We own a lot of stuff. Some of them are items we cannot go a day without, and some have sort of sentimental value or just seem important enough to keep. But sometimes, people own the weirdest things with the craziest backstories.
That is why I asked the community of Bored Panda to tell us what they own that probably no one else has.
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Bored Panda reached out to a professor within the Department of Psychology, Nick Neave, who is the Director of the Hoarding Research Group, Faculty Director of Ethics, and Chair of the Faculty Research Ethics Committee. We asked him some questions about human psychology concerning our attachment to objects. Most of the time, owning a lot of stuff and having sentiments towards objects is natural as it is in human nature.
As Nick wrote: “Humans are social animals and forming attachment bonds to other people is part of our evolutionary history, and important to our survival and wellbeing. These attachment bonds can ‘spread’ and so we also form strong attachments to non-humans (pets) and also to inanimate objects (our possessions). Our possessions form a key part of our ‘self’ – they indicate our personality, and signal to others our likes and dislikes, and our social status (e.g. our choice of music, books, fashion, design, movies, etc.). It is very rare for people to have no possessions.”
I own an official Nanosecond. Actually, it is a section of yellow-stranded 1980s plenum cable that was cut to the exact length that an electron would traverse in one nanosecond. It is signed by the late Rear Admiral Grace M. Hopper, one of the most famous and accomplished computer scientists. She was a member of the Harvard team that discovered the first computer bug.
I have a small (about an inch long), mangled, sharp piece of shrapnel that a person mowing their lawn hit, it flew across 3 lanes of traffic and a median strip, through my car window, and into my ribs.
We were wondering whether the attachment to objects can, in a way, replace humans. Nick answered: “Yes – we see this in people who display hoarding behaviors – they have typically experienced traumatic and chaotic lives, and have found that other people (i.e. parents, romantic partners, etc.) cannot be relied upon (they are neglectful or abusive, for example) and so they form intense attachments to objects. Objects can be relied upon, and do not cause emotional trauma like other people do. People who strongly attach to objects (i.e. hoarders) can be socially isolated and lonely, and see objects as ‘friends’ and as having human-like qualities (this is called ‘anthropomorphism’), so that they think that a book might be ‘feeling unwanted’ or ‘lonely’ in a shop window and so they go and buy it.”
With that being said, we asked why it is so difficult to throw away old, sentimental things. The professor answered: “As we form intense emotional attachments to objects, it becomes hard to get rid of them. These attachments might have a sentimental connection to a loved one (a parent’s watch, a child’s first shoes, for example), and if that person is no longer alive, then getting rid of the item feels like losing the person again – some keep the item and avoid feeling the emotional loss once more. People who anthropomorphize objects often say that they don’t want to get rid of things because the things might get ‘offended’ or ‘upset’ at being discarded. They are also afraid of getting rid of things ‘in case they need them again in the future’.”
Original first edition copy of Le Fantome De L'Opera by Gaston Leroux (1909)
My Great Uncle's whistle he carried at Passchendaele and other battles in WW1.
We all do have some sort of attachment to owned objects. Some clothes stay hanged in our closets year after year without being worn. But we were wondering, what could count as an unhealthy attachment to objects?
Nick wrote: “This is difficult to say because it all depends on a person’s circumstances. What might seem useless to one person – say, an old bus ticket, might have deep significance to another person – it might be the bus ticket they used when they visited their aunt who then died shortly after – the ticket is the reminder of their last journey to see their much-loved relative and is thus imbued with feelings, emotions and sentiment. However, if hoarding objects begins to interfere with the normal activities of daily life – i.e. cooking, sleeping, using a bath or toilet, then that person might have a problem, as such conditions can be bad for their health and mental well-being and can soon reach a point where daily life becomes impossible.”
A piece of shale I found while coming back down the mountain. My brother and I were exploring an old gold mine at the top, and on the way back down, we saw a small ledge along the trail that looked like a great spot to climb up and take a break. We climbed the 20 or so feet to the ledge and got comfortable with our backs to the wall and feet dangling. I reached behind me for a piece of shale to put my name and date on. I wiped the dirt, and it already had one. Guys name, and April 21, 1941. I still have it. Left my own piece there for someone else to find someday.
Bathroom trash can made from an empty cardboard box. I even moved it from my apartment to my new house. I think nothing about dropping $8 on a latte that'll be gone in half an hour, but a $5 trash can? Out of the question.
If you feel like you might have unhealthy attachment issues to objects, or you know someone who does, it might not be an easy fix, but eventually, working towards finding help will make your or another person's life easier.
Here is the advice that Nick shared: “It is very difficult to remove unhealthy attachments – doing so involves working closely with therapists and de-clutterers, the best de-clutterers are often people who have been hoarders in the past and so they can be very insightful when they try to help other people. The process can take time and patience but there can be very positive results. There are some self-help books and websites but it is better to try and work with another person as they can help with the burden of ‘making a decision’ about getting rid of something, and provide moral and social support.”
A still sealed original Salvador Dali tarot deck
And lastly, Nick added: “Our research has shown that people not only form strong attachments to physical objects but also to digital objects (i.e. photos, music, etc.) and we have created new questionnaires to measure digital hoarding in the workplace and in one's personal life. Our Hoarding Research Group at Northumbria University is very interested in how people form strong attachments to virtual and physical objects and how those connections can be changed or affected by other experiences, etc.”
One of those blue mailboxes that the post office uses to collect mail across the city. It was made the year I was born and had been stationed in the town where I grew up. I acquired it through not-illegal means (it was in a pile of stuff headed out for scrap metal due to minor damage) and I've had it for something like 30 years. Use it for storage.
Ooh that's really cool, & it has some significant sentimental value. It's neat that you also found another use for it.
We still have an old black wall-mounted rotary phone that is old enough that you can’t even change the cord from the phone to the handset (you could on newer ones).
FYI it still works!
Lol I remember those... & waiting for for that rotary wheel to spin back around to dial the next digit lol
I always liked that sound. I guess I was too young to worry about the length of time it took to 'dial' a number.
Load More Replies...Somewhere on it it will say "Property of Bell Telephone" (or whatever the old local phone company was when it was installed). In those days the phone equipment belonged to the phone company and leased to the customers.
Omg! Lol! Does that make me a criminal? Lol. Fun fact though. Thanks.
Load More Replies...I'm looking at the exact model and colour that is in the picture, hanging in my kitchen right now.
Did you know/remember you could "dial" the number by clicking the switch hook the correct number of times? Might be slower or faster than real dialing, idk, but there's your trivia for the day.
*gasp* I so did not know that! Lol. Thanks!
Load More Replies...I have an older one with a separate bell box. Worked the last time it was plugged in but the bell is so loud & annoying that we don't use it.
We used to have one on the family farm until 1979 when it died and was replaced by a touch tone one.
I have the one that have the separate mic and speaker. Doesn't work anymore cause nobody owns one but I like to pretend.
I wish I'd kept my old Trimphone, even though it probably wouldn't work today
When I was a kid, we lived in a town whose assigned prefix was 988. So all my friends had it, too. When you're a kid, it takes foreeeever for the dial to turn back to where it started. Also, if you dialed a number in-call on a rotary phone the other party will hear something that sounds like a brief burst from a machine gun, so we would "shoot" each other on the phone. I just had the chilling realization that kids today could get into trouble (with cops being called and everything) for doing that, so I guess it's good that push-button phones were invented!
I’ve had dreams for decades where I would try to dial a number and keep messing up. The dreams have evolved from rotary phones to push button phones to now iPhones.
No matter how careful you were, those long cords would form the most ungodly knots. Unplug the cord, straighten it out, plug it back in again, turn your back for a second, and... voilà! A huge knot!
Items from the last full-blooded shaman of the Kaw Nations
A rock collection full of rocks I found on the playground as a child, which includes amethyst and rosemary quartz.
Amazing! I had a rock collection too, but the most I got was a piece of marble. I later discovered it was just a random polished rock dropped by someone and that marble isn't naturally glazed and polished.
The nest of a family of Firecrests.
They stayed in our palm tree last summer and we were lucky enough to see them fly the nest. The recent storms have dislodged the nest and I now thinking of somewhere nice to keep it. We don't often see Firecrests in the UK so we were very privileged to have what may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
I can relate...I also collect birds nests I find on the ground...I use them for Easter decor filled with colourful glas eggs/big beads and coloured feathers....I think my 1st nest is about 30-35 years old
A walking stick I decorated with a specific set of runes
A girl scout sniper uniform complete with a hot pink bedazzled sniper rifle.
I know for a FACT that no one else has a carved wooden bust of my head
Anatomically correct museum-quality replica of a male North Atlantic lobster, once used in an ocean exhibition in one of the most famous museums in the world.
Zassenhaus nut grinder over 100 years old. I don't know how old exactly b/c it was in Hubby's grandma's cabinet of "old stuff".
A pair of letters written by John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy congratulating someone on a new job.
Probably my favorite baby blanket. It stopped being made a couple of years ago and there weren't many produced so I have one. That must be pretty special. It's my comfort item, I only use it when I'm really stressed.
Same for me, except idk if my was quit being made. I've just had it forever and it helps when I'm sad/stressed/mad
All kids & grandkid in my family has a handmade blanket quilted/crocheted by family members.
My grandmother had 15 kids, 28 grandchildren and over 80 great grandchildren. She made one blanket for one grandkid. My husband. She made it very clear it was just for him, but it would be ok if he let me use it too. I used to be the favorite. She died the day before my birthday in 1989.
A bottle of Sweet Honey Catalina Dressing expired in November 2007.
A puffin skull I preserved myself.
My husband found it on the beach. I actually have a whole collection of skulls that my dad passed down to me. I've been adding to it over the years. There are several ways to clean up a skull. The easiest is to bury it in soil in a bucket (so no animals can get at it) and just wait. You can boil the bigger skulls but birds in particular can't be because they're hollow and will dissolve. Depending on if you want museum quality you can bleach them so they're white. A clear coat at the end is good so they don't collect dust
First of all, I have the One Ring on a necklace. Second of all, I have a small ghost made out of pastel rainbow yarn (his name is Soft Ghost Boi lol) and I made him so he’s one of a kind.
A dead dried toad I found on the street side and put it into a glass box for display.
Original art (paintings, sculptures) made by others and some by me.
A frog skin purse. It’s actually really cool despite what people always think. He’s called Bert
I have an antique monkey hair hand warmer that I bought at an auction. I was the only bidder. There was also an antique sheer robe with monkey hair trim, but that went through the roof.
glasswork done by me ig
Oooh that's neat & creative. So you have a picture of a piece you can share?
A plush flamingo wearing a (plastic) pearl necklace.
My Pill Clock. I get headaches (been to doctors--I'm just lucky) and I often forget when or if I took pain meds, so I built a clock that my over the counter pain pills sit on. When I take some pills and put them back on the clock, it starts a countdown of four hours, so I know when I can take the pills again.
You should look into a patent or trademark for that. That sounds like shark tank material. People would buy this.
Load More Replies...I have shard of glass (roughly the size of a grain of rice) under the skin next to my right eyebrow. I broke a car windshield with my face when I was 18 (I'm 43) and the doctors missed it when they were removing all the glass shards from my face. I suppose I could get it removed, but it doesn't hurt or anything so I just keep it as a reminder to ALWAYS wear a seat belt, no matter how short the drive is.
After a car crash (my seat belt was fastened, it was a tree that broke my windshield) I had a shard stuck in my forehead too. It was removed about a month after the accident and the doctor really had a hard time cutting it out of the tissue that had already built up around it. I still have that shard too!
Load More Replies...Hand made and hand beaded leather tobacco pouch from my grandmother. It has a place of honor on my headboard on my side of the bed. I also have the dream catcher I made for my MIL. that dream catcher was above her bed every day from the time I gave it to her until the day she passed.
I have a painting done by the tiger at the zoo. My sister used to work with Hana and did painting as an enrichment activity. She gave me one for Christmas. 1666390327...a36a8f.jpg
For Christmas last yeAr my mom gave my kids and I our name on mars. A disk went up and it had a million names etched onto it. Ours were a few of the names. We also got an official ticket to mars. Our names will be up there forever.i know there are at least a million otherss but I thought that was cool.it is on that rover that they sent up there to explore.
A photograph of a Japanese General shaking my father's hand circa 1957. He was thanking him for doing his job. He had been tasked with rebuilding and training the Japanese Air Force after WWII. While that might seem trivial, most people who see it want to know who the gentleman is. I just smile and assure them everyone in the world knows who he is. The individual who planned and led the aerial attack on Pearl Harbor.
80 yr old blueberry bushes on my 100 yr old 7 acres of land in a state park that's been passed down through generations. The house is new the land is old. The blueberry bushes are huge and beautiful. We cover one to protect from the birds deer and my dogs. The other one is free pickings for all the little animals.
Elvis pez dispensers still in the box. Old coin and bill collection from my grandpop all my old clothes and shoes from the 90s some from the 70s and 80s too my daughter has those. A clock built in 1901 that was my great grandmothers. Very beautiful. Huge mirrors from the 1930s. My grandmom s China (1940s) and Corell(1950s) dishes and her mushroom canisters from the 70s. So much more oh yeah my moms entire collection of bubble fairies. She has every single one. Over 200 of them. The early ones are numbered
Load More Replies...A WWII zippo lighter from pearl harbor that my dad's grandfather? (I think) had
That’s what I was thinking! I have a kid… he’s one of a kind. Seriously, I don’t have anything old or crazy like these people. I have a stuffed animal armadillo that was my favorite toy as a kid. Um, I have a pearl ring that was my grandmother’s, no idea age/history. I have a lot of student debt?? But that’s not unique…
Load More Replies...My wife and my wedding rings are kind of unique. I made them myself. Mine is a simple titanium band with a Keyhole. Hers looks like an miniature old fashioned key, cast in silver.
A horseshoe nail ring that my grandfather made me not long before he died. It was the last time he ever fired up his forge. He shod a team of four Percheron horses as a favor to the son of a good friend, then made my ring from a spare nail.
I have a space pen. One of those pens that can write in zero gravity, under water, and even over grease. I won it from RBC, having entered a draw at a university fair in Toronto in 2004. And yes, it can write under water and over grease. I don't have the resources to test the zero gravity bit, but it came in a lovely case with a certificate.
I have a cast iron cobbler's stand that belonged to my grandfather. Not sure why he had it; he wasn't a cobbler.
A chalice and watch and limited edition stamps given to those who worked on the original eurostar project, my dad was an electrical engineer on the first eurostar trains
SO MUCH: Letters from Stephen Hawking and Nelson Mandela. (non form letters written by their secretaries) A black velvet portrait of Dr Hawking (I sent him a copy) Just over 600 sterling silver charms. A complete collection of all Harry Potter Lego sets from the first three movies. A wizard's staff with a 1kg. quartz crystal on top.
Showing my age here, but I have a cheap games console from the 90's called the R-Zone, it was a knock off of the failed Nintendo Virtual Boy from the same year. It was massively promoted for a month or two and then disappeared without a trace.
Lol I still have an Atari gaming system I got in 1981 when I was 10 w the games
Load More Replies...I have a giant piranha plant head hanging on my wall. Like from Mario. It was supposed to be a cat bed but they'd rather sleep on my face. I also have a pipboy from Fallout, a gold pikachu Pokémon card, and a spawn helmet that gets stuck if you put in on. It goes over your whole head.
Drawings of the faces of all four nightmare animitronics
I have a shaving blade. Bought by my great-grandfather in 1930's, still using it to shave my face. I had more, but the one from 1987 got damaged and the other one from 1930's need a new handle, but I didn't have time to make a new handle yet, but winter is coming, so I might have time to do it now.
Interesting stuff but I would love to see photos of the actual objects instead of stock pictures.
The original brand used to mark cattle at the ranch my relatives started when they immigrated to this country in the 1800's.
My Pill Clock. I get headaches (been to doctors--I'm just lucky) and I often forget when or if I took pain meds, so I built a clock that my over the counter pain pills sit on. When I take some pills and put them back on the clock, it starts a countdown of four hours, so I know when I can take the pills again.
You should look into a patent or trademark for that. That sounds like shark tank material. People would buy this.
Load More Replies...I have shard of glass (roughly the size of a grain of rice) under the skin next to my right eyebrow. I broke a car windshield with my face when I was 18 (I'm 43) and the doctors missed it when they were removing all the glass shards from my face. I suppose I could get it removed, but it doesn't hurt or anything so I just keep it as a reminder to ALWAYS wear a seat belt, no matter how short the drive is.
After a car crash (my seat belt was fastened, it was a tree that broke my windshield) I had a shard stuck in my forehead too. It was removed about a month after the accident and the doctor really had a hard time cutting it out of the tissue that had already built up around it. I still have that shard too!
Load More Replies...Hand made and hand beaded leather tobacco pouch from my grandmother. It has a place of honor on my headboard on my side of the bed. I also have the dream catcher I made for my MIL. that dream catcher was above her bed every day from the time I gave it to her until the day she passed.
I have a painting done by the tiger at the zoo. My sister used to work with Hana and did painting as an enrichment activity. She gave me one for Christmas. 1666390327...a36a8f.jpg
For Christmas last yeAr my mom gave my kids and I our name on mars. A disk went up and it had a million names etched onto it. Ours were a few of the names. We also got an official ticket to mars. Our names will be up there forever.i know there are at least a million otherss but I thought that was cool.it is on that rover that they sent up there to explore.
A photograph of a Japanese General shaking my father's hand circa 1957. He was thanking him for doing his job. He had been tasked with rebuilding and training the Japanese Air Force after WWII. While that might seem trivial, most people who see it want to know who the gentleman is. I just smile and assure them everyone in the world knows who he is. The individual who planned and led the aerial attack on Pearl Harbor.
80 yr old blueberry bushes on my 100 yr old 7 acres of land in a state park that's been passed down through generations. The house is new the land is old. The blueberry bushes are huge and beautiful. We cover one to protect from the birds deer and my dogs. The other one is free pickings for all the little animals.
Elvis pez dispensers still in the box. Old coin and bill collection from my grandpop all my old clothes and shoes from the 90s some from the 70s and 80s too my daughter has those. A clock built in 1901 that was my great grandmothers. Very beautiful. Huge mirrors from the 1930s. My grandmom s China (1940s) and Corell(1950s) dishes and her mushroom canisters from the 70s. So much more oh yeah my moms entire collection of bubble fairies. She has every single one. Over 200 of them. The early ones are numbered
Load More Replies...A WWII zippo lighter from pearl harbor that my dad's grandfather? (I think) had
That’s what I was thinking! I have a kid… he’s one of a kind. Seriously, I don’t have anything old or crazy like these people. I have a stuffed animal armadillo that was my favorite toy as a kid. Um, I have a pearl ring that was my grandmother’s, no idea age/history. I have a lot of student debt?? But that’s not unique…
Load More Replies...My wife and my wedding rings are kind of unique. I made them myself. Mine is a simple titanium band with a Keyhole. Hers looks like an miniature old fashioned key, cast in silver.
A horseshoe nail ring that my grandfather made me not long before he died. It was the last time he ever fired up his forge. He shod a team of four Percheron horses as a favor to the son of a good friend, then made my ring from a spare nail.
I have a space pen. One of those pens that can write in zero gravity, under water, and even over grease. I won it from RBC, having entered a draw at a university fair in Toronto in 2004. And yes, it can write under water and over grease. I don't have the resources to test the zero gravity bit, but it came in a lovely case with a certificate.
I have a cast iron cobbler's stand that belonged to my grandfather. Not sure why he had it; he wasn't a cobbler.
A chalice and watch and limited edition stamps given to those who worked on the original eurostar project, my dad was an electrical engineer on the first eurostar trains
SO MUCH: Letters from Stephen Hawking and Nelson Mandela. (non form letters written by their secretaries) A black velvet portrait of Dr Hawking (I sent him a copy) Just over 600 sterling silver charms. A complete collection of all Harry Potter Lego sets from the first three movies. A wizard's staff with a 1kg. quartz crystal on top.
Showing my age here, but I have a cheap games console from the 90's called the R-Zone, it was a knock off of the failed Nintendo Virtual Boy from the same year. It was massively promoted for a month or two and then disappeared without a trace.
Lol I still have an Atari gaming system I got in 1981 when I was 10 w the games
Load More Replies...I have a giant piranha plant head hanging on my wall. Like from Mario. It was supposed to be a cat bed but they'd rather sleep on my face. I also have a pipboy from Fallout, a gold pikachu Pokémon card, and a spawn helmet that gets stuck if you put in on. It goes over your whole head.
Drawings of the faces of all four nightmare animitronics
I have a shaving blade. Bought by my great-grandfather in 1930's, still using it to shave my face. I had more, but the one from 1987 got damaged and the other one from 1930's need a new handle, but I didn't have time to make a new handle yet, but winter is coming, so I might have time to do it now.
Interesting stuff but I would love to see photos of the actual objects instead of stock pictures.
The original brand used to mark cattle at the ranch my relatives started when they immigrated to this country in the 1800's.