
Mini Museum: Spinosaurus, Steve Jobs Turtleneck, SR-71, 14th Cent. Samurai Sword - hownottowrite
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hansfex/mini-museum-3-the-third-edition?ref=f1jioe
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overcast
The execution is neat, but I really object to destroying these unique
historical items, by chopping them up into tiny pieces for profit.

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schoen
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.

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

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codezero
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.

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bykovich
The critical issue here is not something's value as a "collectible." We're not
caddisfly larvae.

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codezero
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.

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sparky_z
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.

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singularity2001
If this thing takes off will all art be shredded one day?

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givinguflac
Pixelcaso. Someone will do it.

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notlion
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)

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

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dogma1138
You can buy fossils including Dinosaur ones for fairly cheap in many places in
the world.

[http://www.ebay.com/sch/sis.html?_nkw=Fossil+Collection+Spin...](http://www.ebay.com/sch/sis.html?_nkw=Fossil+Collection+Spinosaurus+Triceratops+Tooth+Oviraptor+Dinosaur+Bone)

Most fossils are "trash" and often end up in aggregate especially marine
fossils.

~~~
goodJobWalrus
How does one know these are genuine?

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dogma1138
Many usually come with some sort of certification, and if you buy from a
reputable source there is very little reason to worry.

These are so common and cheap that it would be more expensive to create a
passable replica.

So in many cases even the "fake" ones are not fake they are just shark,
alligator or any other more recent reptile rather than a dinosaur when it
comes to teeth.

Morocco isn't a good place to buy teeth if you don't know what you are looking
for simply because the local peddles don't know better. And shark teeth and
crocodile teeth are also very common.

~~~
jeron
why did you bring up Morocco and not any other country? Are they known for
selling teeth?

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cstejerean
"The specimen in the Mini Museum comes from the center of a crinoid stem, also
known as a "columnal". It was recovered near Talsint, Morocco."

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6stringmerc
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
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.

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skookumchuck
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
The practice somewhat predates the 1960s.

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relic](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relic)

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

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

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

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Solinoid
It belongs in a museum!

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

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

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bykovich
This is an atrocity.

