In Praise of Collecting
Collecting August 25th. 2008, 10:53am
Have you ever just stopped and taken stock of the whole collecting phenomenon? I’m particularly talking about collecting “old stuff”, be it early telephones, baseball cards, vintage pottery… whatever. Have you ever questioned the time and effort put into your hobby? Why do you study and collect vintage things, and is it a worthwhile pursuit? These questions must be answered by the individual, but I have a few thoughts on the subject that I’d like to share. (imagine that!)
As I see it, there are two primary motivators for any hobby that’s centered around antiques or vintage collectibles: nostalgia, and historical research. Those two factors can, and usually do, overlap to some degree. Often as not, nostalgia is what ropes you in, but it tends to be a poor foundation for a lasting relationship. If you’re a life-long enthusiast, that initial nostalgia likely morphed into something else: an appreciation for history.
In my school days I was never a history buff. It was probably my least favorite subject. But a few years ago I discovered mid-century lamps, “TV lamps” in particular. (remember those sleek panther lamps that were supposed to keep you from damaging your eyes while watching TV?) I was drawn to them because they were tacky… in a thoroughly entertaining way. I started acquiring the occasional lamp, and from this innocent beginning I found myself studying the lamp manufacturers, hoping to learn about the dozens of potteries that produced them. Before long I had two websites dedicated to the subject and had published a book chronicling the birth, life and ultimate demise of one of the major lamp companies. History! It was a revelation to discover that I genuinely loved historical study, at least when done on my terms. If I have any regret, it’s that I didn’t get on-board thirty years ago.
Telephone collecting draws in an extremely diverse group of enthusiasts, appealing to former telephone company employees, historians, and tinkerers. Collecting can be a casual pastime, an investment, or a starting point for serious historical research. Regardless of your motivation, telephony warrants all the attention you care to apply to it. The enthusiasm of amateurs is what fuels historical discovery and preservation, and that is why collecting matters.
August 25th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
These are all good thoughts about collecting and why we humans often like to gather items of the past. I would add that personally I also find a sense of connection, which is a powerful motivator. This connection goes in two directions, towards the past and the people who made the object and used it regularly. The connection also goes forward knowing that I am only a temporary steward of my collected objects, many of them, perhaps most, will long outlive me.
For example I have an 1889 Trapdoor Springfield rifle, it is in near perfect condition, is much older than I, and barring disaster it will long outlive me. To use it and examine it is to know something firsthand of the world of our ancestors, it gives a tangible insight into how they created their goods for their lives and how they understood their eras needs.
Old telephones, such as the 1951 Western Electric model 354 hanging in the kitchen, do the same with an era that is closer to me, but still beyond my own experience. That model 354 seemingly will still be functional in 57 more years, long after I shuffle off. What is remarkable about these phones is how they still easily fulfill their intended duties, talking with someone at a distance, and how they do it with such high quality. Every cell phone I’ve had, 4 different models in 8 years, has had crappy sound reproduction, difficult to use features, and fragile design. They work for their intended purpose as well, telephone calls, but are not nearly as satisfying to use in terms of sound quality and ease of use, and none of them live very long before breaking or battery failure.
Collecting old phones reminds me that we have both gained and lost in the last decades in our telephones, it allows me to reflect on the differences in telecommunication expectations from my fathers and grandfathers generation to my own and the ones after me. It seems that what was valued in a phone call in say 1960 was total reliability of the system and clear and sharp sound quality, while today we value mobility at all costs and are quite willing to sacrifice sound quality and reliability to get that portability. (we also pay ridiculous amounts of money for it, it never ceases to amaze me what my current day phone bills run) What will be valued in telecommunicating in 50 more years is anybodies guess, but I’m sure that someone in 2058 will collect vintage early 21st century cell phones for all the same reasons we’ve listed here. And that gives me a connection to people I’ve never met and who have not even been born yet. (and good luck to them finding a cell phone from our time that will still work)
[There is a point in ones life when the realization strikes home, that we're not going to live forever. That seems like a simple concept, but a moment of clarity can become more than a moment, and bring into focus our place in the "scheme of things." Collecting takes on another dimension, as we are indeed "temporary steward of our possessions" and are ourselves part of the flow of history.
Thank you Heath, for your insights! - Mark]