WALL OF MARVELS; ODDS AND ENDS A STUDY IN AMERICANA.

Byline: Paul O'Donoghue Staff Writer

``If someone as blessed as I am is not willing to pick up the shovel and clean out the barn, who will?'' read the motto of 1992 presidential hopeful Ross Perot, whose campaign lapel button was a shovel.

The shovel button is a favorite in the vast, eclectic collection of historical memorabilia - from old coins to chewing gum - that Simi Valley resident Ken Barale has been gathering for more than 35 years.

What started with odds and ends given to him as a child by friends and relatives has grown into a jam-packed display, including such finds as an old musket, Beeman's chewing gum, clothes pegs and floppy disks.

``What I like is something that's off the wall,'' said Barale.

``I'm a very patient wife,'' joked Barale's wife, Patty. ``I don't know if I sleep in a bedroom or museum.''

A truck driver for the Los Angeles Unified School District, Ken, 49, likes to show his collection in local schools to stir interest in history, which he says is not just boring facts and dates, but real items used by real people through the ages.

``I show it in the schools to teachers and to the kids to learn. So the teachers get excited and they pass that excitement to the kids,'' he said.

Patty and their 13-year-old daughter, Cindy, share Ken's passion for the historical, and the unusual, and the family regularly checks local thrift, antique and other stores in search of treasures.

Every two years or so the family hits the highway on a long cross-country trip to the East Coast, where they seek out more finds.

But while the arranged and labeled collection ranges from kitsch - such as a 1977 menu for Big Boy restaurants showing a full meal for $1.55 and a Nylon stocking still in its original package - other items have historical or even macabre interest.

There's a genuine powder horn from the late 18th century, a pestle adorned with a barely visible bear claw to signify strength and said to be used by American Indians to grind corn.

And then there's the Nazi death camp gas valve disguised as a shower faucet.

``That's one of the few things I don't really like in here,'' said Patty, shuddering. ``That's a scary story.''

Ken found the valve by chance when he checked out a junk store in Culver City, but the faucet is the exception in the collection that contains mostly items once commonplace, which Ken has painstakingly labeled and researched in books, libraries and from talking to experts and history buffs.

That's the idea behind the typical item in the collection, he said.

``It's something that was commonplace, used, but is now disappearing through advances in technology,'' he said. ``I just collect junk.''

Cindy, who attends Hillside Middle School in Simi Valley, not only enjoys her dad's hobby, but gets a kick out of his enthusiasm.

``I like seeing my dad happy because it's good for him,'' she said, ``and when he's happy, then he's willing to spend money on me.''

Yellow bands along the flat, narrow display cases show the years chronologically.

For instance, between buttons for President Ulysses S. Grant's election in 1868 and President Rutherford B. Hayes' in 1876, there is a replica of the golden spike that was hammered into place to unite rail lines from the east and west coasts at Promontory Point Utah in 1869.

And an old Tabasco bottle.

The Tabasco factory went into production in 1868 and the Barales visited and toured the site on one of their cross-country trips.

``That was a very interesting tour,'' said Patty.

Cindy chimed in: ``It was cool.''

Other items include porcelain bullets from the Civil War, a white linen bonnet worn in the 19th century by one of Patty's ancestors, Tobitha Ashby from Missouri, an old Coca-Cola bottle and metal Soviet Union badges, possibly from the KGB or Secret Service.

A joke item contains Northridge Earthquake dust in a bottle and gruesome-looking dental equipment and a genuine half-dime from 1853.

Ken likes to haggle, pointing out a fractional note - dating to the Civil War with the face value of a dime - that he bought for $10 from a dealer who wanted $20 for it.

``I just happened to be in a junk shop and I happened to see it,'' he said. ``I like to bargain.''

He has no idea the worth of the collection, but he values the enjoyment.

``I enjoy it. It's just like someone else might enjoy smoking or something else,'' he said. ``I collect junk.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo: (1) Ken Barale and his daughter, Cindy, display Ken's wall of memorabilia, which has been 35 years in the making, at their Simi home.

(2) What started with odds and ends given to him by friends and relatives has grown into a near-museum

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News