I get the collector’s instinct. Oh boy, do I. My house is absolutely filled with comics, action figures, and 15 bookshelves of movies and TV shows. Yes, somehow I’m even in a successful relationship. But my lady probably wouldn’t be quite so keen if my collection was cast off-pieces of my own body.
This is Richard Gibson, a 59 year old man who decided back in 1978 that he was going to save all his toenail clippings. Originally born of just curiosity, wondering how long it would take to fill up a small box, Richard just kept going. And going. And going. “I have no idea how many nails are in the jar,” Gibson said. “It’s well into the thousands.”
Richard wasn’t exactly proud of his hobby. He’s kept it hidden both from his ex-wife and friends for years. But now that Ripley’s Believe it or Not is interested, Richard is coming out in the open with his odd and pretty gross collection. It’s featured in Ripley’s new book “Reality Shock”. “This is the first time I’ve made it into one of the books,” he said. “It’s not like winning the Oscar, but I’m proud.”