WEAPON DISPLAYS

[VANDOO]

THE ADVANTAGES TO DISPLAYS ARE THAT THEY ARE FUN TO DO AND YOU CAN ENJOY SEEING YOUR COLLECTION DAILY EVEN IF IT IS JUST IN PASSING BY. VISITORS WHO ARE NOT INTERESTED IN LOOKING THRU A BUNCH OF CABINENTS OR BOXES AT YOUR STUFF CAN OFTEN APPRECIATE A NICE DISPLAY. THE DISADVANTAGES ARE DUST, BUGS, SPIDERWEBS AND THEY ARE READILY ACCESABLE TO THIEVES. THEY SHOULD BE CHECKED REGULARY TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE NOT BEING DAMMAGED BY THE METHOD OF DISPLAY,BUGS OR MOISTURE. IT IS NOT GOOD TO HAVE THEM IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT OR TOO NEAR VENTS, HEAT OR AIR CONDITIONING BLOWING ON THEM IS NOT GOOD. THEY CAN BE BOOBY TRAPPED, BUT YOU MUST BE CAUTIOUS AS GETTING OLDER AND MORE FORGETFUL CAN LEAD TO MEETING THE POLICE AT THE DOOR OR FINDING YOURSELF CAUGHT AND HANGING FROM THE CELING FAN
HERE ARE SOME OF MY IDEAS FOR DISPLAY, PARDON THE PICTURE QUALITY AS I HAVE A CHEAP CAMERA AND GETTING A WHOLE WALL IS NOT POSSIBLE.

[Tim Simmons]

Love it Do you live alone Tim

[VANDOO]

A FEW MORE

[Tim Simmons]

I say If you do not live alone you live with an angel

[nechesh]

Cool Vandoo! Now that i've had a look at your complete collection i'll be right over. Now where did you say those booby-traps are set up?

[Mick]

VANDOO

You've been everywhere man.

[erlikhan]

Very exciting but everybody must be careful about one thing especially: The seismic situation of your geography. If they are just hold on nails to obtain the wall composition you desire easily, in even a slightest earthquake, they would all fall onto the floor from a height and probably many of them would get damaged, a little or more which would mean a very avoidable and silly catastrophe. They must be mounted well to the wall, like which you have done as far as I can see from the pictures.

[Ferguson]

You're my hero.

Outstanding collection!

Steve

[Rick]

How many years of collecting does that represent Barry ?

[VANDOO]

I STARTED COLLECTING IN THE 1960'S THERE WASN'T A LOT IN MY AREA BUT I COULD USUALLY FIND SOMETHING AT THE GUN SHOWS ABOUT 4 TIMES A YEAR PLUS THE OCCASIONAL GARAGE SALE OR ANTIQUE SHOP FIND.IN THE MID 70'S I WENT TO WORK OFFSHORE ON THE OIL RIGS AND SPENT A LOT OF TIME TRAVELING ON MY DAYS OFF AND VACATION AND THE COLLECTING PICKED UP SPEED. I DRUG STUFF IN FROM ALL THE CORNERS OF THE WORLD AND STUCK IT INTO MY PARENTS BARN UNTIL I FINALLY GOT A HOME. WHEN EBAY FIRST STARTED I PICKED UP QUITE A LOT OF STUFF, IT WAS THE BEST HUNTING I EVER SAW LOTS OF NEAT STUFF CAME OUT OF THE WOODWORK THEN. THIS IS PART OF MY COLLECTION BUT A LARGE PART IS NOT ON DISPLAY RAN OUT OF ROOM AND HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT HOW TO SAFELY DO A CELING DISPLAY YET. PUT IN SOME PICTURES OF OLD MUSEUM DISPLAYS OR PERSONEL COLLECTIONS IF YOU HAVE ANY, I WILL LOOK AND SEE IF I HAVE ANY NEAT PICTURES AROUND.

WE DON'T HAVE EARTHQUAKES OR 200 POUND TEENAGERS RUNNING AROUND THE HOUSE HERE BUT DO HAVE TORONADOS IF ONE EVER HITS MY HOUSE EVERYONE SHOULD RUN AS IT WILL BE THE WEEDEATER FROM HELL

[Lew]

Hi Barry

I can't wait for your garage sale


Lew

[Bill]

Great pics Barry, You need an air raid shelter to protect you & your family, if a twister hits, not from the twister but from your collection.

[John]

Finally, my Hero comes out of seclusion... Hope the newly promoted grandpa is doing fine.

[Battara]

Well Barry, as always, I'm impressed. When I grow up, I want to be just like you.

[M ELEY]

WOW! The Vandoo Museum is open for business!! Excellent (and enviable) collection you have, Barry! You truly have amassed a very important representation of ethnographic arms.

[Federico]

Originally Posted by Battara

Well Barry, as always, I'm impressed. When I grow up, I want to be just like you.

Ditto

[Ian]

And a lot of work to mount them all. What fraction of your collection have you managed to mount so far, Barry?

Congrats on a very eclectic and excellent collection.

Ian.

[Spunjer]

THE ADVANTAGES TO DISPLAYS ARE THAT THEY ARE FUN TO DO AND YOU CAN ENJOY SEEING YOUR COLLECTION DAILY EVEN IF IT IS JUST IN PASSING BY. VISITORS WHO ARE NOT INTERESTED IN LOOKING THRU A BUNCH OF CABINENTS OR BOXES AT YOUR STUFF CAN OFTEN APPRECIATE A NICE DISPLAY. THE DISADVANTAGES ARE DUST, BUGS, SPIDERWEBS AND THEY ARE READILY ACCESABLE TO THIEVES. THEY SHOULD BE CHECKED REGULARY TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE NOT BEING DAMMAGED BY THE METHOD OF DISPLAY,BUGS OR MOISTURE. IT IS NOT GOOD TO HAVE THEM IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT OR TOO NEAR VENTS, HEAT OR AIR CONDITIONING BLOWING ON THEM IS NOT GOOD. THEY CAN BE BOOBY TRAPPED, BUT YOU MUST BE CAUTIOUS AS GETTING OLDER AND MORE FORGETFUL CAN LEAD TO MEETING THE POLICE AT THE DOOR OR FINDING YOURSELF CAUGHT AND HANGING FROM THE CELING FAN

great, great collection, barry. also, thank you for the tips you've given. even if i can amass an eight of your moro collection's size i won't have any room on the wall to display it, lol. here's my paltry display (compared to yours) using the "Weapons of Moroland" plaque as an inspiration. the three swords by themselves is to the right wall of this display. i hope everyone else would post their display. enjoy

[Spunjer]

btw, love that shrunken head on your kalinga shield...is that for real???

[Tim Simmons]

Me in my small corner . I think it just about qualifies as a display. The rest are hung randomly if with a little thought in a bedroom and stored on shelves in the same room. Tim

[VANDOO]

THE IDEA OF DISPLAY IS A OLD ONE PERHAPS IT STARTED AS A WAY TO DISTINGUISH ONE GROUP FROM ANOTHER OR SHOW STATUS AS A HUNTER, WARRIOR OR CHIEF. JEWELRY (TAILSMAN), TATOOS AND CLOTHING ARE FORMS OF DISPLAY, THE ARRANGEMENT OF EVERYDAY ITEMS WAS TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE THEM FROM THE ELEMENTS, VERMIN , DIRT, MOLD ECT. MAGIC AND CEREMONYS OFTEN INCORPORATED DISPLAYS TO MAKE THEM MORE IMPRESSIVE TO PEOPLE , ENEMYS AND EVIL SPIRITS. WEAPONS WOULD HAVE BEEN PLACED WHERE THEY COULD BE EASILY GRABBED AND WITH FAST ACCESS TO THE EXITS. OVER TIME IT HAS EVOLVED FROM THE NECESSARY TO THE ESTHETIC OR WHAT LOOKED PLEASING.

IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO HAVE A LOT OF STUFF IN A DISPLAY, IN FACT MINE ARE A BIT JUMBLED BECAUSE THERE ARE ACTUALLY TOO MANY THINGS. I JUST WANTED TO GET AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE INTO THE SPACE AVALABLE WHICH MAKES IT DIFICULT TO KEEP A GOOD BALANCE. THE ODD SHAPES OF MANY WEAPONS ALSO MAKES IT DIFICULT TO MAINTAIN A UNIFORM PATTERN. I HAVE TRYED TO KEEP THINGS FROM THE SAME AREA OF THE WORLD TOGETHER AS BEST I COULD. A SMALLER DISPLAY SUCH AS THOSE SHOWN BY THE OTHER MEMBERS (VERY NICE BY THE WAY!) ARE ACTUALLY MORE BALANCED, EASIER TO APPRECIATE THE INDIVIDUAL PIECES AND LESS TROUBBLE TO DO. I HAVE COLLECTED EVERYTHING THAT TOOK MY FANCY THAT I COULD AFFORD OVER THE YEARS AND HAVE EVERYTHING FROM THE COMMON OR LOW END TO A FEW OF EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY. GOOD ADVICE (WHICH I DIDN'T FOLLOW ) IF YOU HAVE A SELECTION OF ITEMS TO BUY ALWAYS BUY THE VERY BEST EXAMPLE YOU CAN AFFORD NOT TWO OR THREE OF LESSER QUALITY FOR THE SAME PRICE. I DO FEEL THAT THE WEAPONS THAT WERE USED BY THE PEOPLE TO WORK AND FIGHT REPRESENT THE CULTURE BETTER THAN A CUSTOM MADE GOLDEN BEJEWELED EXAMPLE GIVEN TO THE RULER BY SOME OTHER RULER. (NOT THAT I WOULD MIND HAVING SOME OF THEM ALSO )
I HAVE LOOKED BUT NOT FOUND PICTURES OF THE PHILLIPPINE WEAPONS DISPLAYED AT THE 1904 WORLDS FAIR HELD IN ST. LOUIS MO. IT WAS SAID TO HAVE BEEN A LARGE DISPLAY PUT TOGETHER BY A GENERAL HARRY BANDERHOLTZ. IF ANYONE HAS ANY PICTURES OR COULD TELL ME WHERE TO LOOK I WOULD SURE LIKE TO SEE THEM.
THE SHRUNKEN HEAD LOOKS REAL BUT IS ONE MY FATHER (THE PILOT) USED TO HAVE HANGING IN THE SINCLAIR OIL COMPANY PLANE IT SAID" THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO PASSENGERS WHO PUT THEIR FEET ON THE SEATS". ONE DISPLAY IS A PAPUA NEW GUINEA HOUSE THE OTHER IS A NAGA SKULL RACK

[Spunjer]

thx for the additional photos, barry. that shrunken head you have sure looks real...


that's a pretty cool display you got, tim...

[B.I]

vandoo's collection and display is very impressive, especially given the rarity and price of collecting in our lifetime. he did ask for historic collections as well, so here goes.
henri moser was an orientalist in the true sense of the word. he spent much time travelling the east, and loved the culture. so much so, he recreated it in his house, installing huge painted back-drops with costumed mannequins, reliving his 'travel' stories. his taste was not only arms, but painting, fabric and metalwork. these images are from his original displays, before his collection went to the berne historisches museum, where it now happily sits in a dusty basement.

[B.I]

more from mosers display.

[VANDOO]

AH! TRULY A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART. IT IS A VERY GOOD THING THAT HIS DISPLAYS STILL EXHIST IN PICTURES IF NOT IN A PHYSICAL FORM. IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO RECONSTRUCT THE DISPLAY IF THE COLLECTION IS ALL IN ONE PLACE, OFTEN SUCH COLLECTIONS ARE SOLD AT AUCTION AND BROKEN UP. UNFORTUNATELY RECONSTRUCTION IS NOT LIKELY UNLESS SOMEONE WITH AN INTREST AND SOME CASH AND CONNECTIONS WOULD PERHAPS PUT TOGETHER A TRAVELING EXHIBITION TO VISIT THE MUSEUMS OF THE WORLD SO IT WOULD BE SEEN AGAIN BEFORE BEING ENTOMBED AGAIN IN THE MUSEUM STORAGE. THE THING THAT IS OFTEN LOST AT THE MUSEUM IS THE PROVENANCE, STORYS AND OTHER INFORMATION THAT WENT WITH THE COLLECTION, OFTEN THIS INFORMATION IS MORE VALUABLE THAN THE ACTUAL ITEMS. YOU CAN RECREATE THE SWORD OF SUTTON HOO LOOKING AT ITS REMAINS BUT THE STORYS OF ITS CREATION, HISTORY AND OWNERS ARE LONG GONE. MUSEUMS OFTEN RECEIVE THE DONATIONS OF SUCH A COLLECTION AND DO A INVENTORY AND ACCUSITION PAPERWORK BUT NEVER TALK TO THE ONE WHO COLLECTED IT AND TAKE DOWN HIS INFORMATION AND STORYS. IN THE CASE OF SUCH AN ADVENTURER AND EXPLORER AS THIS THAT IS TRULY UNFORTUNATE.
IN THE THIRD PICTURE THERE IS A LARGE RELATIVY CRUDE SWORD PLACED IN FRONT OF A RACK OF VERY NICE SWORDS. IT SURELY HAD A SPECIAL IMPORTANCE TO THE COLLECTOR AND WOULD HAVE A STORY WITH IT, I WONDER IF THAT INFORMATION HAS SURVIVED?