Traffic Light Pull Chain Ornament. 1968.
This traffic light ornament used to dangle from a pull chain that was attached to a light fixture in the house that I grew up in. I remember being fascinated by it when I was very little, watching it move back and forth after somebody would set it into motion. The object is one of my earliest memories, which is probably why it became a junk drawer mainstay.
Dave Hemmingway Riddle. 2006.
These figures come from a riddle that was told to me by Dave Hemingway of the aforementioned musical group, The Beautiful South. I was never able to solve the puzzle so I kept Dave’s drawing of the riddle in my junk drawer as a reminder to ask him about it the next time we met. I haven’t seen him since... or solved the riddle.
Prince Albert Can. c. 1930. From the man who inspired the crank call craze, this Prince Albert tobacco tin was inherited from my father’s junk drawer, his affections for which is now lost to the ages. Whatever magic it held for him is unknown.
is unknown, unless, could it have been my father who finally let the Prince out of the can?
Tobacco Pipe Fragments. c. 1935.
These fragments are what remain of my grandfather’s tobacco pipe. Due to multiple transfers from one junk drawer to another, the pipe has been reduced to what is seen here. It’s the only possession I have that survives my grandfathers time on this earth. By keeping it, perhaps it pays some small tribute to his memory.
United States Amateur Skateboard Association Medals. 1977-1980.
If you’ve ever come in 3rd place three different times for something, in this case a skateboarding competition, you might have Always The Bridesmaid Never The Bride Syndrome. While not an actual diagnosis, it’s what you get when you keep three third place awards lolling in your junk drawer for decades, thinking that, somehow, the results of the competition might change over time. Still the bridesmaid.
Wallet. 1997.
I was once told that this wallet looked so old that it should be in a museum. Little did they know that it would actually make it into one. The wallet used to house many of what would become my junk drawer faves, including my California Drivers License, Philly Cheesesteak Rewards Card and the irreplaceable Thaddeus Mumford American Express Platinum Credit Card.
American Flag. 2001.
During the 9/11 attacks, this small flag was installed above the cash register at a local pub that I used to frequent. The bar was located about thirty blocks from the scene of the attacks and served to greet those fleeing the World Trade Center on that miserable day. On the first anniversary of the attacks, the flag was taken down and given to me as a remembrance. One junk drawer memory I’d rather not have.
