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| Crazy Collectors |
Quirky and definitely different.
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Tucked away inside many homes are standard stamp or coin collections but there are always some people out there who have to be different! As part of an occasional series, Our House visits collectors whose hobby turns out to be anything but ordinary.
Air Sick Bags
Collector: Danny Cahalan
Danny, a travel agent, began collecting air sick bags when he was 21. He was on South American Paraguauan Airlines and wanted a souvenir but all he could find was an air sick bag. Now, 12 years later, he is the proud owner of 138 sick bags.
Not any old bag can be accepted into his collection. Every bag must be unique (Danny has 4 or 5 from Egypt Air but each differs), the bag must be collected by someone that has actually travelled on the airline, and yes, they must be empty!
Danny's favourite is one from Greenland. One from Varij Airlines (Brazilian) consists of a thick black plastic and there are a few from airlines that no longer exist, UK's Dan Air for example. So far Danny has found Qantas is the only airline that advertises on their sick bags.
So why the collection? Danny laughs and says he wants to leave something to
the kids. But more seriously, he will display them on the wall when he gets his own office.
Yowies
Collector: Joni Coleman
Joni (known as "Yowie lady" to friends) has a collection of 10,000 Yowies
which makes up one of the largest collections in Australia. They are found in Yowie (Cadbury Sweppes) chocolates, containing mainly Australian animals. (Six are fictional "good" characters called "Yowies" while another six are "bad" characters called "Grumpkins").
Joni has been collecting these little creatures since 1997. Since they were introduced there have been 162 series released, with 50 Yowies in each. Joni collects them mainly by buying the Yowie chocolates herself. Joni also swaps them with other Yowie collectors and places ads.
To Joni's husband's disgust, the Yowies have taken over her home, sitting on shelves, bench tops, window sills, in boxes, in cupboards and even as the centre piece on her dining room table.
She collects the plastic Yowie critters for their educational value and because she loves animals.
Corkscrews
Collector: Nicholas Hunt
Nicholas Hunt has been collecting cork screws from around the world for 11 years. Nick's passion began when his father started bringing them back from overseas visits. He now has 1,003 of them displayed in drawers throughout his home.
What's the attraction? Nick is fascinated by the varieties of corkscrews, their mechanical ability, usefulness and even beauty. They also help show off a decent bottle of wine.
Not all his corkscrews have been used. Nick once ruined a rare one while trying it out. There are around a dozen antique corkscrews in the kitchen which are most often used and others that are used for those special occasions. The mechanical corkscrews are frequently used so that they don't rust or stiffen up.
Nick collects corkscrews from international and national fairs and auctions. He belongs to a world-wide group of corkscrew collectors and is a proud member of the Canadian Corkscrew Collectors Club and the ICCA (International Correspondence of Corkscrew Addicts), of which Nick is the only Australian member and one of the youngest. (Apparently this is the ultimate club to belong to and you can only get in if someone dies)!
Nick's favourites include a rare "London rack" from 1838 which has bottle grips and a brush in the wooden handle and one of the more bizarre ones - a corkscrew with a golf ball handle.
Nick says he can never collect enough cork screws.
To all those crazy collectors
Yes, the search is on! If you know of anyone that has a strange collection, please write to us at:
Crazy Collectors at Our House,
Channel Nine,
P.O. Box 27,
Willoughby NSW 2068.
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More Info
Nicholas Hunt sells his corkscrews via:
Alcoholic Antiques, Sydney Antique Centre, 531 South Dowling St, Surry Hills. Ph: (02) 9361 3244
Peppers Creek Antiques, Broke St, Pokolbin, Hunter Valley.
Ph: (02) 4998 7532.
Alternatively write to Alcoholic Antiques at,
P.O. Box 483, Turramurra NSW 2074.
Email: alcoholic_antiques@bigpond.com
Yowie collectors, contact Joni Coleman at,
P.O. Box 1357,
Penrith NSW 2051.
Email: joni127@hotmail.com
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Disclaimer
All Fact Sheets and other material on the Our House website are provided as a general information service only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for the advice of a properly qualified tradesman. Neither ninemsn nor its licensors (including the Nine Network) assume or accept any responsibility for, and will not be liable for the accuracy or appropriate application of any information whatsoever in any Fact Sheet or other material on the Our House web site. Your use of the Our House web site is governed by this disclaimer and the ninemsn's Terms of Use.
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