For Keeps

Introducing Pop Comforts, a seven-part podcast series that explores the unexpected corners of popular culture that people turn to for comfort. The series launches on May 1, 2024. Follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/popcomfortspodcast and listen/subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or wherever you get your podcasts. Pop Comforts on Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/u...

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.com Additional music by Chris Zabriskie Visit "For Keeps" online:   https://www.forkeepspodcast.com Follow "For Keeps" on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/forkeepspodcast Follow "For Ke...

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, medallions, membership cards, whistles, recordings, and other ephemera that vividly illustrate these struggles for change. A 2018 essay written by John a...

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 approximately 3,000 of them and showcasing them in a museum he founded in West Covina, California. The Tennant Shoehorn Museum:  https://www.shoehornmuseum.or...

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 off many of his most impressive pieces to fund a historical monument in his North Carolina hometown. Jim's website: http://www.presidentialexperi...

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 personal items celebrating the work and lives of beloved comedians, including his favorite, Jerry Lewis. Jeff's book, "The Show Won't Go On: The Most Sh...

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 endeavors. She's held onto those photos as well as many of Basquiat's creations, from drawings to clothing that he painted in his inimitable way, sharing...

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 more than 80,000 puzzles.  Roxanne's blog, "Notes From Puzzle Palace":  https://ipp30.blogspot.com Opening theme by Still Flyin' Closing theme by...

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 a massive video archive with every sketch the show has aired since its debut in 1975. James showcasing his collection on the Saturday Night Networ...

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 personal collection of "Stooge-abilia." The Stoogeum website:  www.stoogeum.com Gary's book, "A Tour de Farce: The Complete History of the Three Stoog...

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 given to rescuers. Mark's former Titanic coin on TV's "Pawn Stars": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoPD51IV2Qg Opening theme by Still Flyin' Closi...

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 celebrate the legendary aircraft's innovation and grace. Nathan Shedroff's Concorde collection:  https://nathan.com/concorde-collection/ Opening theme by S...

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 memorabilia from the reclaimed plywood through his company, Peace of Stage. Peace of Stage website: http://www.peaceofstage.com Opening theme by Still...

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, to shield it from the advancing Nazi army. John shares his tales of chasing this elusive collection, which actually dates back to Russia's Tsar...

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 artist Britt Zaist has held onto 80 of Fulton's works, while selling much of his work though her art gallery in Mexico. Website for Britt's Galeria...

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 — plus other unexpected parts of the show's history. Corey's KBHR South group on Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/KBHRSOUTH Time-lapse video of the ra...

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 even clothing related to the club — before eventually finding a permanent home for much of his collection. Steve's collection at the Museum of the...

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 Island Library on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Matinicus-Island-Library-1647462318852842 Opening theme by Still Flyin' Closing theme by Eric Frisch Additi...

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 Letters, a website and social media account she's run since 2017. Flea Market Love Letters website: www.fleamarketloveletters.com Flea Market Love Lett...

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 of Art's live performances, turning many bootlegs she's collected into releases on her own music label, Widow's Taste. Laurie Pepper's website: www.l...

The Houston Astrodome was dubbed "the eighth wonder of the world" when it opened in 1965, and dome enthusiast (and former Houston Astros team historian) Mike Acosta keeps its path-breaking legacy alive through his collection of dome memorabilia, including stadium seats, lights from the huge scoreboard, pieces of AstroTurf, items from its presidential suite, and much more. Mike's Twitter feed (full...

In the 1960s, American entrepreneur Burt Todd devised an interesting way for the tiny, cash-strapped kingdom of Bhutan to raise funds — through the sale of distinctive postage stamps to collectors. Stamp enthusiast Leo Van der Velden talks about his collection of the Asian nation's one-of-a-kind postal offerings, including "talking stamps" (a series of small vinyl records), 3-D stamps, perfumed st...

In the 1920s and 30s, Harvard scholar James Madison Carpenter traveled in the northeastern U.S. and along the British coast to collect sea shanties, the maritime work songs that rose to prominence among sailors in the early 19th century. His notes and recordings of sailors preserved many shanties that would have otherwise been lost to history. To help tell Carpenter's story, musician and scholar B...

Since coming to the U.S. as a teen in the early 1960s, Emilio Cueto has collected anything and everything that relates to his homeland of Cuba — from books to news clippings to porcelain to cigar memorabilia — capturing a multilayered view of the island nation and its complicated history. Virtual tour of Emilio's home and collection (from the Wall Street Journal): https://tinyurl.com/2p94f345 Open...

For more than three decades, autograph hunter Bryan Ulrich has artfully positioned himself to snag the signatures of seemingly every celebrity under the sun, most notably movie stars and legendary musicians. And his hard work is paying off — literally — through the sale of signed items in his collection. Bryan's website, The Signature Library: www.thesignaturelibrary.com Opening theme: "Keepers" b...