• 10 months ago
Siblings run a museum showcasing their 20,000 strong collection of salt and pepper shakers.

Andrea Ludden, 52, and her brother, Alex, 69, run the world's only museum that is dedicated solely to salt and pepper shakers.

They say they can't estimate the collection's worth because their value is "not monetary" - it's about enjoying "the experience" and "the joy it brings to collect".

They have an entire wall display of fruit-themed ones, another for vegetables, another for marine life and another for iconic cartoon characters.

Some of the most unusual shakers on display include a toaster, a bottle of sun cream, a matching set of pink armchairs and two matching harps.

The pair inherited most of the collection from their mum Andrea Sr, who spent 35 years building up the incredible collection before she passed away in 2015.

But they have since added hundreds of their own.

Their collection is more than double what is held by the current Guinness World Record holder - 6971 sets owned by a collector in Pierce City, Missouri, but they say they're not interested in claiming the title.

Museum owner Andrea said: "Mum started when she bought a pepper mill to replace a broken one.

"From there it went onto salt and pepper shakers - she began to hunt them out everywhere.

"The more she collected, it was so interesting to see the variety and themes.

"The ingenuity and designs are mind-boggling.".

Andrea Sr had worked all her life as an archeologist with an interest in history - so found it fascinating seeing the differences in the shakers over time.

She opened the museum to the public with her children in 2002.

She sorted thousands upon thousands of shakers into themes and colours to be put in giant display cases.

Andrea's full collection was around 60,000 strong but some were distributed to a sister museum in Alicante, Spain, and the rest to a collector in Israel.

Andrea has added around an additional 300 of her own too, buying them from antique shops or online.

Over two decades since the original museum in Gatlinburg, Tennessee was first opened, it is still going as strong as ever.

People visit from all around the world to see the incredible collection - including other collectors.

Andrea said: "What my mum always wanted to do was share the creativity and artistry behind the common object.

"When you see it amassed like this, it gives you a whole different perspective.

"It makes you think 'what inspired people to be so creative?'

"The passion started with her - because of her, history and curiosity was always part of the family.

"My dad didn't collect but he was always the chauffer and the shelf builder - it involved the whole family.

"So for us, running the museum is a labour of love."

Category

😹
Fun
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