When we lived in Los Angeles we had a neighbor who apparently lived in the same apartment for over 30 years and had a habit of collecting massive amounts of junk. When she died her best friend combed through her apartment, pulled tons and tons of that junk out onto the sidewalk and had a huge yard sale. I tell you, that neighbor had an eye for junk, some of it was so amazing, and this was one of the gems we picked up. I don't have any idea what it is, but the texture and character of it fits right in with the feeling I want my house to have. So I guess this is a roundabout way of saying, yay hoarding!