# Show Your Curiosities Cabinet



## Paint It Black (Sep 15, 2011)

I have a couple of items on display that were made by other HF members. Here is a Louisiana Voodoo Doll made by Kelloween. I snapped it up from her Etsy shop as soon as I saw it. 










And, I have another type of Fiji mermaid that I also love. It was made by Bethany and given to me in a SR exchange. The teeth and claws are awesome.


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## doto (Nov 20, 2009)

Not quite a _curiosity_ cabinet but some items displayed near my witch.


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## Paint It Black (Sep 15, 2011)

Thanks for posting, Doto. That is exactly what I am talking about, things in jars, cages and display cases, skulls, and all your other cool curiosities! You have such a wonderful collection!!


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

Great thread idea, PIB! The curiosity/oddities cabinet is probably my haunt happy place...so 
much so that we have 4 

Love all of the stuff in both of your cabinets, PIB & doto!


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## Paint It Black (Sep 15, 2011)

Lots of great ideas here. Thanks, punkineater, for joining in! I like the way you put the material underneath the shrunken head in the cloche. I need to add something like that to mine so it won't look so hokey. 










Another idea I had was to include one or two small items from previous haunt themes, instead of just packing them away. Like our circus monkey.


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

Ahhhh... Home Sweet Home! PIB, Doto, and Punkineater, I love each and every one of your takes on a Wunderkammer. Eventually most of my living and workspace will be given over to displaying my oddities, but for now they are just random disconnected things here, there, and everywhere (including, sadly, storage boxes). For now I plan to luxuriate in looking at everyone's beautiful assemblages.

Punkineater, hand over that mummy with partially exposed skull and nobody gets hurt


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Drooling at all the skulls...


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## printersdevil (Sep 7, 2009)

Those are cool displays! Great ideas.


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## 22606 (Aug 11, 2008)

All of them are fabulous ('faboolous' might be more fitting).


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## ReelSore (Jan 19, 2015)

Yall have lots of cool stuff.


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

Love all I have seen I will have to take pics of my skull cabinet. 







These stay out all year and are in my kitchen


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## Paint It Black (Sep 15, 2011)

What kind of skulls are those, Saki?


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

Paint It Black said:


> What kind of skulls are those, Saki?


the one on the left is a black bear and the one on the right is a coyote


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## Paint It Black (Sep 15, 2011)

BlueFrog said:


> Ahhhh... Home Sweet Home! PIB, Doto, and Punkineater, I love each and every one of your takes on a Wunderkammer. Eventually most of my living and workspace will be given over to displaying my oddities, but for now they are just random disconnected things here, there, and everywhere (including, sadly, storage boxes). For now I plan to luxuriate in looking at everyone's beautiful assemblages.
> 
> Punkineater, hand over that mummy with partially exposed skull and nobody gets hurt


OK, BlueFrog, you made me look up my word for the day, Wunderkammer. But, that's . 

And I agree, punkineater's mummy head is pretty scary .

Here's another one that I made for a SR gift. Lady Sherry now owns this Petrified Bat specimen.


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## Bethany (Apr 3, 2013)

I just made this to add to my cabinets of curiosities today. They will be displayed under a glass dome.


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## Paint It Black (Sep 15, 2011)

A two-headed anything is a very cool oddity, Bethany. BTW, I know you have some cabinets to show, and was wondering when we get to see them?!


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## Bethany (Apr 3, 2013)

I love my cabinets. I didn't post a picture of the one in Choice Cuts Chop Shop. But all of these are still filled as is. Too much work to pack them up each year.


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

For those interested in the history of wunderkammen and other precursors to the modern museum, it's worth searching Amazon books (or equivalent) for keywords such as Cabinets of Wonder and Cabinets of Curiosity. I also recommend Stephen Jay Gould's "Finders, Keepers: Eight Collectors" even if only for its deliriously creepy early chapter(s) (I find the whole work quite an enjoyable read but the later chapters are less adaptable to our uses). 

As I said earlier, my space isn't remotely set up but hopefully these pictures give you a sneak peek of coming attractions.


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

bluefrog omg love love love the very last cabinet you posted all the skulls so cool


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

That's a 1920's record cabinet and it is full from top to bottom with real skulls and a few pieces of taxidermy. I have a smaller but otherwise similar cabinet with all the good replica human skulls inside.


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

I would say this is DEFINITELY a 5 star thread with all of the mesmerizing curiosities & oddities being shared! *sigh* I'm in heaven


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## oaklawn Crematory (Jun 25, 2010)

Man that is some really cool stuff.....and very weird.


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## Uruk-Hai (Aug 31, 2008)

Wow! I've been away from the forum but upon coming back tonight to have a peek this thread is the first thing I see. So glad I did!! There's some awesome items on display! My witch's shelves have been the most fun for me to put together and I'm constantly on the lookout for more items to add. Some I've made or modified, others bought or salvaged with many an in-joke. I've added on every year and have used spice rack shelves or smaller cabinets as well as the main shelves. Totally run out of room but am now thinking about a Mad Scientist laboratory down the road - bring on the beakers!


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## Hilda (Jul 31, 2011)

I don't have my curiosities set up yet.
However, I want to join this thread because there is so many fantastic oddities being shared here! Wow!


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## Paint It Black (Sep 15, 2011)

Bethany, I think you win the prize for most cabinets so far. You have some nice collections in there.

Bluefrog, Your oddities museum is well on its way. Your beautiful antique cabinets are something else all by themselves.

Uruk-Hai, So glad you checked in and showed us photos of your collection. You have some really cool items. That bottled shark gave me a start, and I am sure there is a story behind the bottled candy corn. 

Hilda, Thanks for joining in. I am getting so many great ideas, not only for projects, but ways to display them! 

Thanks to everyone for sharing ideas here.


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## Trex (Nov 6, 2010)

Wow, so many amazing items, everyoen has so many cool things! I have attached a few from our haunt set ups over the past couple of years.


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## bethene (Feb 12, 2007)

Uruk-Hai, love your witches shelves! Great detail, like the little bone sitting there! I love details,to me it makes the scene. This is a great thread!


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## oaklawn Crematory (Jun 25, 2010)

I want a shark in the bottle...


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## Paint It Black (Sep 15, 2011)

Trex, your set-ups look great too, especially with all the colored lighting you have going on in your photos. The lighting really helps with the effect of the displays. I have noticed that with several people's photos on this thread. Really nice lighting.


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## doto (Nov 20, 2009)

The oddities take up so much room to store properly, and my wife wanted storage space and "her bins" back. She thought the best thing to do was throw it all out since it also creeps her out. Instead I built mini shelves in the floor joists in the unfinished portion of our basement for the oddities and all of our latex animals. Now all the oddities and animals stare back at her when she is in there. 

She got her space and bins back but I continue to get the best of the situation.


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## Paint It Black (Sep 15, 2011)

doto said:


> The oddities take up so much room to store properly, and my wife wanted storage space and "her bins" back. She thought the best thing to do was throw it all out since it also creeps her out. Instead I built mini shelves in the floor joists in the unfinished portion of our basement for the oddities and all of our latex animals. Now all the oddities and animals stare back at her when she is in there.
> 
> She got her space and bins back but I continue to get the best of the situation.


So, doto, the space under the kids' beds is all used up now? LOL. Your wife just may give you back the bins.


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## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

I love all the photos of everyone's collections. I am awestruck from all the detail and time invested in all of these "oddities". I don't have a curiosity display, but I love bones! I walk on the beach and pick up any stray bones I find. I have a few I can show you guys, I shared them with BlueFrog a couple of days ago. I would really like a real bat that has been preserved to do an authentic bat cage for. (Is that too weird? But I don't want anyone to go and kill a bat....you know?)



This bone that looks like it was used as a tool by someone. The Core Indians were native to the barrier island where I found this piece of tooled bone.


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## 22606 (Aug 11, 2008)

Saki.Girl said:


> bluefrog omg love love love the very last cabinet you posted all the skulls so cool


With the Gothic arches? That is easily the worst of all... Riiiight. I most definitely agree

Stunning setups, everyone. I am just glad that we cannot smell the whale's verterbrae; I got enough whiffs of overapplied perfume today, which can be bad enough.


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## doto (Nov 20, 2009)

Typo's everywhere in my post....ooops. Remember to check the aquiggly red lines for spelling.


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

Amazing finds, P5!!! Check ebay for the bats-there are several listed with reasonable pricing.

[QUOTE=Garthgoyle
I am just glad that we cannot smell the whale's verterbrae; I got enough whiffs of overapplied perfume today, which can be bad enough.

ahhh, you found what my husband affectionately calls 'a marinater'.


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Love this thread. Here is our cabinet of curiosities from last year. 














We also have some real oddities mixed in. This is a prehistoric fossil and prehistoric (what would be a shark) tooth.








Was at a horror convention and picked up this awesome oddity.








If anyone is interested in adding to their cabinet, here is a board where I've been collecting cabinet ideas as well as old naturalist illustrations that you would find in a real cabinet. http://www.pinterest.com/zim2/halloween-cabinet-of-curiosities/


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## Hilda (Jul 31, 2011)

If you haven't seen this blog yet... I thought I would add it here. Poke around, there is always some interesting curiosities and props.

http://propnomicon.blogspot.com


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## Trex (Nov 6, 2010)

doto said:


> Now all the oddities and animals stare back at her when she is in there. She got her space and bins back but I continue to get the best of the situation.


Yup be careful what you wish for......


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## Paint It Black (Sep 15, 2011)

Dawnski, I remember your awesome cabinets display from last year. Lots of inspiration in the pins on your Pinterest board too.


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## ReelSore (Jan 19, 2015)

doto said:


> The oddities take up so much room to store properly, and my wife wanted storage space and "her bins" back. She thought the best thing to do was throw it all out since it also creeps her out. Instead I built mini shelves in the floor joists in the unfinished portion of our basement for the oddities and all of our latex animals. Now all the oddities and animals stare back at her when she is in there.
> 
> She got her space and bins back but I continue to get the best of the situation.



Now that's funny.


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

Here's another link to a great oddities/curiosity shop...lots of interesting, gothic, & creepy things~
http://www.gothicroseantiques.com/lab_cat.html


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

My head is exploding from the collective awesomeness I see on this thread. Many detailed questions to follow once I've stopped drooling and started thinking.

Doto, I want to hug you for your storage solution. That's funny as heck. I've actually considered using the rafters for some of my goodies and you've revived the idea. 

Uruk-Hai, And is that a real wolf skull I see on a shelf? There's so much there I want to steal for my very own. It's probably good there's a country border between us.

Trex, beautiful collection.

Dawnski, you'd better watch out. We're in the same state and I WANT YOUR TRILOBITE IN THE WORST WAY! 
___________



punkineater said:


> Amazing finds, P5!!! Check ebay for the bats-there are several listed with reasonable pricing.


punkineater is absolutely correct. I've also found lots of bats and other wonderfully creepy things on Etsy. 

I will add my customary caution to U.S. haunters: In order to import/export any wildlife, even dead, in or out of the United States requires a $100 permit (good for a year) and a lot of paperwork. Unless you have said permit, do not purchase any real animal parts from outside the U.S., (no, not even Canada), no matter what their CITES status or age. Many sellers outside the U.S. will tell you that you need a permit only for endangered or threatened species, which simply isn't true. Also, some sellers lie about what country the items are shipping from, so if the listing sounds like it was written by someone for whom English is not a first language or if shipping seems unusually high, trust your instincts. Quite often the unscrupulous will list their location only as "United States" or a major port city. YOU will be the one on the hook for illegal wildlife trafficking, not that far off seller.


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## Paint It Black (Sep 15, 2011)

Again, thank you BlueFrog. The word for today is Trilobite. This is crazy. I was a journalism major, and thought I had a pretty large vocabulary, LOL.


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

Since I may not be online tomorrow, your word for Saturday is "ecorche." 



Paint It Black said:


> One of the projects I add to every year is the Curiosities or Oddities Cabinet. Well, I don't really have a cabinet for them, but rather a display area.


As you may have discovered when researching "wunderkammer," the original "cabinets" were entire rooms, so by having an entire area you're fulfilling the earliest definition of a cabinet of curiosities.


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## Gym Whourlfeld (Jan 22, 2003)

How ironic! i spent this afternoon building a cabinet for Ravens Grin, it will be a gun and weapons cabinet. It is plywood and 2by6's-2by2's screwed and bolted together, to be covered with second-hand sheet metal with a Lexon "glass door.
There are four heavy-duty caster wheels hidden under it, because it is to be my new "Door" upstairs in the room that has five ways to "go" from it. 3 of them are hidden....


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## Bethany (Apr 3, 2013)

Uruk-Hai said:


> Wow! I've been away from the forum but upon coming back tonight to have a peek this thread is the first thing I see. So glad I did!! There's some awesome items on display! My witch's shelves have been the most fun for me to put together and I'm constantly on the lookout for more items to add. Some I've made or modified, others bought or salvaged with many an in-joke. I've added on every year and have used spice rack shelves or smaller cabinets as well as the main shelves. Totally run out of room but am now thinking about a Mad Scientist laboratory down the road - bring on the beakers!


My Mad Lab in the garage this year. I also did the kitchen as mad lab too. 
















oaklawn Crematory said:


> I want a shark in the bottle...


I keep looking at these when we go to the beach. Forget how much they are, but they are about 9" tall. :/


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## Grey Lady (Jan 24, 2015)

I'm brand new to this forum and what a thread to start reading first! I am so impressed with everyone's creativity. Amazing pieces.
Jan/Grey Lady


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

Bethany said:


> I keep looking at these when we go to the beach. Forget how much they are, but they are about 9" tall. :/


evilBay is your friend  Probably Etsy and Carolina Biologicals too. Search on terms like "taxidermy jar" or "wet specimen" or even just "taxidermy [crittername]" for all manner of dead things in bottles. I don't collect them much but I am very happy with my little black widow spider "family" including what the seller said was an incredibly ginormous female, an average sized male, and two egg sacs.


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

Grey Lady said:


> I'm brand new to this forum and what a thread to start reading first! I am so impressed with everyone's creativity. Amazing pieces.
> Jan/Grey Lady


Welcome, Grey Lady!


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

The Dapper Cadaver also has a nice selection of both reproduction & real 'things in jars', plus a whole bunch of other cool stuff, for anybody interested. They used to carry a wet specimen of a shark, but I don't see one in their current selections singularly. The diaphonized stuff is really cool!
http://www.dappercadaver.com/


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## Uruk-Hai (Aug 31, 2008)

Thanks everyone. Trex: Love your collection! very mad scientist looking. Dawns: Very cool items and really well displayed. Love your trilobite and megalodon fossils - and the 2-headed fetus skeleton! I think I saw that at a booth at Midwest Haunters Convention last year. Pumpkin eater: LOVE your jar specimens!!!

With my display, yes the wolf skull is real. I actually have the whole skeleton in pieces. I might assemble it one day. The shark in a jar in formaldehyde was bought from a tourist trap in Florida 30 years ago and I've had it ever since.


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

Uruk Hai, my jealousy meter just shot up over your wolf skeleton. I've seen only one for sale on my side of the border, and it was not in my price range. (<-- understatement alert). I know there is a manual about articulating wolf skeletons in particular that is highly regarded by taxidermists. If you ever want me to dig out the particulars I will be happy to do so.


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

We can get sharks in jars here down at the beach.


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## im the goddess (Mar 10, 2012)

Everyone's displays look great.
Here's my shark in a jar story as relayed to me by a friend. Said friend was a Biology major in college. She and her sister lived together when she was in college. In one of her biology classes she had to dissect a shark. The shark had baby sharks inside her. She took one of the fetal sharks home in a jar and placed it in the all but empty refrigerator. When her sister came home in the wee hours of the morning after partying, she open the refrigerator and almost died from shock. My friend had a good laugh over that. I wish I could have seen it. LOL


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## Lordgrimley.com (Jul 20, 2007)

Lord Grimley's Goons put out these two props this year if you need to add to your collection.


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## Bethany (Apr 3, 2013)

Lordgrimley.com said:


> Lord Grimley's Goons put out these two props this year if you need to add to your collection.
> View attachment 234435
> View attachment 234436


LOVE these!!!


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## 22606 (Aug 11, 2008)

Bethany said:


> LOVE these!!!


Same here. I am _definitely_ ordering the Cthulhu Spawn...

Thanks for all of the recent links, and the new displays shown are wicked.


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## Uruk-Hai (Aug 31, 2008)

Love, love, LOVE the Cthulhu Spawn!!!


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## Hilda (Jul 31, 2011)

Oh man. I never should have checked out this thread. Curse you PIB!! 
Now I am craving curiosities and that is NOT this year's theme.


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

Since my "main" record cabinet full of real skulls was such a hit, here's an "as best as I can get right now" photo of my auxiliary record cabinet. All the skulls in this second cabinet are replicas, but the best replicas I could find (although I'm *still* kicking myself for not purchasing an actual death cast of Joseph Merrick's skull when I had the chance...) The glass on this cabinet broke during The Endless House Move and will be replaced eventually. Right now I'm still chin-high in boxes full of stuff I have no place to put.

Tonight I did take out a few minutes to repair one of the "odder oddities" in my collection: a hand-carved marble anatomical human heart, complete with hinged windows to view some of the inner workings. I believe these retail in the $400 - 500 range in perfect condition. I was able to acquire one that broke in transit from its Asian maker to a U.S. retailer for a fraction of the price. The employee who sold it to me remarked that mine was unusually large and detailed compared to most of the others they had received. When displayed in my haunt, it will be identified as a gargoyle's heart.

Fortunately, someone on the receiving end had carefully saved all the fragments above the level of powder so all it needed was a simple glue job to return to displayable condition. I may or may not decide to restore the small chips and missing bits fully down the road. I wish photographs showed the heart to its full effect. It's a stunning showpiece that will get its own showcase once I find which box they're stored in. 

(I had the excellent fortune to visit an estate sale where the owner had had dozens of small and medium custom oak and glass cases made for $200 each. After her death they were sold for $20 each. You will be seeing them as I pull my most special treasures out of shipping containers).


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

BlueFrog said:


> Since my "main" record cabinet full of real skulls was such a hit, here's an "as best as I can get right now" photo of my auxiliary record cabinet. All the skulls in this second cabinet are replicas, but the best replicas I could find (although I'm *still* kicking myself for not purchasing an actual death cast of Joseph Merrick's skull when I had the chance...) The glass on this cabinet broke during The Endless House Move and will be replaced eventually. Right now I'm still chin-high in boxes full of stuff I have no place to put.
> 
> Tonight I did take out a few minutes to repair one of the "odder oddities" in my collection: a hand-carved marble anatomical human heart, complete with hinged windows to view some of the inner workings. I believe these retail in the $400 - 500 range in perfect condition. I was able to acquire one that broke in transit from its Asian maker to a U.S. retailer for a fraction of the price. The employee who sold it to me remarked that mine was unusually large and detailed compared to most of the others they had received. When displayed in my haunt, it will be identified as a gargoyle's heart.
> 
> ...


*sigh* ~you have the most WONDERFUL things, BlueFrog!


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

punkineater said:


> *sigh* ~you have the most WONDERFUL things, BlueFrog!


I so agree with you 
I want to vacation at bluefrogs place lol


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

You bring the Smores, I'll provide the props for the ghost stories!


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

3 more fantastical treasures, BF!!!


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## Hilda (Jul 31, 2011)

Not exactly on topic, but... if you like oddities, you may like this artist's photographs of his collection. Exquisite.

http://ryanmatthewcohn.tumblr.com


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## dawnski (Jun 16, 2012)

Bluefrog, I'm so jealous. Someone give me taxidermy!


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

dawnski, I'm getting ready to do my own taxidermy and even if only for space reasons, I won't be able to keep it all...


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## disembodiedvoice (Sep 24, 2011)

I've just been catching up on threads and I love this one. I want to really improve on my curiosity cabinet this year. I just went to Ripley's Believe it or Not . I didn't take many pictures because its silly but I did take a few. The first pic of the Fiji Mermaid made me think of it here. Its funny that the props made here are better than the ones people are paying to see ! I've seen way better vamp killing kits than the one at Ripley's .


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

While I recover from a completely unexpected allergy attack caused by creating a taxidermy mount today (turns out that breathing arctic fox fur is not a healthful activity), I thought I'd snap a few pictures inside my primary skull cabinet. There are a few replicas inside but for the most part, what you see is real - including the three human skulls collectively known as "the girls."


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

Love your skulls bluefrog
And feel better soon


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

Of particular note are the seemingly ordinary boxes in the bottom right corner of the cabinet. At some point in its history, educational textbook publisher McGraw-Hill sold skeletons for educational purposes. The boxes seem to be quite rare, at least in my experience. I bought three from one seller in Wisconsin some years ago, and have seen only one or two since. Mine contain incomplete skeletons of mink, rabbit, and cat. I assume the skeletons were originally complete and the small bones lost over time.


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

Thanks, Saki. Girl. I'm normally allergic to almost nothing - definitely nothing animal -- so this took me by complete surprise. I hope I don't turn out to be allergic to red fox also, as I have a nice little cross fox I've been dying to mount. 

The fact I'm red and puffy and sniffly is eliciting zero sympathy from the rats, who are all clamoring for dinner


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

BF....head exploding, Beauchene-style, from boney wonderfulness.


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

Awww, thanks punkineater! I can hardly wait to get all the skulls out and properly displayed. (Not that there are many still boxed, but a few). 

I know this thread is about our displays as a whole, but if the OP doesn't mind, may I request that those with wunderkammen use this thread to highlight some of their special pieces, be they special because of rarity, beauty, backstory, or personal favoritism? Half the fun of oddities collecting can be the stories that attach themselves to the objects.


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## LadySherry (Oct 4, 2011)

Paint It Black said:


> OK, BlueFrog, you made me look up my word for the day, Wunderkammer. But, that's .
> 
> And I agree, punkineater's mummy head is pretty scary .
> 
> Here's another one that I made for a SR gift. Lady Sherry now owns this Petrified Bat specimen.


YES I DO> It is on display year round in my curiosity cabinet


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## printersdevil (Sep 7, 2009)

LadySherry has some cool things in that cabinet!


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

You've been outed, LadySherry! We need pictures!


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## im the goddess (Mar 10, 2012)

Thanks to BlueFrog, I know know I definitely get the willies from photos of snake skeletons too! Burrrrr. LOL


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

My friends are the best people in the world. I feel that way about them just for who they are, not for what they do for me, but when one feels inspired to give me a gift, the results can be magic. 

One particularly close friend - we'll call her KW - used to be so terrified of spooky things that she could barely walk through my garage because of the pieces of props she could see peeking above box tops. After a few years of knowing me, she's now a regular visitor at the Mutter Museum and even has her own mini wunderkammer full of creepy stuff, including an old world chameleon fetus named Jimmy who has his own Santa hat. Really. 

On a recent animal rescue trip, she happened to be in NYC and decided to shop at Obscura for a present to cheer me up. (Jealousy, thy name is KW!) She decided on an antique post-mortem photo of an infant, due in part to its beauty but also the shakily penciled inscription on the back: "Edward Hoffert, my brother." She couldn't have made a more perfect choice. Edward makes me smile and cry simultaneously. It's not that the idea of a deceased child makes me happy (though I'm sure that's what some horrified people might think), it's that I get to join the line of people who have kept his memory alive. I've always considered post-mortem photos to be evidence of love, but for him to have a name after all this time melts me. 

I've never before felt the need to "adopt" the people in old, anonymous photos as a few I know do, but Edward is now the same kind of family as my skulls and skeletons. We don't sit them at the table for Thanksgiving dinner, but we do consider ourselves to be their guardians just as if they were part of ours social family.

On an impulse, I searched his name and found an Edward J Hoffert who died at a few months of age in 1900, buried in the Lower Saucon Church Cemetery in Pennsylvania. Could this be "my" Edward? I'll probably never know, but the prospect is tantalizing. There are numerous Hoffert family members buried there; could another be the sibling who made sure that, over 100 years later, his brother's name has not been lost?

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lehvalcem/Lower_Saucon/Lower_Saucon_photos_5.htm

A mutal friend of KW's and mine drives past this cemetery on occasion. Small world, getting smaller every day...


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## printersdevil (Sep 7, 2009)

This is an area that I really want to expand. I need to get moving on things!.

I have a Leprechaun, Monkey' Paw, key to Gringotts. Shutterfly and that is about it. I plan to make a Figi Mermaid, Hand of Glory, Corpse Coins and would love other things. I love the Petrified Bat that PIB did for Lady Sherry. These will be projects for the summer when it is too hot to work outside here.

I have a big rock, stone that has a fossil in it that I will use.

There are so many wonderful things in this thread. I need to go through it all again. I just spent some time looking through dawnski's Pinterest board and WOW!


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

printersdevil said:


> This is an area that I really want to expand. I need to get moving on things!.
> 
> I have a Leprechaun, Monkey' Paw, key to Gringotts. Shutterfly and that is about it. I plan to make a Figi Mermaid, Hand of Glory, Corpse Coins and would love other things. I love the Petrified Bat that PIB did for Lady Sherry. These will be projects for the summer when it is too hot to work outside here.
> 
> ...


Do you have any pictures you can, or care to, share with us? Pretty please


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

Be sure to check out a_granger's Philosopher's Stone in the Crafts thread. Absolutely gorgeous.


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## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

My oddities are mostly fake, so I guess I'm a curiosities lightweight. 
I made a shrunken head as a Merry Reaper gift, and have been meaning to make another for myself. I have to really push myself to duplicate anything I've already done. I want to move on to something new, but I want a couple shrunken heads, too.














It went under a glass cloche with this tag:


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## printersdevil (Sep 7, 2009)

Love it, ooojen!


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## Araniella (Oct 17, 2010)

Wow! Lots of inspiration (and envy) in this thread.


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## Paint It Black (Sep 15, 2011)

Made a sign for my curiosities exhibit area. 










There is a little back story. We were on a family trip last winter and I was enchanted with a little French café that had a flying pig on its signage. Thus, the sign in French, with a flying pig. (I would love to find a cool flying pig to have on display as well, LOL).


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

My Dollar Store version of Vietnamese Snake Wine:









original inspiration photo of the real deal:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/262264378269945090/


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## NOWHINING (Jul 25, 2009)

Okay... Here is mine.. It is nothing special really. Just with the stuff that stays out all year long. Silver Lady prefer a normal living room and I don't. So she did this make shift cabinet for me to put my stuff in.


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## NOWHINING (Jul 25, 2009)

How do I go about getting shark in a jar? I would love to be able to receive one to give to my son. He is a shark freak and plans to be marine bio when he grows up.




Saki.Girl said:


> We can get sharks in jars here down at the beach.


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

NOWHINING, I assume you're looking for a real shark in a jar? If you have an oddities shop local to you, I'd be surprised if they didn't have some. Otherwise search eBay for words like shark jar and shark specimen. Carolina Biological has some preserved sharks too, but some can be shipped only to businesses and schools (probably due to the chemicals involved in preserving them). 

I was surprised not to find any at Creatures and Cultures, the sister shop to Dapper Cadaver, as DC used to sell them. Maybe just not listed on the web site yet.


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## Bethany (Apr 3, 2013)

NOWHINING said:


> How do I go about getting shark in a jar? I would love to be able to receive one to give to my son. He is a shark freak and plans to be marine bio when he grows up.


If you ever make a trip to the "coast" the suvinier (sp?) shops sell them. At least they do here in Florida.


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## geige (Aug 27, 2014)

NOWHINING I picked this little guy up at Myrtle Beach last summer, I think I paid $6.99 for him. They had them in every souvenir shop.


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

Finally, the shelving units I bought last year were installed, and the glass display cases released from their plastic prisons. Stocking this portion of my wunderkammer is going to be a slow process, but this photo gives you an idea of where I'm going with it.


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## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Wow, BlueFrog, that's clearly going to be jaw-dropping!


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

BlueFrog said:


> Finally, the shelving units I bought last year were installed, and the glass display cases released from their plastic prisons. Stocking this portion of my wunderkammer is going to be a slow process, but this photo gives you an idea of where I'm going with it.


Oh my, I'm breathless! What marvelous wonders you do have, BlueFrog!


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## Bethany (Apr 3, 2013)

Painted the dining room so the cabinet in there had to be emptied then refilled. Here is the new set up.


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## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I'm getting inspired now! 
Your cabinet looks wonderful, Bethany!


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

Wonderful display, Bethany!!!

Nothing earth shattering here..picked up a few things yesterday at a friends yard sale: large trap, deer, elk & cow bones, tortoise & turtle shells, real alligator head, one mummified tortoise which I heart All of the bones were free, the rest came to $23.


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## Hilda (Jul 31, 2011)

Oh my goodness! BlueFrog, Bethany and Punkineater... SUCH eye candy!! I need to check back on this thread more often. 
Such wonderful creepy goodies.


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## Paint It Black (Sep 15, 2011)

That is funny. Home Goods had a (fake) tortoise shell mounted on a stand that I came close to buying a while back. What a haul, punkineater.


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## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Paint It Black said:


> That is funny. Home Goods had a (fake) tortoise shell mounted on a stand that I came close to buying a while back.


I've been looking for a reasonably-priced fake turtle or tortoise shell for months! I've been looking at one that's $58, but that's more than I want to spend. I might wind up making my own...and keeping it in dim light-- lol!


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## geige (Aug 27, 2014)

I am SUPER excited! I just found two fetal coyote pups at a flea market! They are going to be the center piece of my curiosity cabinet!


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## xxScorpion64xx (Oct 15, 2011)

Those are super creepy,Geige, nice find


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

Excellent find, geige!!!


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## Pretty Little Nightmare (Aug 12, 2013)

Just a taste of what I've got. I display this year round, because I'm a weirdo. I have another mounted spiderweb, taxidermy, skulls, butterflies, and the life cycle of the black widow spider out in my living room. A box of human bones in the basement. I clean and more stuff pops up! Lol









My llama fetus, Svetlana is probably my favorite. She's so cute and little, and it looks like she's singing!








This is Gumball, he's a pig fetus.








Reticulated Python vertebrae.








Human cancer and a slice of human temporal artery. The yellow tile in the background came from the Mansfield Reformatory...someone who loves me miiiight have taken that while walking through. I don't condone stealing, but hey, I didn't want to be rude and refuse a gift! Lol


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## Hilda (Jul 31, 2011)

WHOA! Gaige and PLN... That is some fantastically creepy stuff! Cool!


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## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Wow, I had no idea that python vertebrae had gargoyle faces!


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

Pretty Little Nightmare said:


> Just a taste of what I've got. I display this year round, because I'm a weirdo. I have another mounted spiderweb, taxidermy, skulls, butterflies, and the life cycle of the black widow spider out in my living room. A box of human bones in the basement. I clean and more stuff pops up! Lol
> 
> View attachment 244587
> 
> ...


Love, love, love!!!


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

Pretty Little Nightmare, thanks for that savory taste of your collection. I can only imagine what a full course must be like! So many things I would love to own (whom did you have to kill to get those human soft tissues!). Svetlana is such a rock star, I have no words. And you're hiding your human bones from the admiring gaze of fellow Forum members? Bring them on, PLN, bring them on!


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## Pretty Little Nightmare (Aug 12, 2013)

BlueFrog- I bought so many items in a short period of time from a seller, she threw the soft tissue samples in for free. She had bought the collection and there were duplicates, so she sold the extras, but she was super nice to me 
And actually, sitting in front in the photo's is a human clavicle bone. My husband gave it to me for our first Christmas. He knows me so well! Lol
I'll get around to getting a few more pictures up soon.


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## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I just do it the easy way-- Get a nice red-stained plant tissue slide and re-label it. lol! I very much doubt anyone at my parties would know the difference, even if they put it under the scope.
Great spine, btw!


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

If anyone is looking for highly realistic chelonians, you might try this seller. His 1:1 scale wares look like death casts of real shells with sculpted soft parts which were then cast in resin. I haven't bought from him nor do I know anyone who has, but some of them look quite good:

eBay seller jubei88


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## moonwitchkitty (Jul 22, 2012)

looks like i need to up my game


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## Jenn&MattFromPA (Sep 4, 2013)

Wow! What amazing collections and displays! This is a very inspiring thread!


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## screamqueen2012 (Aug 2, 2012)

big score today!! our very good oddity shop is going mobile here and has been having a big clean out sale,,,am a new proud owner of several circus rats and mousies, teacup mouse, some horse teeth, three black and white rats playing a flute, oh and a great shadow box gypsy fortune teller mouse that lights up...woo woo...spent too much but most was 70% off.


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

Pictures pictures pictures PICTURES!!!


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## screamqueen2012 (Aug 2, 2012)

blue frog, will do...now the odditie show was on all day, i recorded them as soon as elivra came on...omg, they were going into collectors houses to rebuy and i felt like a virgin collector, a baby odd ball...haha oh wow, some of the collections were out of this world ditta von teese was on there....awesome! she got a stuffed flamingo, in all its wonderfulness! there was this girl who made collectible art with, UCK, she collected trimmed toe and finger nails and made bugs etc with it..now it was really clever....got that creep effect of ouuuuu...i think we all have limits...hahaha


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

screamqueen2012 said:


> big score today!! our very good oddity shop is going mobile here and has been having a big clean out sale,,,am a new proud owner of several circus rats and mousies, teacup mouse, some horse teeth, three black and white rats playing a flute, oh and a great shadow box gypsy fortune teller mouse that lights up...woo woo...spent too much but most was 70% off.


...on the edge of my seat waiting to see pics of what you got, screamqueen! Everything sounds amazing!!!!!!!!!

We recorded something like 8 episodes of _Oddities_ in a row last week-all reruns, but worth seeing again. Yes, loved Dita's flamingo


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## Pretty Little Nightmare (Aug 12, 2013)

screamqueen, I am looking forward to seeing pictures as well!


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

Some dead stuff I traded for...


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## disembodiedvoice (Sep 24, 2011)

punkineater, what is that little skull in your hand? It's so cute. great stuff you traded for , love it all but those heads would freak me out lol


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

disembodiedvoice said:


> punkineater, what is that little skull in your hand? It's so cute. great stuff you traded for , love it all but those heads would freak me out lol


Thanks, dev! I think it's a monkey skull, not sure what species-it's only about 2". That's exactly _why_ I wanted the heads


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## Pretty Little Nightmare (Aug 12, 2013)

Nice stuff punkineater, it looks like you have a squirrel monkey skull.


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

Pretty Little Nightmare said:


> Nice stuff punkineater, it looks like you have a squirrel monkey skull.


Thanks for the id, PLN! It's so tiny, and a cutie patootie. The guy I got it from said it was a spider monkey-well, he got the
'monkey' part right.


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## doto (Nov 20, 2009)

Picked up a bull skull to add to the collection:


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## screamqueen2012 (Aug 2, 2012)

good trade...love the monkey


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## moonwitchkitty (Jul 22, 2012)




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## Ragged Grin (Nov 5, 2012)

ok....where is everyone getting the animal skulls. Damn....


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

Etsy and eBay are probably your best bets, although if you're adventuresome, try the For Sale and Wanted forums on Taxidermy.net. Be very very aware of the relevant laws before dealing with any of the above. There are lots of sellers who, out of ignorance or lack of scruples, will conduct illegal transactions and trust me, the U.S. government (and probably equivalent agencies in other countries) ARE watching. 

In general, I don't recommend Taxi.Net (as it's referred to in the trade) for beginners even though it can be a treasure trove of weird stuff. The underlying assumption is that buyers have a taxidermy license and know what they are doing. Also, condition issues (such as bones that are not de-odorized or properly degreased) that might slightly irritate a taxidermist who knows how to deal with them can leave an oddities collection with stinky bones they don't know (or have the facilities) to process properly.

Also, scams are not uncommon on Taxi.Net and although the mods and other members try to alert other members to them, there are so many that a few slip through. PayPal is the usual form of currency for the site as a whole, so be prepared to pay the extra fees rather than sending money as a gift, to give you a better shot at recouping your money should the transaction be fraudulent or otherwise go south.


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

more dead things acquired this past weekend~yay!


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## screamqueen2012 (Aug 2, 2012)

Holy Batman i love the racoon............ whered you find that? estate sale?


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## Phantasm (Sep 3, 2014)

I love that ****!


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

screamqueen2012 said:


> Holy Batman i love the racoon............ whered you find that? estate sale?





Phantasm said:


> I love that ****!


Thank you, BF, screamqueen & Phantasm! Freddy the Freeloader, he's_ very_ at home Hubby is indulging my interest in 'dead things'.."cheaper than getting a puppy", he says.
Yes, yard sale of a friend. I was torn because I wanted to order an animated Ouija board from DaveintheGrave, but found these guys the next morning. Had to pounce while I could..taxidermy is hard to find. Now that I've added to the ark, back to saving for that Ouija board


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## BlueFrog (Oct 20, 2009)

Nobody's more about black feathers than I am, but Freddy is a rock star. I can totally imagine him hanging out after eating all the candy corn and pumpkin pie.


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## disembodiedvoice (Sep 24, 2011)

Punkineater, that crow is very pretty BUT the racoon cracks me up !! his pose is classic, love it , he's just chillin'


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## Paint It Black (Sep 15, 2011)

I made a little video of my curiosities museum set-up this year. (My first video, so go easy on me. LOL) 

Click on this link:








And here are a couple of still shots.


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## jb1sb2 (Oct 9, 2014)

Love it Paint It Black! Oh that coyote skull comes back to haunt me again..... I want that so bad! I am happy to have the human skull one though.


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## printersdevil (Sep 7, 2009)

Paint it Black that all looks wonderful. I love the display.


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## screamqueen2012 (Aug 2, 2012)

yep, if its an oddity, you dont jump on it its gone. i missed out on buying the smoking dragon from the adamms family, and called back after getting home and it was gone.....i sure know better too. love your display.


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## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Wonderful display! There's a lot to hold a visitor's interest.


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## jb1sb2 (Oct 9, 2014)

I know, but our stores never even got that one that I know of anyway. I was mailed the human one from a very nice member on here.


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## Paint It Black (Sep 15, 2011)

jb1sb2 said:


> Love it Paint It Black! Oh that coyote skull comes back to haunt me again..... I want that so bad! I am happy to have the human skull one though.


I bought that skull at Home Goods back in February. It was part of what they called their "library" section. Things you would use to decorate your study, I suppose. We should watch early this upcoming year. Perhaps they will carry a similar selection of odd items.


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