Cotter pin

This is a cotter pin.

This is a Kotter pin. Any questions?

ID		160010
Object		Cotter pin
Length		about 65mm
Material		Metal
Provenance		Dallas, Texas
Credit Line		The Museum of Parking Lot Junk

Dinosaur "Rex"

"I did it! I finally defeated Zurg!"

ID		160009
Object		"Rex" the Toy Story dinosaur (fragment)
Length		about 65mm
Material		Plastic
Provenance		Dallas, Texas
Credit Line		The Museum of Parking Lot Junk

Mystery Metal No. 1

This is my favorite type of parking lot junk. It had some purpose, but is a mystery now without context. The nut is welded to the metal plate, two holes at a jaunty angle. Things like this go into the Permanent Collection.

ID		160008
Object		Mystery Metal No. 1
Length		34mm
Material		Rubber
Provenance		Dallas, Texas
Credit Line		The Museum of Parking Lot Junk

Flat spring

This spring has been flattened to the point where it can't be flattened anymore. Run it over with a truck and it will look the same. It's part of its environment now. There's a metaphor here somewhere.

ID		160007
Object		Flat spring
Length		48mm
Material		Metal
Provenance		Dallas, Texas
Credit Line		The Museum of Parking Lot Junk

Sunglasses lens

If the people I know are any indication, sunglasses must be just about the most often misplaced or lost item owned by modern humans. The lenses, either because they're flat or because they're less brittle, tend to outlast the frames in parking lots. The other lens from this pair was about 20 feet away, but no frame pieces. I've considered picking these up as I find them and eventually making a stained glass piece.

ID		160006
Object		Sunglass lens
Length		57mm
Material		Plastic
Provenance		Dallas, Texas
Credit Line		The Museum of Parking Lot Junk

Spaceship toy

Flat blue plastic spaceship toy. Simple but effective. Hearkens back to the old flat army sets one could order from comic book ads.

ID		160005
Object		American handball
Length		90mm
Material		Rubber
Provenance		Dallas, Texas
Credit Line		The Museum of Parking Lot Junk

American Handball

This is a ball for playing handball. More precisely, American handball, as opposed to the team sport played in the Olympics. I know that because it is about 4.76 cm across. Bigger than a squash ball, smaller than a racquetball. You can imagine how thrilled my family is that I stop and take measurements of these things.

ID		160004
Object		American handball
Material		Rubber
Provenance		Dallas, Texas
Credit Line		The Museum of Parking Lot Junk

Element magnet

Blue plastic, magnet on the back. This is from a periodic table of the elements magnet set from Target. And not a very accurate one. There is no element D. There is a Db which is Dubnium, not Dabnium like it says here. And, though it's mostly rubbed off, there is a number 153 at the top left corner. Indicating this is element 153. Which is 35 more than the current highest number on the table, 118 Ununoctium. For shame. Shame!

ID		160003
Object		Advertising magnet
Material		Plastic, magnetic back
Provenance		Dallas, Texas
Credit Line		The Museum of Parking Lot Junk

Tie down strap fragment

This is part of a plastic ribbon that ties stacks of lumber together. Not surprisingly it was in a lumber yard parking lot. But more importantly it's a question mark. Like it's wondering how it got there. Or where it's  going. But it's not. Because it's a plastic strip. See how easy it is to anthropomorphize something? You probably felt bad for it for a second. 

ID		160002
Object		Tie down strap fragment
Material		Plastic
Provenance		Dallas, Texas
Credit Line		The Museum of Parking Lot Junk

Eyeglasses

I see a lot of sunglasses in parking lots. You sort of expect it. People are always misplacing sunglasses. You can go on with your life without them, you just have to squinting. But reading glasses are another story. This potentially spoiled someone's day, or at least made it more annoying. You're at the pool, all settled down, your one day off in ten, you get the book out of your bag you've been looking forward to starting for weeks, and bam, no glasses. Or maybe you had a spare. Always carry a spare.

ID		160001
Object		Eyeglasses
Material		Plastic, metal
Provenance		Dallas, Texas
Credit Line		The Museum of Parking Lot Junk