actually weren't quite the same: one said Guatemala and the other said Honduras. Later that year, I noticed a particularly festive Chiquita label and I decided that I wanted to collect banana labels".

Please, PLEASE! Dear sweet Becky! .....Do try to get OUT more!

Today, Becky has more than 7,000 different banana labels. And she's even branched out to collect asparagus and broccoli bands! Ooooooooh! Now! Now!.....Calm down everyone! But Becky isn't alone!....... there are 'others' like her in the world, and they even have their own Banana Sticker Collector Convention. (see what you're missing?) You can see more of Becky's collection here: Link



Rum Bottles

Petr Hlousek (who scores extra points for his novel abbreviation of Peter) is from the Czech Republic and he collects labels from rum bottles................ and he has amassed 6383 labels from 97 different countries.

Fascinatingly he still has 304 unopened bottles!

Petr!....... at least let us know your home address.....so we can come and visit!



Lint

To some people 'navel fluff' or 'bellybutton lint' (as it more technically known) forms part of life's little annoyances.

Not for Graham Barker: he began collecting them since 1984, and now, according to Guiness Book of World Records, has the 'World's largest collection of navel fluff'.

Graham says "It was on the 17th of January 1984 that I found myself under-occupied in a youth hostel in Brisbane. The night was steamy and stormy - too wet outside and too hot inside to do very much, and my attention drifted to my belly button. There it was ... fluff! I must have seen it before that night, but this occasion was the first time I ever picked it out and wondered about it. I became curious about how much navel fluff one person could generate (enough to stuff a cushion, maybe?), and the only way to find for sure was to collect it and see. My first piece of navel fluff was stored in an empty film canister, and the collection had begun."
Yuk!



Barf Bags

The 'Air Sickness Bag Virtual Museum' is all about vomit or (as the Americans so lovingly refer to them) 'Barf' bags. Indeed, it catalogues more than 2,000 photos of air sickness bags from all over the world.

In addition to airplane air sickness bags, the website also has a collection of bus sickness, sea sickness, and even space sickness bags!
(Is EVERYONE in America vomiting?)

Though most are underwhelming in terms of design, some are actually quite artistic. Virgin Atlantic airlines even held a "Design for Chunks" project in 2004, where artists submit their designs to be put as a limited edition barf bags!

I wonder if Richard Branson uses them when he sees what's become of his 'Virgin Records'?



Handcuffs

If you want to collect handcuffs, (and who doesn't?) then Joseph W. Lauher is your man, and www.handcuffs.org is the website to see.

Joseph, a well known and highly respected perv, has the largest collection of handcuffs (with the focus on 'vintage' ones), leg irons, nippers, and thumbcuffs on the Web: Link

"Lord Noel.....What's the difference between a nipper and a thumbcuff?" I hear you ask......

Well...... a nipper is a handcuff that locks only one hand, but has a handle for keeping the cuffed person under control (Photo above is a 1888 'nipper' made by Thomas & Smith).
A thumbcuff, like its name implies, cuffs both of the person's thumbs.

His favourite phrase to guests is ...."You're never going to leave me!?".....he's such a giggle!


Lavatory Seats

 
Are you sitting comfortably for this?

I hope so............ managing to hit an all time low is Texan 'artist' Barney Smith with his unusual choice of art medium..............

During the past 30 years, Barney has spent his spare time very wisely, by creating over 700 'artistically decorated toilet seat lids'. Check them out here: Link
(And don't forget to wash your hands afterwards)



Girlfriends

When I was much younger, a friend of mine used to collect 'Girlfriends'..........and although his collection was constantly changing and renewing itself, he found them very difficult to organise them.......and far too expensive to keep!

So he took up Philately!

Which has nothing to do with licking.....in fact licking is a BAD thing to do!........ as it can seriously devalue your collection!.

Yet ANOTHER highly educational blog entry! (Even though I do say so myself)
What a 'public service' I provide!


Tallyho!
Best Wishes - Lord Noel