City Seal From Sewer Trash (Gone)

Springfield, Oregon

In 1972, Springfield city worker Russell Ziolkowski presented a gift to his home town that has never been duplicated: a 70 pound, 3 foot diameter replica of Springfield's city seal made entirely of sewer trash. It's hygienically sealed inside clear plastic, and surprisingly colorful and attractive.

Ziolkowski spent almost a year creating his masterpiece, using items that he pulled from the sludge -- and then boiled -- such as bullets, marbles, coins, hypodermic needles, arrowheads, and false teeth. He had originally wanted to keep what he'd found, but his wife said that it belonged to the city, and Ziolkowski thought that turning it into the city seal would be a nice way to give it back.