No kidding ... Luther loves goats

Vernon Luther displays some of the goats that occupy his Neponset home.(BCR photo/Heather Holland)

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NEPONSET — About 30 years ago, Vernon Luther began a goat-themed collection that has grown to include 1,865 pieces ... to be exact.

“I started collecting them because they (goats) were hard to find,” Luther said.

The goats in Luther’s collection are made of more than 50 different materials, such as amber, ivory, porcelain and cloisonné. The goats range in size from tiny figurines to large lawn ornaments. The goats come from all over the world, from countries such as England, Japan, Germany, Italy, Russia, Bahrain and France.

“I just got a new goat from Germany,” said Luther. “My granddaughter goes to school there and sent it to me.”

Luther said he bought many of the pieces during his travels throughout Europe and the United States. Now, he searches mostly through professional antique buyers, who alert him when they’ve found a new goat that he might want for his collection.

He also looks for goat items at flea markets and antique shows, though he said he can’t find as many as he used to.

“I found most of my goats in the ’80’s and ’90’s,” said Luther. “They’re getting harder to find because most of the antiques have already been bought by collectors.”

Luther keeps a logbook where he records what material each goat is made from, how much it cost and where it came from.

His goat collection includes about 60 “useful goat articles,” such as goat pens, mugs, plates and a goat calendar.

Another interesting component of Luther’s goat lore is the “Billy Whiskers” children’s book series that he owns. The series, comprised of 31 books about the adventures of a goat named Billy Whiskers, was written and published in 1902 by Frances Trego Montgomery. According to Luther, the series remained very popular throughout the 1920s. Luther has collected all of the books in the series.

Luther’s goats can be found in cabinets throughout his home, in his barn, on every wall of his home office, and in the summer, decorating the outside of his house on his porch.

“Goats are everywhere in my house,” said Luther. “If you know anything about goats, you know they get everywhere.”

Luther’s office contains many goats, including goat tapestries, stationary, pictures and hundreds of figurines. His living room boasts a large painted wooden goat from a carousel.

Luther has also collected more than 500 antique postcards with pictures of goats. He also has collected numerous stereoscope slides of goats.

“Finding a new goat gives me the same feeling that someone who loves fishing feels when they catch a fish,” said Luther. “That goes for anyone who is crazy about collecting anything.”

Luther said his family has helped him greatly in his search for as many goat items as possible. He said the collection will eventually be divided between his three daughters.

Luther said he will continue searching for as many interesting and unique goats as he can find.

“If you’re a collector and you’re willing to look for it, there’s a lot of goat stuff out there,” said Luther.