Homer Tate (1884–1975)[1] was an American nicknamed the "King of Gaffes" for devising strange "artifacts" that were often used in roadside attractions and sideshows to fool and amuse the public.
Tate was elected sheriff of Graham County,[2] serving from 1925 to 1928.
[3] In the late 1930s[3] or '40s,[2] he began to make artifacts from mud, paper and bones, which he sold for small sums.
They were passed off by the purchasers as mummies (such as The Thing), mermaids and shrunken heads.
[2] Some of his items were purchased by Mike Wolfe in an episode of the television series American Pickers.