What’s in a collection? A whole lot if you are looking at Nate Bekemeier’s eclectic compilation of curious objects he has encountered and saved throughout his entire life.
Each little figurine, a memory. Every tiny trinket, a tale. Each of the odds and ends, an experience, a time, a place.
Bekemeier was one of several collectors who shared his treasures with the public at the Mattapoisett Historical Society’s February 26 event, “Sharing Your Passion: Personal Collections.”
Bekemeier thought his quirky collection was too special to be kept hidden away in a dark drawer to be forgotten. Thirty years ago, he hand built a special glass-top display table so he would have a place to put the interesting things he happened upon for all to admire. Many who paused to wonder at the table of a thousand things said it reminded them of a game of “I Spy.”
Bekemeier has many interesting stories to accompany his interesting objects. Among the dice and fetishes, in between campaign buttons and shells, and somewhere mixed in with the random figurines and a glass eye lies a roll of pennies that Bekemeier said is one of his favorites of all the little things that fill his display table.
As Bekemeier tells it, he had a friend who was “always doing funny things.” One day, he found the old man picking pennies out of a large chunk of cement. “He was painstakingly picking the cement off the pennies,” said Bekemeier.
When he asked his friend why he was doing this, he told Bekemeier that he had been tossing pennies into a cement bucket for years and had finally decided to cash them in.
“He placed the cement block on the counter and, unsurprisingly, the clerk would not accept it,” said Bekemeier. “But she told him that if he picked enough cement off each penny so that at least 50-percent of it was visible, he would be given full price for the penny.”
So, what did Bekemeier do at that point? He offered his friend a dollar for the fifty-cent roll and has kept it ever since.
“I thought his collection was hysterical,” said Mattapoisett Historical Society Museum Curator Elizabeth Hutchison. “If you sit and talk to him about it, it’s just crazy. What’s even more amazing is that he remembers everything that’s in there.”
Bekemeier’s was arguably the most popular collection at the event, but there were others with their own uniqueness, their own brand of treasure, for those looking around to admire.
Hutchison noted one remarkable collection of Chinese turquois-colored porcelain figures that Leda Kim had collected over the years.
“Those were beautiful,” said Hutchison. “Interesting, too, because it’s not something you often get to see.”
Ellen Flynn brought in her collection of porcelain, glassware, and a silver goblet with her name on it, which has been in her family for generations.
Flynn began collecting her pieces while in her 20s and, over the past 40 years, she has collected over 200 items – some from occupied Japan, France, and all over the world.
“I was impressed by the peoples’ collections,” said Hutchison. “We had a lot of fun stuff. It was interesting to see.”
Hutchison said one of the board members of the museum suggested the event, which was inspired by the Brooklyn Historical Society’s annual Collectors’ Night.
“It was a fun thing to do,” said Hutchison. “That’s essentially what a museum is for, so we can share things. It was an opportunity for people to share their collections and their passions.”
Felix Perez contributed to the content of this article.
By Jean Perry
