I’ve been asked a gazillion times what’s the best way to display my bobbleheads. Ever since I’ve been posting on the Internet especially Instagram, I get messages and emails all the time asking this specific question. Well I’m here to help. 

First, there is an art to this. This process takes a shit load of time. If you want to proudly display your collection then a ton of effort must be put in. If you half ass it, then your hard earned money that you put in to buying bobbles is a complete waste of time. Display them right or just put them on a shelf and let the dust ruin them. 

Depending on how many bobbles you want to display is the absolute key ingredient. If you have in the range of 50-100 bobbles then yes, you need a cabinet. Anything under that, put them on your dresser or a table and call it a fucking day. The only drawback to displaying them without any coverage, is they will get dusty faster than Josh Hamilton blowing a line. Dusting off your bobbleheads is a pain in the ass and I refuse to do it. It takes up to much time and my time is extremely valuable.

 Here’s a step by step approach so we can put this question to rest. 

Step 1: Download the Craiglist app on your mobile device. 

Step 2: Search “Furniture” under Category 

Step 3: Under “City” put in where you live. 

Step 4: Search “Curio Cabinet”

Curio’s are the best bang for your buck. All my cabinets are Curio’s. They come in different sizes in height, length and width. They are sturdy and elegant. Depending on your room size, measure the height of your ceiling in inches. You’re going to be fucked if you get one to high for your room. 

While searching and scrolling down the Craigslist page, DO NOT BUY FROM FURNITURE STORES or MAJOR ESTATE SALES. They are to expensive and people that buy from them are wholesalers.  All of my cabinets I have bought have been under $200. 

Next, find one that has between 3-4 shelves and a mirror back.  In addition, Make sure there is a working light and plug it in to an outlet to see if it functions. This is very important for displaying purposes. Obviously look at the pictures for condition of the Curio. Email the seller and get your ass over there and take a look.

Here’s where I ran into problems. I don’t have a truck with a bed in the back. I’ve had to borrow my neighbors truck or my father in laws truck. When and if you get a truck, MEASURE THE BACK OF THE BED AND COMPARE IT TO THE CABINET HEIGHT. Once, I bought one and I didn’t measure well enough and it didn’t fit. Remember your time is valuable and you don’t want to waste senseless time running to Home Depot to rent a large truck like I did because I didn’t measure properly. 

If you’ve never been purchased an item off of Craigslist then this is important. Negotiate with the seller. I’ve been in someone’s living room before and the cabinet I wanted, she listed it for $150 and I got her down to $80 cash. Wheel and deal. I’ve had both feet out the door once when my offer wasn’t good enough and the seller called me back in and accepted it. Curio Cabinets aren’t a “hot item” these days. People want to dump them and get rid of them, especially if they’re moving. Set your own price. The reason I stress this, is because if you’re a serious collector and you have a ton of bobbles, displaying them can get very expensive. I have 14 Curio’s right now. They ranged in price from $50-200. Adding them all up over a period of 5-10 years it’s well over $1,000. Do you know how many bobbles you can add to your collection with 1K???

Next, (and I won’t go into much detail) but lifting these bastards into the back of a truck with a couple of my bro’s and driving home over pot holes and stopping short will be very challenging. *Take the glass shelves and pins that hold the shelves OUT prior to putting the Curio in the truck! Trust me.

Over the past 10 years, getting my bro’s to carry these heavy fuckers down to the bobble cave is not rewarding for them. You better have some cold crafty’s waiting for them especially during summer months. 

Okay on to the juicy stuff. Once your Curio is cleaned and placed where you want it, what’s next? 

I use baseball “cube” holders and hockey puck holders. They are plastic and more importantly different in size. Go on eBay and search for “baseball cube holders and “hockey puck” holders. Ultra Pro has a great line of baseball holders. For the hockey puck holders I use SafTgard Supplies. They come in various quantities depending how many you want. *Very Important* The baseball cube holders come in two pieces. Therefore, you can use one baseball cube holder for 2 bobbles. 

Depending the size of your shelves, measure the size of your bobble (7″, 8″ 10″) and play around putting the bobble on the holder. I place all baseball cube holders in the back (for the back row). The second row will be the hockey puck holders. Finally, the first row of the shelf, each bobble will be placed flat. 

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The display height to make sure 85% of your bobbles are seen looks best if:

  1. Baseball cube holder back row
  2. Hockey puck holder 2nd row
  3. No holder for front row

This displaying process takes a fuck load of time. I’ve spent countless hours in the bobble cave making sure they all look bad ass. This is where passion comes into place. Why have a big collection and not display them the correct way? 

Step 5: Have your bro’s come over to watch a game and turn on that Curio light and sit back and enjoy. They WILL say it looks bad ass but they WON’T comprehend the time and effort you put in to your masterpiece. They can’t and won’t understand the process. They don’t need to. Only you do. Of course there will be the one guy that calls it weird or creepy. It’s normal. Never ask him to come back again. 

Lastly, tell them the Sniper sent you. 

Your welcome.