Toilet paper hasn’t traditionally been a common topic of conversation, at least before the pandemic. Nearly every American uses it, several times a day, but few feel comfortable talking about it. But now that it can’t be found on store shelves, it has become a much more common discussion topic.
Do some people actually “collect” toilet paper? There’s a collector for nearly everything, and toilet paper is no exception. Factor in all of the different manufacturers, brands, wrapper design changes, colors and textures, over many decades, there are literally thousands of variations to collect. Throw in the novelty text and pictures printed upon individual sheets, the number of collectibles increases exponentially.
And that’s just U.S. toilet paper. Add in all of the international variations. Toilet paper actually represents a huge collecting universe. Until recently, there was even a Toilet Paper Museum in Madison, Wis., that housed over 3,000 different rolls.
Throw in political figures, America’s hated enemies (e.g., Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein,), holidays (e.g., Christmas, Valentine’s Day), and sports figures and teams (professional and college, in nearly all sports), the collecting options are endless.
I’ll bet you don’t know that Aug. 26th is “National Toilet Paper Day” in the U.S. And I’ll bet you don’t know much of the historical background of toilet paper. So, here are 10 fun toilet paper facts that you might find interesting.
1. The first recorded use of toilet paper was in 6th century China, but it wasn’t mass produced in China until the 14th century.
2. Packaged toilet paper didn’t appear on U.S. store shelves until just before the Civil War in 1857.
3. It wasn’t until around 1935 that a U.S. manufacturer was able to produce “splinter free toilet paper.” (I’ll let you think about that).
4. About 4,000,000 people (75 percent of the world’s population) still don’t use toilet paper today, primarily because they simply don’t have access to it. Bidets and water are commonly used, although hay, corn cobs, stones, sand, moss hemp, wool and fruit peels have also been used by various cultures.
5. The average American uses 8.6 squares per rest room visit.
6. The average American uses 100 rolls of toilet paper per year.
7. It takes 30,000 trees every day to fulfill the global demand for toilet paper.
8. Seven percent of Americans admit to stealing toilet paper from hotels.
9. When asked what they’d bring with them to a deserted island, 49 percent said they’d bring toilet paper before food.
10. Do you hang it “over” or “under”? It’s estimated that 72 percent of people hang their toilet paper roll with the end-sheet hanging “over the top,” while the balance hang it “under the top.”
What’s it worth? Toilet paper collecting is not an expensive hobby. Select contemporary collectible rolls can sell for $1 to $5 each, while vintage rolls can sell in the $5 to $25 range, depending on maker, brand and age. So older is usually better. Thomas Crapper’s “W.C. Paper” (Water Closet Paper) can command even more. And World War II vintage Adolph Hitler toilet paper has been known to sell for upwards of $7 to $10 per sheet, framed.

Mike Ivankovich is an auctioneer, appraiser, home downsizing expert, and host of the "What's It Worth? Ask Mike the Appraiser" radio show. Now in its sixth year, “What’s It Worth” airs live on Friday mornings from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. on WBCB 1490 AM in the greater Philadelphia area. It is available on the internet at www.WBCB1490.com.
Listeners can also visit his radio show website at www.AskMikeTheAppraiser.com.
To contact Mike Ivankovich, call 215-264-4304.