Carolina Man ‘Infatuated’ with Cake Toppers
Michael Miller tried collecting stamps and threw it out. He fooled around with shortwave radio . . . and soon lost interest. The hobby that has kept his interest for four years? Collecting wedding cake toppers.
“I’m absolutely infatuated with them,” Miller, who hails from King, North Carolina, says. “If you have enough variety, it’s like putting together your own little cartoon show.” That’s an appropriate metaphor, since many of Miller’s more unusual toppers feature cartoon characters.
“I’ve got a Mickey and Minnie Mouse and an even more bizarre Fred and Wilma Flintstone in my collection. Most of these I have just for the fun factor. Most of them aren’t worth that much.”
Most of them. But Miller does have a few in his collection that would fetch a nice amount at auction. But he’s not selling. “My most valuable topper, I’m told, is a Japanese couple from the early 1900s. I’ve been offered more than $500 for it.” (See the picture at the top of this page)
But how does Miller acquire all of these toppers? “Would you believe I go to a lot of weddings?” he says with a smile. “I’m not kidding. In the past four years, I guess I’ve been to 60 weddings. A few of them are people I know, but others I’ve called and told them what I’m doing, and they’ve allowed me to show up just for the sake of my hobby.”
The others, he gets by frequenting antique stores and flea markets. “And of course, like everybody else, eBay and CraigsList have contributed somewhat to my hobby.”
“I have a 10-year-old daughter. Someday I assume she’ll get married, and I’ll pass on to her one of my better toppers to use on her cake. Hopefully in the process I’ll pass on a passion for this hobby also.”