For Keeps

Happy holidays! In case you missed it, "For Keeps" was featured on this July 2022 episode of the podcast MetaPod. Special thanks to Wendy Morrill of MetaPod... enjoy!

MetaPod's website: https://www.metapodshow...

Since his early teens in the 1960s, activist John O'Brien has fought for causes he believes in — gay rights, farmworkers' rights, and dozens of other movements championed by progressives. Along the way, he has amassed a sprawling archive of pins, medallio...

The humble shoehorn: Is it merely a mundane tool, or a portal to history, art, and human ingenuity? During his travels as a physician and researcher, Dr. Forest Tennant stumbled onto an unexpected passion for shoehorns, eventually collecting approximatel...

Self-described "political entrepreneur" Jim Warlick has spent much of his life tracking down valuable presidential collectibles, including rare items once owned or used by John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Harry S. Truman — and he recently sold...

Entertainment publicist and author Jeff Abraham is endlessly expanding what he calls the Abraham Comedy Archives — which include roughly 5,000 comedy recordings from the well-known to the exceedingly rare, plus books, ephemera, and a wide range of person...

Just before Jean-Michel Basquiat became a big name in the 1980s art world, the up-and-coming artist shared a New York apartment with Alexis Adler, a scientist and photographer who snapped roughly 150 photos of her then-boyfriend and his creative endeavo...

For years, puzzle enthusiasts Roxanne and George Miller filled their Florida home with their world-class array of puzzles of all kinds — but they recently moved into an Italian castle, where they have grand plans to showcase and share their collection of...

For nearly five decades, "Saturday Night Live" has delivered laughs to television audiences, and its rich history has inspired SNL superfan James Stephens to collect cast jackets, cue cards used on the show, signed photos, toys, scripts, and more — plus...

Gary Lassin isn't just the president of the Three Stooges Fan Club — he's also the founder of the Stoogeum, a museum in suburban Philadelphia that's dedicated entirely to the iconic comedy trio and spotlights many of the roughly 100,000 items in his perso...

The 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic has long fascinated avid collector Mark Zaid, whose Titanic trove includes an impressive array of vintage postcards, books, movie memorabilia, and rare historical documents related to the disaster — as well as medals give...

Nathan Shedroff's fascination with the Concorde — the supersonic passenger plane that blended speed with style — has led the college professor to collect everything from complete place settings from its in-flight meal service to gift items that celebrat...

As a teenager, Steve Gold attended 1969's star-studded, mud-covered Woodstock music festival, but it wasn't until nearly 50 years later that a hazy memory inspired him to track down and collect the wood panels from the concert stage — and create new memorab...

In the late 1990s, Australian wine purveyor and collector John Baker pursued the adventure of a lifetime — the chance to purchase an incredible collection of wines that Joseph Stalin had hidden in the former Soviet republic of Georgia during World War II, ...

American bullfighter John Fulton (1932-1998) led a colorful life in and out of the bullrings of Spain — and distinguished himself as an artist, most notably through paintings colored with the blood of the bulls he killed in the ring. Friend and fellow arti...

Funny and philosophical, the quirky 1990s TV series "Northern Exposure" maintains a loyal following of devotees including collector Corey Davorin, whose Texas home includes a wide range of collectibles and even much of the show's actual radio booth — plu...

Since childhood, Steve Desroches has had a fascination with Studio 54, the exclusive, anything-goes New York nightclub that was the toast of the town during the disco heyday of the 1970s. As an adult, Steve collected guest lists, party invitations, and...

Matinicus Island, Maine, is home to under 100 year-round residents — as well as a tiny public library that, thanks in part to treasurer Eva Murray, features a collection of books that have been banned or challenged elsewhere in the U.S. 

Matinicus Isla...

Long live the letter! Over the past decade, Liz Maguire has collected nearly 2,000 vintage handwritten love letters of all kinds — from sweethearts to sweethearts, from soldiers to their families, and more — and shared her finds on Flea Market Love Lette...

Jazz legend Art Pepper brought honesty to his playing and composing — and unflinching truth to his harrowing autobiography "Straight Life," co-authored by his widow, Laurie Pepper. Since Art's death in 1982, Laurie has archived innumerable recordings o...