The 5 Strangest Items in Jack White’s Online Garage Sale
Perhaps it’s to be expected that when multi Grammy Award winner Jack White cleans out his garage, there are some oddities to be found. Going hand in hand with the celebration of his prowess as a musician over the past 25 years has been an appreciation of his weirdness, something that’s allowed him to have a lasting impact on American music. Years of touring, amassing props for album cover shoots, and simply collecting bizarre finds has left with him with a bursting supply of unexpected stuff that he just doesn’t need anymore. Beginning earlier this week, he and his label, Third Man Records, have been auctioning off their extra objects—some bizarre and some genuinely covetable vintage pieces.
Amidst a sea of midcentury carnival games and music equipment lies a selection of intriguing antiques on offer. Though many of the pieces are in need of a touch-up, its easy to see the appeal of the Oscar Niemeyer for Broyhill coffee table that’s available, or the Art Deco ebonized wood vanity, and the Monte Carlo 5-in-1 folding game table is certainly charming. If you’re in need of a new set of wheels, there are two options in White’s auction, including the rockstar’s own 2013 Tesla.
A lesser known creative outlet of White’s is upholstery—before rising to fame in the White Stripes, he owned his own upholstery shop and as reported in 2021, still practices upholstery in his garage. Naturally, you’ll find some stripped but not yet reupholstered Art Deco furniture on offer. Smaller pieces like an Art Nouveau ashtray are more tempting, but if you’re the type of person willing to take on a project—especially with the added cache of the object’s connection to White—you’re likely to be tempted by many of these finds. Below we’ve picked out the five most peculiar pieces.
This car was “originally purchased by Jack White in the “early days” [of Third Man Records] under the impression that employees would use it to make deliveries to local Nashville record stores in this thing,” according to the description from Third Man Records archivist Ben Blackwell. Regardless of lore, it’s certainly a much more unique choice next to the auction’s Tesla and still electric.
“Now what business does Jack White have with a bowling ball return?” you might be asking yourself. Well, apparently he has a home bowling alley, so the question to ask is what business does he have for two bowling ball returns. He’s cutting the surplus return and it’s currently among the lowest ticket items in the auction.
Per the lot description, this fortune teller booth was acquired with the hopes that it could be “a featured coin-op attraction in the opening of our Detroit storefront.” Unfortunately for them, it’s mechanical not electronic, so it needs an operator to function. Nevertheless, like many of the pieces in this auction, it’s a great find for anyone looking to create a mildly to mid-level creepy arcade of their own.
Perhaps the most useful lot in the auction for those looking to prove their Jack White stanhood, a set of three finger casts from when Jack White was in a car accident 20 years ago are up for sale. The cast was immortalized in the music video for the White Stripe’s “The Hardest Button To Button.”
Somehow more unexpected than White’s own finger casts is this enameled autopsy table that, according to the listing description, weighs about 400 to 500 pounds and has been in Third Man Records’ possession for about a decade.
