The Collector: John Gaumer
John and Sherry Gaumer found a way to chronicle their adventures while building their respective collections of shot glasses and spoons.
Sherry died in 2021, but her presence in the form of her spoon collection – 1,700 in all – is reflected throughout their North Spokane home.
While her collection encompasses, states, presidents, food brands and more, his collection is quite specific.
“I have 183 double shot glasses and I’m not sure how many singles,” said Gaumer. “And they are all Harley-Davidson.”
In 1985, after serving 21 years in the U.S. Army, including three years in Vietnam, Gaumer retired from the military.
“That’s when I got my first Harley,” he recalled.
For several years following that purchase he worked as a trucker, driving big rigs across the country. He started buying spoons to take home to Sherry.
“Her mom had 10-15 spoons that Sherry inherited,” Gaumer said. “So, I’d pick up spoons while on the road.”
In the early ’90s, he decided he wanted to see the country from a Harley, instead of a semi, and he wanted his wife with him.
“We’d just jump on the motorcycle and go,” he said.
That’s what launched his shot glass collection.
“Harley-Davidson used to publish a map book of all the stores across the country,” Gaumer said.
Using that atlas, the couple planned their trips. From Niagra Falls, New York, to Paducah, Kentucky, to San Benito, Texas, the couple traveled picking up shot glasses for him and spoons for her.
His glasses came from the motorcycle dealerships and feature the logo, store names and locations, but Sherry’s spoons came mainly from antique stores.
“We loved to go to antique shops,” Gaumer recalled. “Once in Paradise, California, I found a huge silver punch bowl filled with spoons. I found Sherry in the store and showed it to her. She sat down on the floor and started going through it.”
He chuckled.
“No telling how many she bought!”
Actually, there is a way to tell. Sherry kept a detailed record of her collection in a black notebook. She listed the city and state where she bought the spoon and a short description, including the style (spade, sugar, teardrop, pewter) and what it depicted – state bird, flower, or historical event.
“She’d open her book and see if she had a spoon,” he said. “If she didn’t have it, she bought it.”
They also planned their trips around Gaumer’s motorcycle club.
“I’m a member of the Sons of God motorcycle ministry,” he explained. “There are 37 chapters in the U.S. and two overseas. We went to the national conventions in the fall and spring.”
His large collection of double shot glasses isn’t without a touch of irony.
“I don’t drink,” he said. “I drank too much in Vietnam, so I stopped when I came home.”
The collections fill shelves that he made in his woodshop and span the kitchen, dining room and hallway.
His wife’s spoons bring him comfort.
“I like knowing how much she enjoyed them,” Gaumer said.
But when asked to pick his favorite shot glass, he shook his head and grinned.
“They’re all my favorites because they’re all Harley-Davidson.”