NOSTALGIA
One day I was sitting near Dr. J at a basketball game. He had just retired. When the game was over I took his empty Coke can. That was about 1987. I still have it, collecting mold in a box of stuff. It's worthless but people seem to get a kick out of it…except for my wife who thinks I'm an idiot.
Paul Lisnek understands. When he invited me to see his collection, I expected a case of Looney Tunes Pez Dispensers or autographed photos from the cast of Barney Miller. But when I walked into the Lakeview jury consultant's townhouse, I could not believe my eyes: As I walk into the living room, I see a ram standing on top of an eight foot armoire on my right; on my left is a glass box with a mannequin hand, featuring a glove of Judy Garland, which is holding a partially smoked cigarette from the actress who played Barney Fife's girlfriend, Thelma Lou. This introduction gives you a range of the 200 pieces in his eclectic collection.
The walls are covered in framed montages of valuable memorabilia, like Tom Cruise's gloves from Minority report; and a stained-glass tribute to "My Three Sons" which was designed by one of the characters, "Chip." On the kitchen counter, sits a real pod with dinosaur eggs.
He started collecting show biz memorabilia like the bricks that the Three Stooges used to throw at each other. He has one of Gilligan's sailor hats, Barney Fife's keys to the Mayberry Jail, and even one of Donny Osmond's shirts.
"Probably because I'm weird and childish," Lisnek said. "But also, as you get older, part of it is recognizing that your tastes change and you can't live in a place of a 12 year old."
Through the years his collection evolved to include more historical items like a tile from the Titanic, and a voting booth from 2000, with a ballot signed by Gore.
"He sort've grimaced and signed it."
The most haunting piece was the lock of hair from President Abe Lincoln's death bed.
Some if it he purchases from collectors, but sometimes he just grabs something that grabs his attention.
"I was drunk in South Carolina and two weeks later, this (giant Buffalo head) showed up."
You could say his "museum" is unofficial, so I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate strangers stopping by the house but you can still experience the nostalgic thrill of historic memorabilia. Chris Epting has written a book "The Ruby Slippers, Madonna's Bra, and Einstein's Brain -- The Locations of America's Pop Culture Artifacts."
Did you know James Dean's car door from his infamous accident is at the Volo Auto Museum in Volo Illinois? The book is a guide to historic items that you didn't know even existed anymore, like Paul Revere's Lantern or John Wilkes Booth's gun. Isaac Newton's Apple Tree is at Babson College in Boston.
"I think the attraction for one is that things like this provide glimpses of what got us where we are today -- the inspirations, tragedies, triumphs -- they all matter, Epting said. "Then there's the nostalgia factor -- we love to relive our youth and the touchstones that shaped how we view life."
So regardless of its value, it's not just junk. Epting says memorabilia makes you feel closer because in some cases, they are all that's left of an event; like another piece in my collection -- a piece of tile from Al Capone's bathroom at the Lexington Hotel….although I prefer not to think about getting closer to Scarface at the urinal.