Murderabilia: What Is It & Where Can You Get It?

True crime fans, like fans of any type of entertainment, love collectibles. The true crime genre has some particularly morbid items to collect. The most sensational crimes tend to attract attention and lure history buffs and true crime obsessives to try to acquire items associated with the crime and the criminal. 

The industry for true crime memorabilia is known as murderabilia. We’re going to look at the Murderabilia industry, psychology of true crime fans, ethical considerations, and how Murder Meme Coin can contribute to the industry. 

What is Murderabilia?

Murderabilia refers to the collection and sales of items associated with notorious criminals and serial killers. The industry is built on a fascination of the criminal mind. True crime fans collect everything from Ed Gein’s gravestone to artwork by John Wayne Gacy.

Any object that was owned by a serial killer is connected to their energy and allows true crime fans to get a deeper understanding of the psychology and personality of the criminal. 

You may also find murderabilia used to describe other forms of true crime entertainment including the following sections.

Murderabilia Book

There’s also a book titled Murderabilia: A History of Crime In 100 Objects. The book is written by Harold Schechter and shares the stories of 100 murder artifacts from over two centuries.

Murderabilia Movie

There are a number of movies that focus on the topic murderabilia. They normally focus on a collector that is seeking a specific item and documents the pursuit and experience as they collect murderabilia. It appears some are documentaries and some are works of fiction. You can find a list here.

Murderabilia Museum

There are museums all across the country that show murderabilia. You can find ones near you by searching true crime museums near me, “museum Ed Gein items,” “museum of death Richard Ramirez,” or any number of other searches based on the ones you want to see.

Living in Las Vegas, there are some really true crime exhibits to go check out including:

• Zak Bagan’s Haunted Museum: This museum has artifacts like Dr. Kevorkian’s van and other items. It’s focused mostly on the supernatural, but it has lots of true crime items and has been voted best of Vegas multiple times. Check out Zak Bagan’s.

• The Mob Museum: Vegas was founded by the mob and The Mob Museum share the history of the city through artifacts. Tickets range from $20 to $57 depending on whether you are local or visiting.

• Bonnie & Clyde Death Car in Primm: This free exhibit about the outlaw couple is just 30 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip. Find out about our visit to the Bonnie and Clyde car.

Sorry for the shameless promotion of my city, but I love it here.

Murderabilia Websites

There are a ton of sites that sell murderabilia. Be careful when visiting a murderabilia shop for a couple reasons:

1. There are murderabilia laws that may make it illegal to buy and sell murder memorabilia. Research Son of Sam laws in each state to understand how profiting from the criminal’s crime is governed.

2. When you are seeking these dark objects left behind by notorious murderers there may be scammers who are attempting to pass off fakes.

3. Accompanying stories and picture proof of the larger historical timeline can help prove the claims of authenticity. Some artifacts may have certificates of authentication.

   
   

Murderabilia Podcast

There are murderabilia podcasts hosted by a variety of people. Some of them interview Harold Schechter and some of them are hosted by owners of murderabilia sites. Check out the Murderabilia Exposed podcast hosted by Andre Dodge and the owner of Cult Collectibles. 

Learn more about true crime podcasts. 

Murderabilia Documentary

I was hoping that there would be a movie based on the Murderabilia book but it has not been created. If by some chance, Harold Schecter or his family happen to see this, I would love to discuss the possibility of converting the book to a documentary where you can share the stories and show people the items.

Types Of Murderabilia

There are all types of Murderabilia for sale. Keep reading to learn more about some of the most popular types of murder memorabilia.

Body Parts

People have paid for hair and false teeth that were from a criminal.

Personal Effects

Items that can be verified as owned or made by a famous criminal can be highly valuable.

Serial Killer Art

People regularly search for art from John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, Richard Ramirez, and Charles Manson.

Crime Scene Photos

These are morbid, but people seek them out.

Signed Memorabilia

People regularly search for Jeffrey Dahmer Autographs and Ted Bundy Signature.

Photos Of The Serial Killer

Pictures of a serial killer can be highly profitable especially if they are originals. If you seek these out make sure to verify they aren’t copies.

Mafia Memorabilia

The Italian mob captured many people’s imagination. It’s hardly a surprise given their role in prohibition, unions, the founding of Vegas, porn, and more.

Where To Buy Murderabilia

 Some of the most reputable places to buy murderabilia are:

• Museums: Buying directly from a museum will normally be the best place to get authentic collectibles from the most sensational crimes.

• The Criminal: If you’re down to interact with living criminals, they might be willing to help you profit off their crimes and build notoriety. Charles Manson and others have worked directly with collectors and resellers.

• Relatives/Friends: People related to the most notorious murderers or the cases are the most likely to have legitimate artifacts, but they may find true crime obsessives disgusting.

• Murder Auction: This auction site makes it easy to check seller reviews and history. Check out MurderAuction.

• Serial Killers Ink: This site is still live, but you can only purchase by contacting the owner due to their battle with cancer. All items are from direct personal interaction with the people. Check out Serial Killers Ink.

• Cult Collectibles: This Canadian site purchases the items based on their interactions with sellers and then resells them. They aren’t very disclosive about their process, but check out their site.

The Psychology of True Crime Fans

True crime fans find serial killer and their crimes to be both horrifying and strangely intriguing. It's perfectly normal to be curious about something you have never experienced and I'm assuming most of you have never killed or been killed (If you have been killed, I'd love to hear that story).

Go down the rabbit hole find out all you can about the dark side of the human condition, but do so safely.

The Ethics of Collecting Crime Artifacts

There are all kinds of ethical and moral concerns with collecting true crime collectibles. Some of them you might consider include: 

• How are such items acquired? Are they stolen goods?

• How will the police officers, law enforcement, or victims' families feel if you approach them to try to get collectibles?

• Are there Son of Sam laws in your location?

• Are we making killing people acceptable?

• Do you really want to keep these items in your home?

• Should you interact with nefarious characters?

Consider all of these before you assume that people are open to true crime aficionados playing armchair detectives and making them rehash familiar murders that they’d rather forget.

Female Serial Killers: A Unique Fascination

Criminological history shows that men are far more often serial killers, but female serial killers normally have far different motives. Check out some of the most infamous female killers.

Obtaining objects from female criminals could be an interesting take on murderabilia. 

Murder Meme Coin and Murderabilia

At Murder Meme Coin we look to take you on a fascinating tour to help you find out the dark history of the human condition. We believe that true crime is a fertile ground to help show fun use cases of crypto and NFTs for the real world. 

One of the use cases I am looking into is using NFTs as proof of partial ownership for murderabilia. My thinking is this would be a multi-step, multi-year process that goes something like this:

1. Identify items that make the most sense.

2. Purchase the items and sell NFT’s to cover the costs.

3. Build up a collection of murderabilia that justifies a museum. 

4. Open the museum and make it free to NFT holders as well as MRDR Meme Coin holders, while charging the general public to view the gallery.

I believe this would be a unique take on the the true crime collectibles market that would fascinate true crime aficionados, crypto enthusiasts, and history buffs.

If you own any true crime artifacts that you believe would be a great addition to this collection please reach out to me to discuss how we could make this work.

Murderabilia: Not Just A History

Murderabilia is more than just history. It’s a way of connecting with a moment in time, an invitation to explore the dark side of human nature, and can help us understand the socioeconomic conditions that lead to violence. Despite this, you should be careful if you decide to start collecting serial killer artwork and other simple artifacts.