My father has always been fascinated about mouse traps. It's more than
just the trap itself, but the fact that so many people come up with new ideas to
build a better mouse trap. People have been making traps for as long as humans
and these rodents have existed. For over the last 50 years, he has found,
collected and made many mouse traps. He even had a part of his collection
displayed in an Alabama museum. My Dad passed away in 2021. In his memory is the first in a series of
mouse traps and mouse related items that he has collected over the years.
This is what my Dad wrote about his collection:
Jim Yockey, an Ohio born and raised, South Carolinian, started collecting
mousetraps in the 1960's In later years he began looking regularly in hardware
and antique stores as he traveled. In most recent years, he discovered "E
Bay" where the whole world shops. In Mexico he learned to ask: "Teine
usted un tampon por raton" (do you have a mousetrap) in the stores. In
China he had his guide write the question in Chinese characters in his notebook
and he was able to show that to storekeepers who with a smile would shake their
heads no or show their goods. The Chinese guide added a real prize. A bamboo
trap he had made himself.
The traps in this collection have come from all over. Many were purchased in
stores in the US, Germany, Mexico, South America and China.
Others purchased on the "web" have come from China, Australia,
Germany, France and England.
Some are true antiques and some brand new Most have no certain dates on them. We
hope you find the collection interesting.
