# Who would want 3000 different elephants? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 29, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-want-3000-different-elephants/544974 "2010-06-29T19:54:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-want-3000-different-elephants/544974/1 "2010-06-29T19:54:06Z")
I have been collecting elephants for about 65 years, ever since I won a little plastic one at a carnival. I now have about 3,000 different elephants and elephant-themes items (eg. 100 cups and mugs, 50 neckties, 100 coins (some dating back to the Roman Empire, 100 books, 75 planters, 150 Christmas tree ornaments, paintings, statures, etc.). I have enjoyed collecting them, but it is now time for me to get rid of them. I would like to donate them to a museum, college, non-profit organization, etc. I would prefer to keep the collection intact rather than have the organization “cherry pick” only the ones it wants, but I have been unable to find any such organization that wants them. Can anyone suggest where I might find someone interested in such a collection? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-want-3000-different-elephants/544974/2 "2010-06-29T19:59:23Z")
Since the OP is looking for advice, this is better suited to IMHO than GQ. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-want-3000-different-elephants/544974/3 "2010-06-29T20:04:41Z")
[http://www.worldrecordsacademy.org/collections/largest\_collection\_elephants\_70200.htm](http://www.worldrecordsacademy.org/collections/largest_collection_elephants_70200.htm) ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-want-3000-different-elephants/544974/4 "2010-06-29T20:17:56Z")
You might try eBay. I know you’d like to keep the collection intact, but a lot of people with large collections parcel them out on eBay in lots, making sure that each lot has a mix of both very desirable and sort of so-so pieces. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-want-3000-different-elephants/544974/5 "2010-06-29T20:25:35Z")
An enormous Alabama fan? (Not me, tho. i mean, I’m a huge Bama fan, but no.) ---
**Author:** ![niugnep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ccd318/32.png) [@niugnep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/niugnep)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-want-3000-different-elephants/544974/6 "2010-06-29T21:11:27Z")
Forget Bama: Tufts University, home of the Jumbos ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-want-3000-different-elephants/544974/7 "2010-06-29T21:47:29Z")
Perhaps [Mr. Ed’s Elephant Museum](http://mistereds.com/museum.html) might be interested in your collection? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-want-3000-different-elephants/544974/8 "2010-06-29T21:49:48Z")
No idea, but you can’t rely on the donee to follow through with your wishes and maintain the collection either. I’ve been through this with a Pez collection. Why not preserve them as images? Make a web site, your collection can grow virtually. Sounds like you could get a lot of different pictures from your collection. Or just go on Craig’s list and look for other elephant collectors. You may not mind seperating your pachyderms if you know they’re going off to live in other collections. ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-want-3000-different-elephants/544974/9 "2010-06-29T22:49:10Z")
> [@fluiddruid](#): > > Perhaps [Mr. Ed’s Elephant Museum](http://mistereds.com/museum.html) might be interested in your collection? I’ve asked them. They are not interested in collections, just individual pieces. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-want-3000-different-elephants/544974/10 "2010-06-29T22:54:17Z")
Sounds like you need someone who wants to open their own elephant museum. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-want-3000-different-elephants/544974/11 "2010-06-29T23:34:44Z")
Oh, god, I read the title and thought you meant _actual elephants._ ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-want-3000-different-elephants/544974/12 "2010-06-29T23:49:54Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Oh, god, I read the title and thought you meant _actual elephants._ So did I! I thought this was going to be about some crazy dictator (looking at you, North Korea) ordering 3000 elephants for some parade but insisting they all be adorned in singular and unique ways. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-want-3000-different-elephants/544974/13 "2010-06-30T07:05:32Z")
I could add them to my elephant collection, which currently numbers 5. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-want-3000-different-elephants/544974/14 "2010-06-30T12:17:13Z")
That sounds prime for eBay. I sold my mother’s collection of pigs, several hundred at least, on eBay. Sell them as a maybe ten lots of x-hundred pieces each. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-want-3000-different-elephants/544974/15 "2010-06-30T16:47:47Z")
I have no idea but I collect elephants, too, so I had to at least see what this thread was about. ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-want-3000-different-elephants/544974/16 "2010-06-30T17:04:53Z")
Have you got one of those unbrella stands made from an elephant’s leg? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-want-3000-different-elephants/544974/17 "2010-06-30T17:08:38Z")
I’d like to have a look, too, if you did decide you were willing to split up the collection. ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-want-3000-different-elephants/544974/18 "2010-06-30T17:17:36Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > Have you got one of those unbrella stands made from an elephant’s leg? No, but I have an ice bucket made from an elephant’s foot. ---
**Author:** ![MsChilePepper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MsChilePepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsChilePepper)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-want-3000-different-elephants/544974/19 "2010-06-30T21:44:31Z")
Get a bunch of tubes of E-6000 glue and make yourself an [Art Car](http://artcarworld.org/)?