Seen at an auction: A Santa for everyone.

I especially like the Santa with the binoculars and the fatigue jacket. What's he supposed to be, an artillery spotter?

And now for your enjoyment, a bear's head.

Seen at an auction: A selection of books for the pious ...

... and a selection of books no library should be without.

A reading from the New Catechism of The Steam Engine, First Book of Baldwin, Chapter 1, Verse 1-10

A portrait of Matthias Baldwin, patron saint of steam engineering.

People will collect anything. I shouldn't be surprised when I discover the next unusual thing that they consider collectable, but people are nothing if not surprising.

At an estate auction today I came across this table covered with old electric space heaters. I'll admit to a certain fascination with gazing into so many parabolic copper reflectors, but my fascination doesn't extend beyond snapping a few quick photos of them.

Then the bidding started. When the auctioneer moved on to the space heaters I expected a dead hush to fall over the crowd. If he got more than a buck apiece for these, I thought to myself, then nothing makes sense anymore.

And I was right. Nothing makes sense anymore.

On the first round of bidding, several went for fifteen bucks each. On subsequent bidding they went for less, but they always got more than a buck, and all the bidders had the overjoyed look of a collector who can't believe his good fortune.

I resolve not to be surprised at the next collectable I find.