Collectors often describe their spouses as being willing to "tolerate" the closet- and garage-bursting amassment of must-have "stuff." Occasionally, there's a breaking point accompanied by Dumpster or fireplace threats. But retired Stanford hand surgeon Leo Keoshian's wife, Marlys, made their marriage a thriving partnership in a themed pursuit: the acquisition of a staggeringly diverse medley of items related to hands.
A prized Wendell MacRae photo captures a circle of hands from the Roxyettes dance troupe, known later and much better as the Rockettes. There's a leather-lined glove whose exterior is studded with metal buttons, not as bedazzlement but possibly, some research suggests, to catch hot powder cartridges ejected from military weapons. And years ago, jumping at an opportunity to have someone get Mickey Mantle's autograph on a baseball glove for them, they blithely provided a random and dilapidated old mitt that's now a memorabilia curiosity. But then again, not just anything will do: They rejected the offer of a mummy's hand that still had a lovely ring adorning a finger.
A reverence for the hand, especially in photographs, has animated other notable collections, although the Keoshians' seems to have attracted particularly enduring attention over the years. Indeed, Stanford devoted a cover story to it 23 years ago. Why revisit it? Well, for one thing, that was long before Marlys could point to her Marvel Comics toy—a large, green, sound-making, slip-on Hulk hand.
