We own a lot of stuff. Some of them are items we cannot go a day without, and some have sort of sentimental value or just seem important enough to keep. But sometimes, people own the weirdest things with the craziest backstories.
That is why I asked the community of Bored Panda to tell us what they own that probably no one else has.
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The cutest cat in the whole world 😂
Bored Panda reached out to a professor within the Department of Psychology, Nick Neave, who is the Director of the Hoarding Research Group, Faculty Director of Ethics, and Chair of the Faculty Research Ethics Committee. We asked him some questions about human psychology concerning our attachment to objects. Most of the time, owning a lot of stuff and having sentiments towards objects is natural as it is in human nature.
As Nick wrote: “Humans are social animals and forming attachment bonds to other people is part of our evolutionary history, and important to our survival and wellbeing. These attachment bonds can ‘spread’ and so we also form strong attachments to non-humans (pets) and also to inanimate objects (our possessions). Our possessions form a key part of our ‘self’ – they indicate our personality, and signal to others our likes and dislikes, and our social status (e.g. our choice of music, books, fashion, design, movies, etc.). It is very rare for people to have no possessions.”
I own an official Nanosecond. Actually, it is a section of yellow-stranded 1980s plenum cable that was cut to the exact length that an electron would traverse in one nanosecond. It is signed by the late Rear Admiral Grace M. Hopper, one of the most famous and accomplished computer scientists. She was a member of the Harvard team that discovered the first computer bug.
I have a small (about an inch long), mangled, sharp piece of shrapnel that a person mowing their lawn hit, it flew across 3 lanes of traffic and a median strip, through my car window, and into my ribs.
We were wondering whether the attachment to objects can, in a way, replace humans. Nick answered: “Yes – we see this in people who display hoarding behaviors – they have typically experienced traumatic and chaotic lives, and have found that other people (i.e. parents, romantic partners, etc.) cannot be relied upon (they are neglectful or abusive, for example) and so they form intense attachments to objects. Objects can be relied upon, and do not cause emotional trauma like other people do. People who strongly attach to objects (i.e. hoarders) can be socially isolated and lonely, and see objects as ‘friends’ and as having human-like qualities (this is called ‘anthropomorphism’), so that they think that a book might be ‘feeling unwanted’ or ‘lonely’ in a shop window and so they go and buy it.”
With that being said, we asked why it is so difficult to throw away old, sentimental things. The professor answered: “As we form intense emotional attachments to objects, it becomes hard to get rid of them. These attachments might have a sentimental connection to a loved one (a parent’s watch, a child’s first shoes, for example), and if that person is no longer alive, then getting rid of the item feels like losing the person again – some keep the item and avoid feeling the emotional loss once more. People who anthropomorphize objects often say that they don’t want to get rid of things because the things might get ‘offended’ or ‘upset’ at being discarded. They are also afraid of getting rid of things ‘in case they need them again in the future’.”
Original first edition copy of Le Fantome De L'Opera by Gaston Leroux (1909)
My Great Uncle's whistle he carried at Passchendaele and other battles in WW1.
We all do have some sort of attachment to owned objects. Some clothes stay hanged in our closets year after year without being worn. But we were wondering, what could count as an unhealthy attachment to objects?
Nick wrote: “This is difficult to say because it all depends on a person’s circumstances. What might seem useless to one person – say, an old bus ticket, might have deep significance to another person – it might be the bus ticket they used when they visited their aunt who then died shortly after – the ticket is the reminder of their last journey to see their much-loved relative and is thus imbued with feelings, emotions and sentiment. However, if hoarding objects begins to interfere with the normal activities of daily life – i.e. cooking, sleeping, using a bath or toilet, then that person might have a problem, as such conditions can be bad for their health and mental well-being and can soon reach a point where daily life becomes impossible.”
A piece of shale I found while coming back down the mountain. My brother and I were exploring an old gold mine at the top, and on the way back down, we saw a small ledge along the trail that looked like a great spot to climb up and take a break. We climbed the 20 or so feet to the ledge and got comfortable with our backs to the wall and feet dangling. I reached behind me for a piece of shale to put my name and date on. I wiped the dirt, and it already had one. Guys name, and April 21, 1941. I still have it. Left my own piece there for someone else to find someday.
Bathroom trash can made from an empty cardboard box. I even moved it from my apartment to my new house. I think nothing about dropping $8 on a latte that'll be gone in half an hour, but a $5 trash can? Out of the question.
If you feel like you might have unhealthy attachment issues to objects, or you know someone who does, it might not be an easy fix, but eventually, working towards finding help will make your or another person's life easier.
Here is the advice that Nick shared: “It is very difficult to remove unhealthy attachments – doing so involves working closely with therapists and de-clutterers, the best de-clutterers are often people who have been hoarders in the past and so they can be very insightful when they try to help other people. The process can take time and patience but there can be very positive results. There are some self-help books and websites but it is better to try and work with another person as they can help with the burden of ‘making a decision’ about getting rid of something, and provide moral and social support.”
Me
A still sealed original Salvador Dali tarot deck
And lastly, Nick added: “Our research has shown that people not only form strong attachments to physical objects but also to digital objects (i.e. photos, music, etc.) and we have created new questionnaires to measure digital hoarding in the workplace and in one's personal life. Our Hoarding Research Group at Northumbria University is very interested in how people form strong attachments to virtual and physical objects and how those connections can be changed or affected by other experiences, etc.”
One of those blue mailboxes that the post office uses to collect mail across the city. It was made the year I was born and had been stationed in the town where I grew up. I acquired it through not-illegal means (it was in a pile of stuff headed out for scrap metal due to minor damage) and I've had it for something like 30 years. Use it for storage.
Ooh that's really cool, & it has some significant sentimental value. It's neat that you also found another use for it.
We still have an old black wall-mounted rotary phone that is old enough that you can’t even change the cord from the phone to the handset (you could on newer ones).
FYI it still works!
Lol I remember those... & waiting for for that rotary wheel to spin back around to dial the next digit lol
Items from the last full-blooded shaman of the Kaw Nations
A rock collection full of rocks I found on the playground as a child, which includes amethyst and rosemary quartz.
Amazing! I had a rock collection too, but the most I got was a piece of marble. I later discovered it was just a random polished rock dropped by someone and that marble isn't naturally glazed and polished.
I don’t believe I have anything except for the stories I write
The nest of a family of Firecrests.
They stayed in our palm tree last summer and we were lucky enough to see them fly the nest. The recent storms have dislodged the nest and I now thinking of somewhere nice to keep it. We don't often see Firecrests in the UK so we were very privileged to have what may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
I can relate...I also collect birds nests I find on the ground...I use them for Easter decor filled with colourful glas eggs/big beads and coloured feathers....I think my 1st nest is about 30-35 years old
A walking stick I decorated with a specific set of runes
A girl scout sniper uniform complete with a hot pink bedazzled sniper rifle.
I know for a FACT that no one else has a carved wooden bust of my head
Anatomically correct museum-quality replica of a male North Atlantic lobster, once used in an ocean exhibition in one of the most famous museums in the world.
Zassenhaus nut grinder over 100 years old. I don't know how old exactly b/c it was in Hubby's grandma's cabinet of "old stuff".
A pair of letters written by John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy congratulating someone on a new job.
Probably my favorite baby blanket. It stopped being made a couple of years ago and there weren't many produced so I have one. That must be pretty special. It's my comfort item, I only use it when I'm really stressed.
Same for me, except idk if my was quit being made. I've just had it forever and it helps when I'm sad/stressed/mad
A mint condition WWII Coca-Cola newspaper ad.
All kids & grandkid in my family has a handmade blanket quilted/crocheted by family members.
My grandmother had 15 kids, 28 grandchildren and over 80 great grandchildren. She made one blanket for one grandkid. My husband. She made it very clear it was just for him, but it would be ok if he let me use it too. I used to be the favorite. She died the day before my birthday in 1989.
A bottle of Sweet Honey Catalina Dressing expired in November 2007.
A puffin skull I preserved myself.
My husband found it on the beach. I actually have a whole collection of skulls that my dad passed down to me. I've been adding to it over the years. There are several ways to clean up a skull. The easiest is to bury it in soil in a bucket (so no animals can get at it) and just wait. You can boil the bigger skulls but birds in particular can't be because they're hollow and will dissolve. Depending on if you want museum quality you can bleach them so they're white. A clear coat at the end is good so they don't collect dust
Self-esteem
First of all, I have the One Ring on a necklace. Second of all, I have a small ghost made out of pastel rainbow yarn (his name is Soft Ghost Boi lol) and I made him so he’s one of a kind.
A dead dried toad I found on the street side and put it into a glass box for display.
Original art (paintings, sculptures) made by others and some by me.
A frog skin purse. It’s actually really cool despite what people always think. He’s called Bert
I have an antique monkey hair hand warmer that I bought at an auction. I was the only bidder. There was also an antique sheer robe with monkey hair trim, but that went through the roof.
glasswork done by me ig
Oooh that's neat & creative. So you have a picture of a piece you can share?
A plush flamingo wearing a (plastic) pearl necklace.
I have a life-size plush flamingo toy that yodels when you press his foot.
In a very small box of treasures, I keep six links of my cherished 14k gold box chain bracelet, a gift from my sisters for my 40th birthday (I'll soon be 60). Of course I still have the bracelet; I rarely take it off. The links were removed due to dramatic weight loss.
An uncut sheet of X-Men cards with the Phoenix card and Cyclops & Jean Grey's wedding card.
A one of a kind home made rocket launcher, & yes, it works & it is really fun to shoot! lol, well, it's actually my Fiance's. He made it himself.
i have always had a fascination and desire to learn about japan, particularly their history and culture. a friend of my mom knew of this and when i was about ten years old he brought back two things. one was an ivory tusk that had a complete tiny village carved on it. you could move the people and animals around the village by the little pegs on the bottom. the shoji walls of the houses opened and closed. the whole thing was probably around 14 to 18 inches long and was held in a frame designed tohold it securely. sadly, ihave no idea what happened to it as one day it was just missing. the other item(s) he brought back was a collection of the seven lucky gods or, actually, 6 gods and one goddess. they are about an inch or so in height and are very detailed, also carved out of ivory. those i still have and consider them very precious to me. now, at the time these were given to me i was completely unaware of the poaching of ivory and the eventual ban on harvesting elephant tusks. so, i know the fact that i have anything out of ivory is rare in itself. i have vacillated between keeping them or getting rid of them because of this but sentimentality has always won. oh, there is one other item that i would love to find out what they are. they are made of metal and have my ancestor's initials on them. very old. they kind of look like an empty spool of thread so i think they may have been a type of button or fastener. i put this info out there in this post just in case someone can tell me what they are.
2 Mark Twain 1981 solid gold dollar coins. Worth about $2,200 per coin.
A meter stick I borrowed forever on accident (I forget to turn things in alot) from my robotics teacher.
Do you guys still have stuff from teachers you borrowed and forgot to give back?🤔🙂
My dads ashes and urn. He didn’t want a funeral and I’m an only child and his family doesn’t talk to me since he divorced my mom so he’s on my shelf. I talk to him when I miss him. It’s comforting to me.
My heart 😮💨
CalJam 2 picture, with Bob Welch and Heart rocking the 300,000 stoned, happy attendees. Taken from above stage, with Polaroid instant camera. I was the only one working the risers that day, so it’s truly one of a kind.
A 1954 Royal Quiet De Luxe typewriter. One of my roomates got it for me for my birthday a few years ago. Works perfectly and I managed to find some ink ribbons on amazon! I have plans to write short horror stories with it.
A human female skeleton. She's a medical training aid from the late 1800's. She sits in an antique Victorian wheelchair in our living room. We named her Lucy.
We've got one called Charlie, he stands behind the chair like a gentleman
A coffee table made by my great uncle from a piece of drift wood he found on a beach when he was a child, he kept it for decades until he became a carpenter and then had a use for it. He gifted it to me when I bought my first house and it's pride of place in our front room...despite not fitting in with the rest of the decor, I absolutely love it!
Ooh I know. A signed copy of Stephen King’s Salems Lot :) Found in a charity shop for just $10 :D
A husky shepherd mix
I had a husky shepherd mix. Still love that girl. I think about her almost every day. Gorgeous blue eyes with long eyelashes to die for. RIP Smokey.
An elephant's femur in my living room, it's over 3 feet tall. My grandfather took away its life with a long bow in Africa in (I think) the early 1960s. He was a professional archer and is in the Archery Hall of Fame.
Don´t kill the messenger...not his fault...and yes,it is absolutely horrible the killings of elephants because of the ivory...apart from the fact they are beautiful,majestic animals bordering on extinction .Times have changed and a good thing too...
I have a plastic figurine of a fox going sking that I received as a gift from Belarus when I was a teenager in the early 90's. Outside of that I have a clock sitting on my desk that was given out in '95 for getting a plant rebuilt in 6 months. I think a couple hundred were given out, not sure how many still exist today, but I have one and it's fantastic condition.
In my father's mementos, I found a ring with "NORTH AFRICA 1943"" stamped on it. North Africa was the staging area for the Italian campaign in WWII. I wear it sometimes to remind me of him.
An old glass milk bottle from what used to be my grandparents dairy farm. Depending on size they are worth $250-$400 in my area because they are ‘locally famous’ and I’ve seen people pay over $1000 for one at auction! I’ve needed money several times over the years but not once did I ever consider selling that bottle, it means way more to me than money. Also my grandmothers real double strand pearl(one of my birthstones) necklace that my pap gave to her on their wedding day.
Do you have more than one birthstone? I love mine, but.a second one would be fun!
Two bars of soap from the last batch that my late Grandmother made on the old wood stove in her backyard, where she had been making it for nearly fifty years.
Fire Poi
I have 3 pair of poi, 1 fire pair and a fire staff. But don't see them all that often.
1920 typewriter and 1930 telephone. The typewriter is so heavy that I have to get a step ladder just to put it on a shelf.
A bottle opener that was found in a big that guessing is from the 1800s
My dad's regimental tie pin from 1954, Lord Starathcona's Horseguard, now a tank regiment. Turns out the nephew of a coworker was a member of the same regiment going to Afghanistan. I sent him a little package to take with him that contained my dad's tie pin for good luck. The deal was that he had to come back and give it back to me himself. It now sits in my dad's special windowbox. To Afghanistan and back.
Some of the my forest was recently protected, due to it being pretty much untouched, never been farmed or logged. So I own a part of a national park.
My great grandfather's wood headstone
Both my great grandfather(ww2) and my grandfathers(Vietnam) dog tags
I inherited a rather cool collection of vintage cameras from my photographer grandfather. Many over a century old. Many others ranging from the 40s to the 80s.
They are all in amazing condition.
I have my grandfather's AEF dogtags from WW1. Also have his Purple Heart.
An amalgamation of bugs. Pretty much its a bunch of taxidermy bug pieces making one an interesting creature.
Probably these Taco Bell in-store signs from 1995 for the "new" double layer taco featuring young Shaquille O'Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon from the NBA. Wish I could add a picture of them. They says "Hakeem likes the SOFT layer!" "Shaq likes the CRUNCHY layer!" And both men are wearing bowties, suspenders and striped beanies with propellers on top.
A purse - the UK sort - celebrating the diamond anniversary of Queen Victoria (1897). Beautiful cream leather with deep red silk lined interior.
2 salt glazed ink bottles made in England in the early 1800's. I contacted a professor of antiques. He said the only other one like mine ever known to exist was found in the attic of Abraham Lincoln's law office, before he became president. They are so rare that in the past 20yrs I have had them no one has been able to give me a value for them.
Sculptures of a Solomon Island Coastal Chief and a Chinese Medicine Man, created during the WPA and sent around the nation to schools in order to educate Americans on other nationalities and cultures. Donated to me by the Bowers Museum when they were eliminating parts of their collection. There were dozens of these, but only there two were mostly intact and Inwood condition.
An Iraqi Army operations map that I found in a bunker in Iraq during Desert Storm
A sister as amazing and supportive as mine :)
Luv ya sis!
A small olive wood box purchased in Jerusalem in 1896, with a sepia print of the Mosque of Omar forming the underside of the lid, and containing among other things a circular piece of white clay approximately the size of an old shilling purporting to be a drop of milk from Mary’s breast, purchased outside the Grotto of Milk in Bethlehem in the same year.
A small glass CocaCola bottle tossed away during World War 2.
The 4-inch splinter that was removed from my foot in the 3rd grade
I have the original keys to a hotel on The Rock of Gibraltar.
Not technically mine, but my mom has a collection of over 100 nativity sets from all around the world that come out at Christmastime. One of them is a tree ornament that I think my great-great-grandmother owned, or maybe just my great-grandmother, from the Great Depression era. It’s cardboard and plaster and has only lasted this long because it stays in a box for most of the year. There’s also nativities made from painted goatskin, banana leaves, ebony wood, tin, stained glass, clay, stone, reeds, and of course a bunch in plastic. We used to have like 150, but trimmed down a bit over the years.
The rarest thing I have would have to be either the 1909 copy of the Arabian Nights that I found for free at the library, or a naturally heart-shaped red stone from a beach somewhere.
Buddha statue made of gold from Thailand! My dad got it for me a looooong time ago when he went
I own a painting of six dragons cooking soup
I have this cool painting that can be seen two different ways: an elephant or a bear looking backwards. Idk I just think it’s cool.
A nuns self flagellation whip that looks like a mini mace.
4 accusations of arson at 14 years of age and 3 trials of which i was proved innocent
A hand-knit Sock Monkey and an ALSO hand-knit Humpty Dumpty, the former of which has a removable knit hat and scarf, all of which were made by my dear great-aunt. The only problem is that I know other people have this, because she made a sock monkey and Humpty Dumpty for my siblings too, one for each.
2 Matrix “Obsessive Object” books. 1999.
I have #2. Mixed black & white, and hand colored images printed from the original website on mixed hand made papers. Hard back.
And #3. The original script, magazine articles, and An article by Richard Corliss about The Matrix, cyberpunk and higher math. Soft bound.
#1 was the first version of #2. I made it for a friend who was later annoyed that #2 was even better.
I inherited a human tooth (a canine) with attached solid gold implant hook to affix it in place.
A square of al capones floor that my mum took from cuba when they were nocking his house down.
a rock with the word "blessed" and flowers carved into it.
A bunch of original, 1st edition Pokemon cards (encased and in mint condition) - TCG, Jungle, Fossil, Team Rocket, etc., some rare Pokemon toys and promos, that are now mostly otherwise long gone from the mass market output.
A carved coconut head with seashell earrings. It was my grandfather's and dates from before 1940. It's one of a kind (though I've seen similar ones on occasion). Wish I could find a picture! It's in storage at the moment...
A buuuuunch of my old art. I know I gave some friends and family a few drawings, but 99% of the stuff that didn’t get thrown away is with me.
An Eddie Bauer watch that my dad bought for himself when he was like 13 or something (roughly 1984). He has replaced the battery and got a new band for it. It’s a good watch, I like the color. A nice royal blue with stainless steel and some gold color (doubt it’s actually real gold). Tells me the data too, which is very useful because I can never remember what the number data is, and with Covid, still get the days mixed up.
I have a quite unique edition of the book Psyche by Louis Couperus from 1897, the inside is third editon but the cover is from the first edition which has some stunning Art Nouveau artwork by Jan Toorop. I love it so much!
Psyche has been my favourite story for 15-20 years now and I was so stoked when I found one with the first edition cover on the market. If you like Greek myths and dark fairytales this is a must read by the way!
A 4”x6” Sphinx head made of cardboard, styrofoam, and papier-mâché made by my wife. It is the only part we saved from the Sphinx we made for a trunk or treat display.
My tiny china cat from the 1960s that's white, blue eyes, kinda light brown ears, feet and half of back.
A kiwi bird statue made from opossum fur from New Zealand. It was a gift
An axe I got as my trophy from winning a pinball tournament!
Well a few things. My cats ashes, my cats paw and nose print, my dogs paw print. I also have a stuffed lion cub from a zoo in PA. I got him when I was really young and I don’t believe he’s made anymore. I’ve slept with him since I got him. His name is Leo.
A cent's worth of solid gold, that looks like a gold cent.
I don't even live in a country where we use cents!
Like, the sparkliest guitar in the world. I really wanna paint it though because i really want a nightmare before Christmas design on it lol
A nuns flagellation whip that looks like mini mace.
A cat skull (I hope) that my father and I found in the woods(near family) so we were walking and we found a spine and thought it was a snake at first but then we thought a cat got hit. No. Family's dog got to it (it was fair because the dog is fenced in) so yea. I say the story bc I know someone else probably has a cat skull but not the way we acquired it 👍
My Pill Clock. I get headaches (been to doctors--I'm just lucky) and I often forget when or if I took pain meds, so I built a clock that my over the counter pain pills sit on. When I take some pills and put them back on the clock, it starts a countdown of four hours, so I know when I can take the pills again.
You should look into a patent or trademark for that. That sounds like shark tank material. People would buy this.
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My Pill Clock. I get headaches (been to doctors--I'm just lucky) and I often forget when or if I took pain meds, so I built a clock that my over the counter pain pills sit on. When I take some pills and put them back on the clock, it starts a countdown of four hours, so I know when I can take the pills again.
You should look into a patent or trademark for that. That sounds like shark tank material. People would buy this.
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