Comments on: Intrinsic Appeal

By: Is this the most significant Significant Object yet?

Is this the most significant Significant Object yet? — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:36:56 +0000

[...] remain in the form of thing itself. Clearly some item sold by Significant Objects have been more intrinsically appealing than others, and it must be conceded that however much our writers’ stories increased the [...]

By: Unappealing objects | Significant Objects

Unappealing objects | Significant Objects — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 19:47:38 +0000

[...] discussed the intrinsic appeal of some Significant Objects – but what about those objects that lacked such appeal? Things [...]

By: Ladies and Gentlemen: The Data | Significant Objects

Ladies and Gentlemen: The Data | Significant Objects — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:03:59 +0000

[...] table is also mute on other matters, such as the story type (evidence, fossil, etc.), or the inherent desirability (or lack thereof) of any given object. We’re putting together some more data in separate [...]

By: Rob Walker

Rob Walker — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:52:35 +0000

I’ve seen that … In fact, uh, I’m IN it!

But I don’t know if Josh has seen.

By: metheothertwin

metheothertwin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:01:17 +0000

If you haven’t already, check out the film ‘Objectified’ by Gary Hustwit (Netflix).
from the film: “Objectified is a feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them. It’s a look at the creativity at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets. It’s about personal expression, identity, consumerism, and sustainability.”
It focuses on the idea of an object as an object yet also as a piece of art or creative thought. Much like you are doing.

By: Rob Walker

Rob Walker — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:07:54 +0000

But wait — why did you stop collecting vintage meat thermometers?

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:37:50 +0000

I would assume that intrinsic appeal makes a difference. How could it not? People aren’t buying the stories and getting the object as a bonus. They are buying the object and getting to experience the stories as a bonus. I do take exception that a meat thermometer has no appeal, though. I used to collect vintage meat thermometers.

By: Rob Walker

Rob Walker — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:21:43 +0000

Certainly our top two sales — Russian Figure with Doug Dorst story, and Indian Maiden with R.K. Scher story — fit the bill of having intrinsic appeal of a certain kind. The cute kind, namely. To me the most intrinsically appealing object was the HAWK Ashtray (William Gibson story) followed by Smiling Mug (Ben Greenman) and probably Neck Team Button (Susannah Breslin). Some others, too, but those were all classic “finds.” It’ll be interesting to analyze more thoroughly how much of an impact this had on on sales price, compared against the objects that really had no particular intrinsic appeal — like the 4 Tile (Toni Schlesinger story, and a top seller), or the Meat Thermometer (Nicholson Baker story) or, uh, almost every single object that I added to our inventory.