11 ms·

Mini Museum: Spinosaurus, Steve Jobs Turtleneck, SR-71, 14th Cent. Samurai Sword

47 points by hownottowrite 10y ago

overcast 10y ago
The execution is neat, but I really object to destroying these unique historical items, by chopping them up into tiny pieces for profit.
- 1001101 10y ago
  I shuddered when I saw the Enigma. I'm sure other people have similar reactions to some of the other constituents.
- schoen 10y ago
  This has been a big problem with illuminated manuscripts such as books of hours (which represent massive amounts of beautiful medieval art and calligraphy). For centuries, some bookdealers have been willing to disbind a complete or nearly complete volume and sell individual leaves, because of course people love to be able to display a beautiful page on their wall. I just went to an antiquarian book fair and there was a dealer selling medieval illuminated manuscript leaves (who's been there for many, many years), with a sign specifically addressing the concern, and basically saying "we didn't do it!". But it's hard to verify and the incentive is still strong, because you can get more from selling a hundred-page illuminated prayerbook as 100 $1000 leaves than as a $40,000 whole. Overall I think people who care about the past in certain ways would prefer for artifacts to remain whole, even if that means we don't get to own them ourselves, much as with King Solomon proposing to cut the baby in half.
- vacri 10y ago
  Yeah, it's far better to leave them in the back of the stacks with others of the same kind, where no-one will ever see them or discuss them. None of these items are unique, except perhaps Chuck's wedding cake.
6stringmerc 10y ago
Very clever and a pleasing way to have some conversations. Much like a brightly painted Pet Rock. Good for the Inventor, I hope he enjoys much success! It actually kind of inspires me to make a tongue-in-cheek version as a gift for people in my close circle that would get a kick out of a cutting from "First Shiner Bock Can of Summer 2017" and "Blood splotched tissue sample from getting poked while changing guitar string" pressed between glass. Too fun.
- ashark 10y ago
  The profit margin on this has to be bonkers. Maybe not on the first one, but now that they've got the process down? Yikes.
gibbitz 10y ago
New from the Franklin Mint. Order now and we'll include the Obama Half dollar!
state 10y ago
I thought Steve wanted to put a "dent" in the universe. Not a "ding".
nier 10y ago
Weird. I wouldn’t care to see most artifacts if admission was free, but I have a problem with someone cutting them into pieces.
- codezero 10y ago
  Agreed, but I assume most of these were in terrible condition to start with. I'm surprised they don't mention it in their FAQ so I could be wrong. As an example they have this to say about the 14th century samurai sword: While lovely, the blade has a number of micro-fractures that made it unsuitable, and potentially dangerous, as a collectible.
  - bykovich 10y ago
    The critical issue here is not something's value as a "collectible." We're not caddisfly larvae.
    - codezero 10y ago
      Sorry, I might be stupid, but I'm not sure what you're saying. What _is_ the critical issue? Generally destroying objects? There is some spectrum between a usable item and complete refuse, it feels like most of the stuff being cut up is closer to refuse, but I could be very wrong.
      - sparky_z 10y ago
        Destroying objects that have historical value (which is distinct from collectible value). As an exaggerated example, you wouldn't chop up a Dead Sea Scroll into tiny fragments just because it's useless as bedtime reading. The fact that collectors would be willing to buy very tiny pieces of dead sea scroll (perhaps collectively netting more than the sale of a single intact scroll) doesn't make it okay.
partycoder 10y ago
I do not agree with destroying unique/rare artifacts, especially fossils.
- ashark 10y ago
  Vertebrae are among the cheapest parts of a dinosaur. Spinosaurus isn't an especially rare dinosaur. Morocco, where they sourced this, sells dinosaur bone by the crate-load (literally). It's also a hotbed of fakes and mediocre pieces fixed up to look nicer than they are, so DO NOT buy anything from Morocco unless you know exactly WTF you are doing. This piece was destined to be sold to a dupe at a huge mark-up for use as a paperweight anyway. No great loss. Mosasaur is an impressive but common fossil in Kansas. You can offer a museum there a complete skull for free and unless it's remarkable for some reason they'll turn you down (or take it and sell it if they're shady, I guess). Complete skeletons aren't uncommon in private collections. Probably one of the easier impressive-looking ancient predators to acquire to hang over the entryway in your secret lair if you're a budget-consious supervillain. A hunk of jaw not connected to a larger find is a trash-tier item among Kansan collectors. I'm guessing the story's similar for most of the other things on there (I don't know much about the rest). [EDIT] I hadn't noticed how many of these things are fossils on my first look, so I guess I do know about more of them. Broken Megalodon teeth are also so common that you couldn't give them away to a collector or museum—they have little to no value except for impressing kids or use in an art project (so, like this). That's not to say it doesn't cost money to get one, but they're not remotely rare. A large, whole (including ROOT and TIP!) one with intact, finely-detailed serration? That's another matter, but that's not what this is. Broken dire wolf jaw, not that rare or scientifically valuable. Dunno about the Ankylosaur pieces but judging from the rest, probably not rare. Don't know much about giant sloth fossils, but claws in general tend to be among the rarest single pieces of any given megafauna. Wouldn't be surprised if that cost them more than any of the other animal fossils to acquire. Still, unlikely it's anything a museum would care to have. Jurassic tree: common enough you can buy really big, polished slices of it for under $100 if you know where to go. Unimproved, large hunks for less. My great-grandma had a an ~20lb piece eroding away in her rock garden, and she didn't even live near where you can pick it up off the ground and wasn't really into fossil collecting. Crinoid: another Moroccan piece so this was going on the suckers' shelf at a touristy rock & fossil shop anyway. Not sure about this particular variety, but there are thousands of segments of these in the rocks outside my kids' school, and probably tens of thousands more in the creek next to it, all eroding away. Mind, I don't mean to knock this product, just noting that destroying these fossils wasn't any kind of blow to science or global heritage or anything.
singularity2001 10y ago
If this thing takes off will all art be shredded one day?
- givinguflac 10y ago
  Pixelcaso. Someone will do it.
bykovich 10y ago
This is an atrocity.
skookumchuck 10y ago
I read about an enterprising person in the 1960s who swiped the dirty bedsheets from a hotel room that Beatles had slept on. The sheet was cut up into 1 inch square pieces and sold for a buck each.
- dredmorbius 10y ago
  The practice somewhat predates the 1960s. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relic https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relic
Solinoid 10y ago
It belongs in a museum!
- jeron 10y ago
  what if they put mini museums in museums? better yet, what if future mini museums included pieces of old mini museums?
nether 10y ago
Looks like a slick way of preserving cultural artifacts that would have otherwise been discarded.
Neliquat 10y ago
Good art makes you feel something. I may not agree, but I accept it as good art. Hopefully backdoor funding for actual preservation.
notlion 10y ago
So I guess we've finally reached Ferengi levels of consumerism? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUvARUC9k9Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUvARUC9k9Q

47 points by hownottowrite 10y ago

The execution is neat, but I really object to destroying these unique historical items, by chopping them up into tiny pieces for profit.

1001101 10y ago
I shuddered when I saw the Enigma. I'm sure other people have similar reactions to some of the other constituents.
schoen 10y ago
This has been a big problem with illuminated manuscripts such as books of hours (which represent massive amounts of beautiful medieval art and calligraphy). For centuries, some bookdealers have been willing to disbind a complete or nearly complete volume and sell individual leaves, because of course people love to be able to display a beautiful page on their wall. I just went to an antiquarian book fair and there was a dealer selling medieval illuminated manuscript leaves (who's been there for many, many years), with a sign specifically addressing the concern, and basically saying "we didn't do it!". But it's hard to verify and the incentive is still strong, because you can get more from selling a hundred-page illuminated prayerbook as 100 $1000 leaves than as a $40,000 whole. Overall I think people who care about the past in certain ways would prefer for artifacts to remain whole, even if that means we don't get to own them ourselves, much as with King Solomon proposing to cut the baby in half.
vacri 10y ago
Yeah, it's far better to leave them in the back of the stacks with others of the same kind, where no-one will ever see them or discuss them. None of these items are unique, except perhaps Chuck's wedding cake.

6stringmerc 10y ago

Very clever and a pleasing way to have some conversations. Much like a brightly painted Pet Rock. Good for the Inventor, I hope he enjoys much success! It actually kind of inspires me to make a tongue-in-cheek version as a gift for people in my close circle that would get a kick out of a cutting from "First Shiner Bock Can of Summer 2017" and "Blood splotched tissue sample from getting poked while changing guitar string" pressed between glass. Too fun.

ashark 10y ago
The profit margin on this has to be bonkers. Maybe not on the first one, but now that they've got the process down? Yikes.

gibbitz 10y ago

New from the Franklin Mint. Order now and we'll include the Obama Half dollar!

state 10y ago

I thought Steve wanted to put a "dent" in the universe. Not a "ding".

nier 10y ago

Weird. I wouldn’t care to see most artifacts if admission was free, but I have a problem with someone cutting them into pieces.

codezero 10y ago
Agreed, but I assume most of these were in terrible condition to start with. I'm surprised they don't mention it in their FAQ so I could be wrong. As an example they have this to say about the 14th century samurai sword: While lovely, the blade has a number of micro-fractures that made it unsuitable, and potentially dangerous, as a collectible.
- bykovich 10y ago
  The critical issue here is not something's value as a "collectible." We're not caddisfly larvae.
  - codezero 10y ago
    Sorry, I might be stupid, but I'm not sure what you're saying. What _is_ the critical issue? Generally destroying objects? There is some spectrum between a usable item and complete refuse, it feels like most of the stuff being cut up is closer to refuse, but I could be very wrong.
    - sparky_z 10y ago
      Destroying objects that have historical value (which is distinct from collectible value). As an exaggerated example, you wouldn't chop up a Dead Sea Scroll into tiny fragments just because it's useless as bedtime reading. The fact that collectors would be willing to buy very tiny pieces of dead sea scroll (perhaps collectively netting more than the sale of a single intact scroll) doesn't make it okay.

partycoder 10y ago

I do not agree with destroying unique/rare artifacts, especially fossils.

ashark 10y ago
Vertebrae are among the cheapest parts of a dinosaur. Spinosaurus isn't an especially rare dinosaur. Morocco, where they sourced this, sells dinosaur bone by the crate-load (literally). It's also a hotbed of fakes and mediocre pieces fixed up to look nicer than they are, so DO NOT buy anything from Morocco unless you know exactly WTF you are doing. This piece was destined to be sold to a dupe at a huge mark-up for use as a paperweight anyway. No great loss. Mosasaur is an impressive but common fossil in Kansas. You can offer a museum there a complete skull for free and unless it's remarkable for some reason they'll turn you down (or take it and sell it if they're shady, I guess). Complete skeletons aren't uncommon in private collections. Probably one of the easier impressive-looking ancient predators to acquire to hang over the entryway in your secret lair if you're a budget-consious supervillain. A hunk of jaw not connected to a larger find is a trash-tier item among Kansan collectors. I'm guessing the story's similar for most of the other things on there (I don't know much about the rest). [EDIT] I hadn't noticed how many of these things are fossils on my first look, so I guess I do know about more of them. Broken Megalodon teeth are also so common that you couldn't give them away to a collector or museum—they have little to no value except for impressing kids or use in an art project (so, like this). That's not to say it doesn't cost money to get one, but they're not remotely rare. A large, whole (including ROOT and TIP!) one with intact, finely-detailed serration? That's another matter, but that's not what this is. Broken dire wolf jaw, not that rare or scientifically valuable. Dunno about the Ankylosaur pieces but judging from the rest, probably not rare. Don't know much about giant sloth fossils, but claws in general tend to be among the rarest single pieces of any given megafauna. Wouldn't be surprised if that cost them more than any of the other animal fossils to acquire. Still, unlikely it's anything a museum would care to have. Jurassic tree: common enough you can buy really big, polished slices of it for under $100 if you know where to go. Unimproved, large hunks for less. My great-grandma had a an ~20lb piece eroding away in her rock garden, and she didn't even live near where you can pick it up off the ground and wasn't really into fossil collecting. Crinoid: another Moroccan piece so this was going on the suckers' shelf at a touristy rock & fossil shop anyway. Not sure about this particular variety, but there are thousands of segments of these in the rocks outside my kids' school, and probably tens of thousands more in the creek next to it, all eroding away. Mind, I don't mean to knock this product, just noting that destroying these fossils wasn't any kind of blow to science or global heritage or anything.

singularity2001 10y ago

If this thing takes off will all art be shredded one day?

givinguflac 10y ago
Pixelcaso. Someone will do it.

bykovich 10y ago

This is an atrocity.

skookumchuck 10y ago

I read about an enterprising person in the 1960s who swiped the dirty bedsheets from a hotel room that Beatles had slept on. The sheet was cut up into 1 inch square pieces and sold for a buck each.

dredmorbius 10y ago
The practice somewhat predates the 1960s. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relic https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relic

Solinoid 10y ago

It belongs in a museum!

jeron 10y ago
what if they put mini museums in museums? better yet, what if future mini museums included pieces of old mini museums?

nether 10y ago

Looks like a slick way of preserving cultural artifacts that would have otherwise been discarded.

Neliquat 10y ago

Good art makes you feel something. I may not agree, but I accept it as good art. Hopefully backdoor funding for actual preservation.

notlion 10y ago

So I guess we've finally reached Ferengi levels of consumerism? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUvARUC9k9Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUvARUC9k9Q