The Incredibly Strange Business of Tori Memorabilia
Back in 1964, savvy entrepreneurs cut the Beatles' used towels and bedsheets into squares, advertised them in the back of comic books, and made a small fortune off of crazed fans. Today, savvy entrepreneurs are stealing Tori Amos' used tissues out of backstage garbage cans and auctioning them on the Web. As one memorabilia trader says, "Fans will buy anything that makes them feel close to Tori. I've heard of people selling her drinking glasses." Backwash sold separately. MARC SPITZ

TORIBILIA Y Kant Tori Read CDs and any promotional items related to Amos' late-'80s hair-metal band
PRICE The sealed CD in the long-box can go for as much as $600. Media press packs with photo sell for $125 and up. An original copy of the tacky promo video for "Big Picture" brought in $150
SIGNIFICANCE Extremely rare documentation of Amos' ill-fated career launch
PRACTICAL USE Album tracks such as "Ode to the Banana King (Part 1)" rock, sort of.

TORIBILIA Amateur snapshots of Amos posing with unknown fans PRICE Between $20 and $100 a pop
SIGNIFICANCE Can be Photoshop-ped with your own picture to make holiday greeting cards
PRACTICAL USE "Wall of Fame" fodder for dry cleaners and diners

TORIBILIA Amos' set lists
PRICE Frequently blood: "I sometimes have to wound people to get them," says a fan
SIGNIFICANCE Handwritten by the goddess and taped to her piano
PRACTICAL USE Fully recyclable

TORIBILIA Snow globe emblazoned with singer's name and the word "Winter"
PRICE $50 on Webville.com
SIGNIFICANCE Promotional item for the Winter EP
PRACTICAL USE Paperweight

TORIBILIA Squeezable bear-shaped bottle of honey
PRICE $2.99 at supermarkets; $100 if touched by Tori
SIGNIFICANCE Amos has a B-side called "Honey," so a fan was thrilled to steal it from her catering table. "It's never been opened," says a conspirator. "Tori didn't use it. But it's Tori's honey"
PRACTICAL USE Soothing throat coat for vocalists when dissolved in hot tea

TORIBILIA Vicarious embraces channeled by hugging people Amos has hugged
PRICE Depends on the physical attractiveness of the hug-host SIGNIFICANCE "I asked Tori if I could have a hug and she smiled and gave me one," says a fan. "I just started to cry. People like me are frequently asked if they can be hugged, too"
PRACTICAL USE "Would you like a vicarious Tori hug?" is a great pick-up line at Amos shows

TORIBILIA A half-empty bottle of Evian Amos sipped from at a mid-'90s concert, acquired by Scott McDonald of Columbus, Ohio
PRICE Priceless
SIGNIFICANCE At his annual Tori-fest, McDonald adds some of the water to a communal pot of chili. "No more than a teaspoon," says Melissa Caldwell, editor of the Tori-zine Really Deep Thoughts. "It's Tori's backwash!"
PRACTICAL USE Can put out very tiny fires

page one | page two | page three | page four