Face-Knocker

Treasure Hunt: Knobs and Knockers;

I just discovered that a girlfriend of mine collects these things, and I mean SERIOUSLY collects! This knocker is wrapped in acid free tissue and lives in a unit with many drawers and cubby holes. It is only occasionally brought out and placed in a display cabinet with 3-4 other knockers and this is 'refreshed and rotated' every 6 months or so. This particular example cost close to $2k in New York last year, that's nearly £1200 for a door knocker that will never see a door :-)
Her collection is almost 1000 strong and is insured for a small fortune! it has representatives from practically the whole animal kingdom, mythology, tradesmen and human anatomy... some are very rude, some are quite funny.
The best one though was not a knocker but resembled a door bell and was retrieved from a toilet wall in the 'gents' of an old pub in Cornwall- it was a beautifully cast bronze lady wearing nothing but a fig leaf with an obvious hinge just above it, you cannot help but lift the fig leaf which then reveals a button for you to push! However, when you push the button it rang a bell in the bar thus informing everyone of your naughty thoughts :-)

I will be returning to this collection further methinks