This weekend, an 1895 poster of Sarah Bernhardt by artist Alphonse Mucha (pictured) was sold at auction for $36,000 (plus auction house fees). Aren’t posters supposed to be the art that normal people can collect? Sadly, even old ads by painters far less famous than Mucha can cost a bundle these days, but there are plenty of recent books aimed at design lovers with larger eyes than wallets. Take the fascinating Translating Hollywood, a movie poster book full of unfamiliar designs for beloved movies; cinephiles have long noted that some foreign countries (particularly Eastern European ones) are much more creative than Hollywood when it comes to cinema promotions, and this gem-filled book offers a wealth of examples. Two region-specific titles lean heavily on politics: Latin American Posters offers Castro, Che, and plenty of protests against human-rights abuses; North Korean Posters is full of happy workers, idealistic students, and slogans like “Let’s achieve heroic exploits and miracles!” More quirky and bohemian, though still occasionally political, are the pop-culture appropriations in Modern Dog: 20 Years of Poster Art, which profiles a Seattle design studio that has flourished during the recent resurgence of custom-made ads for rock concerts. Stretching out a bit, Icons of Graphic Design, showcases not only landmark posters but the typefaces, book covers and even paper-money designs that were most influential in the last century. While you’re unlikely to find any of the paintings in Mexican Pulp Art there, that doesn’t mean these illustrations for old dimestore novels aren’t a kitschy treat — full of lurid supernatural visions and racy intrigue. Finally, graphic design superstar Chip Kidd has written a sequel to his novel The Cheese Monkeys titled The Learners — it’s the only book on this list with no pictures, but as you’d expect it boasts an awfully intriguing cover design.

Card players who aren’t content with plain vanilla decks have plenty of options on the Net, from classy art designs to ones adorned with the scenes from James Bond films. They can even go the custom route: Printers all over the place will happily whip up promo decks with your company’s logo, and for quality-minded customers, even the industry-leading United States Playing Card Company has a custom printing service. But the deck of the moment for off-the-beaten-pathers has to be the one from Custom 52. As a consumer object, C52’s deck is great. While most non-standard decks offer an artsy back design with regular faces, these boast a different illustration on the face of every card. As a participatory event, they’re even better. Any artist, anywhere can submit a design — a cuddly eight of hearts, a ninja jack of spades — which is then voted on by anyone who feels like it. At the end of a set period, the winners are chosen, cards are printed and they’re sold for $13.50. The inaugural series has already sold out (pictured are two designs by graphic designer Steph Doyle in the Cycle I deck), but Cycle II is now available; you can see the card faces here. No, they don’t feel as good in your hands as casino-grade cards (I haven’t seen a custom deck that does), and they probably won’t last as long either. Happily, by the time this Cycle II deck wears out, there will be at least one new version, probably a few, waiting to replace it.

Scandinavian influences are hallmarks of contemporary design, particularly home objects that combine form with function and sleek good looks. Look no farther than Iittala, a leading design company that dates back to 1881, when the company was founded as a glass plant in southern Finland. In the 1920s and 1930s, Iittala made the transition to modern home décor and tableware, led by legendary Finnish designers Kaj Franck (1911-1989) and Alvar Aalto (1898-1976). Franck’s question, “Is not the ultimate meaning of beauty to be essential, functional, justified, and correct?” guides the Iittala philosophy today, and the company continues to spotlight work by premier Scandinavian designers. Although you can browse through Iittala’s spectacular offerings at the corporate Web site, to bring Iittala home, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Aalto.com has the classic Savoy vase (pictured), designed by Aalto for the 1937 Paris World’s Fair, in a multitude of colors ($48 to $123). At FinnStyle, the line runs the gamut from cookware to flatware; we were charmed by the Moomin Collectibles line based on the Moomin Valley children’s books by Finland’s Tove Jansson. FinnishGifts.com features the Iittala Hackman cookware line, such as the Neo casserole, which is almost too striking to tuck away in a cabinet ($100 to $135). Unica Home specializes in Iittala’s glass home accents, such as the stunning four-piece flower bowl set designed by Alvar Aalto ($1,950) or the jewel-toned glass jars by Pentagon Design ($50, $60 or $65). AllModern.com’s selection includes the cheery striped Origo dinnerware collection, along with flatware and kitchen utensils. For sheer beauty, the bird figurines are at the top of the pecking order, particularly the gorgeous cloud tern egg from Bloomingdale’s ($235).

Remember those concert ticket stubs and posters you misplaced some time after college? Well, they’re worth money now as cultural artifacts. These days, collecting rock memorabilia may be akin to building a fine art collection that appreciates in value – the market for it is strong and here to stay, according to a recent New York Times article. If you think you might have something of value, the Rock and Roll Trust offers appraisal and authentication services that can be used for legal, insurance, estate and tax purposes. If you want to start collecting, this historically significant note written to a fan by Brian Jones after the Rolling Stones appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show is so expensive that you have to e-mail or call American Royal Arts to get the price. Take a look at these framed concert posters for shows at the legendary Fillmore West from 1966 to 1971, such as the Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead poster (pictured). Again, if you have to ask how much, you can’t afford them. If you want something that has at least a range of prices, check out Wolfgang’s Vault, a go-to place for it all, where you will find photos of John Lennon before the last concert in San Francisco, Jimi Hendrix at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, or the youthful and cocky Bob Dylan ($1,400 to $5,000). For $535, you can nab this 1978 Bruce concert poster, and for just under $26, you can get this Springsteen Amnesty International backstage pass suitable for framing. Once you register at Wolfgang’s, you can go the Concert Vault and listen to the Who play at the Fillmore East in 1968 and Springsteen playing at Max’s Kansas City in 1973 for free. At the Rock and Roll Emporium, you’ll find Jim Morrison’s autographed 1969 laundry ticket ($6,000), a guitar autographed by Brian Wilson ($1,200) and this autographed Nirvana album ($5,500). Always wanted a pristine copy of Introducing the Beatles (on vinyl!)? The opening bid at eRock Auctions is $2,500. Now, don’t you wish you hadn’t thrown out that KISS lunch box?

I’m blessed to live in a town with not one but two large gourmet grocery chains. Even so, it’s a rare shopping excursion when I find more than one or two varieties of bacon that don’t fall into the familiar sliced-and-shrink-wrapped name-brand category. For a guy who eats the stuff approximately 6.5 days a week, that’s not much pork to pick from. Thank goodness, then, for the tastebud thrillseekers at the Grateful Palate, which offers not only the jellies, syrups and fancy salt you’d expect from a foodie retailer, but an entire category labeled, simply but enthusiastically, “Bacon!” Following that link, you’ll enter a world celebrating the pig: There are novelty gifts like butter dishes, bath soap and spoon holders (pictured) shaped like bacon (warning: at $40, $25 and $30 respectively, they ain’t cheap — or even reasonable); there are ideas for cooking the stuff you probably haven’t considered (who’s up for bacon tempura?!); and of course there are the little fleshy strips themselves. Grateful Palate divides the stuff into nine categories (hickory smoked and peppered, for instance) with examples from all over the U.S. The most expensive ones we found were around $15 per pound, or nearly a buck an ounce; the cheapest we saw, this jowl bacon (offering “smoky, chewy, rich and intense pork and earthy flavors”) was $8. For the indecisive, deep-pocketed and seriously pork-addicted customer comes the grand finale: a Bacon of the Month service that for $150 offers not only 12 varieties but a T-shirt, a rubber pet pig and a little strap-on pig snout. You may never have to be disappointed in your grocer’s butcher section again.

Tradition has it that gnomes bring good luck to gardens. The gnomes as we know them today were first produced in Germany in the mid-1800s, so where better to start than Zwergli, which specializes in German gnomes? Brush up on your gnome history and how a gnome is born (hint: it’s all the tip of the hat). Then visit Gnome Outlet – who knew gnomes had so many careers and tasks? Some are guides, others are workerbees, still more have everyday lives. Witness Arnold and Sarah getting married (pictured) or, more alarmingly, Bradley in the Tub ($21 each). Leaf through the classic source of gnome lore, Wil Huygen and Rien Poortvliet’s Gnomes ($17), allegedly dictated by David the Gnome, who inspired the animated series of the same name. Poortvliet gnomes can be found at Clean Air Gardening, or you can adopt a homeless gnome from Garden Gnomes Need Homes. For an original design, sculptor Candice Kimmel bills herself at the “last surviving gnome maker.” Make your gnome feel at home with this quaint cottage ($69) or a gnome door ($39) – who can tell what lurks on the other side? Gnome Town USA is the destination for collectors and chronicler of gnome sightings. OK, that’s enough of the traditional tales. Show your true colors with an NCAA gnome ($21), although this KU alum wants to know why she can’t seem to unearth a National Champ Jayhawk gnome. Travelocity’s Roaming Gnome stars in the Gnome Away from Home kit, complete with a figurine, passport and travel tips ($7). PrankPlace.com yuks it up with all sorts of gnome-sense, like the Answer Me Gnome ($20). Lest you think the little fellas are all airy and light, Garden Gnome from HELL spills the dirt on their dark side, including the useful tidbit that cumquats are the only defense in the never-ending struggle against gnomes. Check out the “Cumquats Save Lives” or “As Seen in Hell” T-shirts ($16 and $21). But the gigantic gnome groan of the day goes to this clever shirt line: “Sweet Gnome Alabama.”