Every museum has artifacts that were collected early in its institutional history. Sometimes very little is known about where the pieces came from or how they ended up at a particular museum. Regardless, these curiosities nearly always have good stories behind them. Here, we are pleased to show you just a few examples of our own “exotic stuff.”
Shell Figurine
This owl sculpture was fashioned from seashells and most likely mass-produced for tourists as a souvenir.
Brick Store Museum Collection. Gift of Mr. R. C. Bednar, 1962. 4424
“Lobstermen”
These whimsical statuettes are handmade from lobster shells. An October 1968 issue of Down East magazines provides insight into the maker and origins of these “lobstermen.” Initially a hobby in the late 1950s for nine-year old Eric Hopkins of North Haven, Maine, creating these imaginative figurines became a steady business for him by the time he was a teenager. Hopkins’ creations were first sold in his mother’s souvenir shop but quickly found a broader pop art appeal. From cleaning to painting, each creation took approximately two hours to complete. While Hopkins originally began by using found shells, he eventually worked out a deal where he picked lobster meat for a Rockport restaurant and in exchange could keep any unbroken shell segments.
Brick Store Museum Collection. Gift of Thomas G. Maling, 1947 and 1948. 1670, 2047
Sawfish Beak
This beak comes from a sawfish, a member of the ray family typically found in the tropics. The sawfish uses its toothy beak to slash at schools of fish. The length of the snout usually represents one-third the length of the whole fish, meaning that this cartilaginous specimen would have been approximately 15 feet long!
Brick Store Museum Collection. 1391
Snowy Owl
This owl was mounted by the arctic explorer Admiral Robert E. Peary.
Shell Figurine 
These whimsical statuettes are handmade from lobster shells. An October 1968 issue of Down East magazines provides insight into the maker and origins of these “lobstermen.” Initially a hobby in the late 1950s for nine-year old Eric Hopkins of North Haven, Maine, creating these imaginative figurines became a steady business for him by the time he was a teenager. 
Hopkins’ creations were first sold in his mother’s souvenir shop but quickly found a broader pop art appeal. From cleaning to painting, each creation took approximately two hours to complete. While Hopkins originally began by using found shells, he eventually worked out a deal where he picked lobster meat for a Rockport restaurant and in exchange could keep any unbroken shell segments. 
Sawfish Beak 
The sawfish uses its toothy beak to slash at schools of fish. The length of the snout usually represents one-third the length of the whole fish, meaning that this cartilaginous specimen would have been approximately 15 feet long! 