Mathom

(Did you mean a different mathom?)

Mathom is a term introduced by Tolkien in the Prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring (1954):

Anything that Hobbits had no immediate use for, but were unwilling to throw away, they called a mathom. Their dwellings were apt to become rather crowded with mathoms, and many of the presents that passed from hand to hand were of that sort.

Tolkien got it from Old English, where it’s written maðm, meaning, “a precious thing, treasure, valuable gift.”

See also: Kipple, Collector, Den, Fannish Splendor.

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Fanspeak

1954—

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