by KB Meniado

Long time no bookmarking! Today, I’m stepping in for Lindy Gamolo who hosts this column series to feature Gökhan Micik, a bookmark collector all the way from Hamburg, Germany. A quick trivia about him right off the bat: he found a bookmark collector friend through Bookbed! Here’s to hoping we help connect more. Now, read on and check out his remarkable collection.

Hi, Gokhan! Thank you for being here. Before we get to your collection, can you tell us more about yourself? How long have you been collecting bookmarks?

Hello! I’ve been collecting bookmarks since 2013. It happened by accident. I was collecting pocket books from Rowohlt Verlag, and my collection was almost complete. So I went to my local book dealer and he mentioned that I should collect something I would not finish so quickly. He said, “You should collect bookmarks! Even if you would live three lives, you wouldn’t be finished.” And since then, I’ve been totally out of control! 

Wow, that’s been seven years since! Do you know how many you have so far?

I have my bookmarks in cartons. I haven’t counted they must be around 10,000!

That’s a LOT! And pretty exciting because you must have gorgeous ones in there. Can you share with us some of your favorites? 

Of course! Here are some. This is a funny one about sheep poo!

This set is quite special—it’s from the 1950s and it shows some of the traditional dresses from around the world.

This is a hand-carved one made from ivory—from the 19th century!

Check out this Star Wars complete set from 1983, and DC and Marvel bookmarks from 1987!

And here’s another funny one 🙂

These are fantastic! How do you find and choose what to keep?

Every week, I go to four or five second-hand bookshops and look for bookmarks between the pages. Through this, I discover plenty of great bookmarks.

Do you only collect bookmarks or do you also collect other stuff?

Alongside bookmarks, I also collect Rororo pocket books, but only the first 360, because the covers were made by two artists from Hamburg.

What about bookmark exchanges? Any friends you share this hobby with?

No, I have no one in my environment who collects bookmarks, but at the end of the day, it’s okay because the fun and passion is on my side.

I actually found Willy Nieuwveld through your website, and she is the first collector I have met. We are now interacting to make an exchange!

That’s amazing! We’re happy to bring people together. On that note, can you share your final thoughts about collecting bookmarks?

For me, it’s better to spend time with bookmarks instead of watching TV or staring at a small display on your smartphone. Up until now, I never had a smartphone. It’s not essential for me—a normal handy from back in the day and internet at home are enough for me. I don’t need the Internet when I go outdoors, as I feel it would only distract me from more important things.

As for aspiring bookmark collectors, here’s something I want to leave you with: Every bookmark tells a story—look for them in between pages.

☁️

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