By definition, novelty items are small manufactured goods intended mainly for personal or household adornment. They can be anything from antiques to collectibles, esoterica to gadgets, tools to executive toys. Novelty items may not always have a practical use but are nice to have around. Albeit a little pointless, they never fail to arouse curiosity and bring smiles to people's faces.

Novelty items have been around for longer than you probably thought. French mathematician and astronomer Pierre Herigone (1580-1643) created one - a camera obscura in the form of a goblet, which he described in detail in his six-volume work, Cursus mathematicus, nova, brevi, et clara methodo demonstratus. The device was constructed in such a way that you could spy on others while taking a drink, with a 45-degree angled mirror that had a stylized opening for the lens. The goblet had a cup made of glass where images could be seen, and the lid bore a magnifying lens at the top. The lens and mirror of Herigone's spying device was situated at the base of the goblet's stem, and served to project a real-time image onto the ground glass screen in the cup of the goblet.

The word 'novelty' means new or unusual - the more unusual the item, the better. Just imagine your friend's delight when you give them a baby Buddha coin bank that's painted a funky shade of green. Chances are, they've never seen or owned a coin bank this cool before. Or how about a roll of toilet paper with games and puzzles such as Sudoku printed on the squares. That would certainly make time spent on the throne way more interesting.

Collect them, use them or gift them. Novelty items are unique, fun and quirky - they are the little things that make life more colourful. Maybe they're not so useless, after all.