Collector of Moomin products sells his collection at auction

As a collector of Moomin products, Magnus Palm has gathered 154 items to be auctioned on 26 May 2024. In addition to the Fauni dolls mentioned above, Palm also has a number of small ceramic figurines, a copy of the first edition of the book Tales from Moominvalley with a dedication by author Tove Jansson in the form of an original drawing of Moominpappa under a rose, Snufkin smoking a pipe and an angry Little My. Other treasures include the first English edition of The Book about Moomin, Mymble and Little My in top condition and first editions of the first Moomin books.

Palm says he has been a collector for as long as he can remember. One of his first collections was when he was eight years old and found cigarette packets in the street on his way home from school, cut out the fronts and stuck them to a large drawing pad. Gradually he started collecting stamps, then comics and books. Today he mostly collects ceramics.

How did you find the Moomins?

– The Moomins came to me as an adult. For various reasons, I read a lot about autism and Asperger’s syndrome for a while, and that’s when the original characters of Moominvalley really stood out to me, with their quirks and personalities. It was nice that they accepted each other as they were.

How did you start collecting Moomin products?

– It started in earnest when I compiled a special edition of the magazine Scandinavian Retro in 2015, with a Tove Jansson and Moomin theme. Working on it deepened my interest in both Tove Jansson and the Moomin world to the point that I started collecting more systematically.

The newly published book Treasures from Moominvalley by Anders Landén is a goldmine for all collectors of Moomin products, read more about the book!

How big is your collection, what does it consist of?

It’s not that big, really. I know some people who have better collections. But original editions of Tove Jansson’s Moomin books have been perhaps the most important thing for me. I was also particularly interested in the handmade dolls from Atelier Fauni and the first ceramic figurines. I have not cared about more recent Moomin products and Moomin mugs.

What is your favourite item in your collection?

– I am particularly fond of Aunt Jane in all its fantastic creations. I managed to get eight of them, all in different guises. They became a collection in the collection.

What is the most valuable thing you have in your collection?

– I dare not say. I’ll know the answer after the auction, when the collectors have had their say on what’s most valuable!

How much time and money have you spent on the Moomin collection over the years?

– A lot of time and a lot of money, if I were to calculate h o w much, I probably wouldn’t be able to handle it. But it has given me so much joy over the years that it has probably been worth it.

In the Moomin stories, there’s a Hemulen who gets depressed because his stamp collection is complete. How did you yourself get to the point of you wanting to sell your collection now?

– Perhaps the realisation that it could never be as incomparably magnificent as I would wish. Perhaps that in recent years I have not paid as much attention to it as it deserves, and that others, who can give it more care, should take it over.

Will you keep any of your Moomin objects?

– If there is something left over from the auction that nobody wanted, I will keep it and take care of it until I die. That thing needs a lot of love.

What will you focus your collecting on now?

As it looks now, it’s going to be ceramics all the way, early Nordic stoneware with Patrick Nordström at the forefront. That’s the stuff!

Magnus Palm is selling his Moomin collection on 26 May 2024. Read more about the auction!