What could possibly compel a 96-year-old man to flush his life’s work?
In a word? Family.
Lifelong plumber and self-proclaimed “King of the Commode” Barney Smith, of San Antonio, Texas, is selling off his collection of 1,325 toilet seats so he can leave more money for his surviving daughters and granddaughter.
“I’m trying to get as much money as I can out of this to go in my estate,” Smith told CTV News Channel on Thursday.
He says he’s thrown the doors open to the public at his garage museum of toilet seats, and is now inviting people to make him an offer on any or all of the intricately-designed objects that hang on his walls.
“I want them to tell me after they look at my collection… how much they want to give me for it,” he said. “It’s got to satisfy my three – my two daughters who are left.”
One of Smith's daughters has died, but Smith says that deceased daughter's child will take her place in his will.
Smith says he started collecting toilet seats because plumbing runs in his family. His father and brother were plumbers, and he says he was actually born on a plumbing truck.
“I’m a master plumber, retired, so I thought I would just stick with the trade that is my life’s work,” he said.
