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Ripley’s Believe It or Not! National Tour to Discover Strange, Weird, & Unbelievable Items Comes to Arizona Science Center
Ripley’s is looking to buy items from the public at its ”Bizarre Buying Bazaar” in Phoenix, March 21 & 22
Not sure what to do with that shrunken head that’s been taking up space in the closet? Ripley’s Believe It or Not! has a solution for you.
This motorcycle sculpture—made entirely from animal bones—was acquired at Ripley’s Bizarre Buying Bazaar in St. Augustine, FL.
Ripley’s Bizarre Buying Bazaar is coming to Arizona Science Center on Friday, March 21 and Saturday, March 22. It’s the fifth stop on a road trip to several cities in the U.S. and Canada to find and acquire items worthy of being part of the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! collection.
Edward Meyer, Ripley’s VP of Exhibits and Archives, will review all items that come in and will make on-the-spot offers for items worthy of being a part of the world famous Ripley’s Believe It or Not! collection. For more than 35 years, Meyer has traveled the world collecting unusual stories and unbelievable items for the company. He has acquired over 20,000 different museum artifacts, as well as countless stories for its cartoon and books.
What is Ripley’s looking for at the Bizarre Buying Bazaar?
“We’re hoping to find oddities, artifacts, relics, strange things from science and nature, unusual artwork – the weirder the better,” says Meyer.
Meyer has purchased more than 100 items from the public at Bizarre Buying Bazaar events – everything from a rare New Guinea widow’s finger chopper to a motorcycle created from cow, alligator and other animal bones to a lamp made from a taxidermy chicken. Items offered but not purchased included a $400,000 Lamborghini!
Even if Ripley’s doesn’t acquire an item, its owner may still get an oddpraisal - that means Meyer won’t necessarily tell people what an item is worth, but will give them an idea of how unusual it is.
“This is our first Bizarre Buying Bazaar held in the southwestern U.S., so I’m hoping we see some Native American items and natural wonders from the desert,” said Meyer.
Oddity owners planning to attend the Bizarre Buying Bazaar are encouraged to RSVP to Angela Johnson at Johnson@ripleys.com in advance and provide some details on the item they want to bring in. That will allow Ripley’s research team to see what they can find out about the particular items of interest in advance.
The Bizarre Buying Bazaar will be held on Friday, March 21 and Saturday, March 22 at Arizona Science Center, located at 600 E. Washington Street in downtown Phoenix. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
Image Courtesy of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
