What other vintage stuffs do you collect?

[McHeath]

Memories....misty watercolored memorieeess, of the way we werrreeee....

Sorry, I won't sing anymore old songs.

Funny how we gather around us stuff of our childhoods, even if it was not so good people will collect things that recall that time period.  I too still have some books from grade school, back in the early 70's for me, and a fair amount of my childhood stuff was saved as I'm a packrat and have been forever.  When I cast off this mortal coil there will be one amazing yard sale!

[BDM]

Here's some of my hobbies on video. The radios were restored by me.

Restored Philco model 650B from 1936
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syAuBaPzUIk

Restored Zenith Trans-Oceanic G500 from 1950
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kXKhBDvpWo

Philco 650X(console) from 1936
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNTCeWMTb7A

I used to restore antique tractors. Here's one I restored and still own.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfe9jj5UFqI

I was into muscle cars & racing for quite a few years. I recently sold the last of my collection. A 1970 Plymouth GTX. I miss it already

The real thrill in my hobbies was/is helping others. Nothing beat the look of someone's face as their family radio comes back to life after 50 years, or a vintage engine comes alive after sitting in a damp corner given up for scrap metal.

[Mark Stevens]

I used to restore antique tractors. Here's one I restored and still own.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfe9jj5UFqI

I was into muscle cars & racing for quite a few years. I recently sold the last of my collection. A 1970 Plymouth GTX. I miss it already

Wow, you rule!  Antique tractors are awesome.  I've recently started a family history/genealogy site, and I've posted a pic of my Uncle Bubba (really, he was Uncle Bubba!) on an IH on his farm in Tiptonville, Tennessee.  The photo was taken in '81, but the tractor (and a couple more just like it) were very old already.  Any chance you could identify the year/model?  (Approximately...the photo was taken at a great distance)  It is stylistically similar to the one in your video, but much larger.  You can see it here.
I did the car/motorcycle thing, too.  I had a '55 Chevy, '65 Mustang, '50 Nash Statesman, '60 Morris Minor, etc.  Dozens of bikes: Harleys, Norton, Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Bultaco... even a Hodaka!
No time for that stuff these days...they're all gone. 

[BDM]

That's either an H or M model. Possibly a Super H or Super M, which were built 52 through 54. The regular H through M is from about 39 through 51. They all look the same from a distance.

[McHeath]

Old tractors are cool, I've known a couple of guys into collecting them and they are pretty neato.  I did some old cars as well, but then really got bitten by the VW bug and had a host of small, noisy, non-heated non-air conditioned little uber wonders.  The camper van was the fav, lime green, orange plaid seats, pop up top and top speed of about 60mph downhill with a tail wind.  Had to light the stove once when driving in a blizzard to have some heat, but of course had to open the windows as well so we did not die from the fumes, ah good times...

I have an old radio, I'll have to post a picture and see if you guys can tell me anything about it.  It was my dads and he bought it new.

[Mark Stevens]

That's either an H or M model. Possibly a Super H or Super M, which were built 52 through 54. The regular H through M is from about 39 through 51. They all look the same from a distance.

Thanks Brian, hopefully I'll come across a photo that gives more detail.

[BDM]

Mark, I'm thinking that's an "H" or "Super H", the more I look at it. This is judging by the size of the driver, vs the location of the exhaust stack. The model H was the largest selling row crop tractor from 41 through 53 from any manufacture.

That tractor made it's debut on many farms that prior to it's arrival, still used horses.

[Dan/Panther]

You guys make me feel like a real hick. I have two tractors, one a 2002 Kubota, and the other a 1956 Ford, that I use almost daily.
I live on 2.5 acres, and we have weeds that need controled.
I have to go Mr. Haney is here he has some new tractor parts for me.


D/P

[HobieSport]

I'm not really a collector, but I do have, or have owned some neat old stuff.

I had a classic 1962 Airstream Bambi trailer that I sold.

I had a 1973 Land-N-Sea trailerable double decker houseboat that my girlfriend was glad to see sold.

Some of my neat "old" stuff is actually new:  A 2003 Marlin 60 14shot 22 rifle.  I don't collect guns but this one is really fun to plink with and feels great in the hands and it's such a classic little rifle.

I have a very classy looking 1962 14' Royal fiberglass speedboat that looks like a mini-PT boat.  I'm selling it cheap if anyone is interested.  Fun family boat but we're into kayaks now.

I have the usual collection of ex-girlfriends that seem to have wandered off.  I finally found a keeper fifteen years ago.  An older model but full of timeless class.

I collect classic stray cats, but only one at a time every fifteen years or so.

I own all the Guy Clark CD's.  Man can that guy write songs.  Sings good too.

I own all the Godfather movies and admit that I have the complete Lord of the Rings movies.

I guess phones will be the first thing I really collect and tinker with as a hobby.  This all started when I was looking for a period phone for my 1954 hobby trailer and saw how cool they are.  Now I can't have just one or two phones (see my wish list in the classifieds).  I blame this of course on the forum.

My latest big purchase is a 1954 Roadmaster travel trailer.  35 foot with all birch art-deco interior.  It's currently at the shop in the SF Bay Area.  I'm having it moved to my acre near Mendocino Calif and I'm going to move into it and rent out the main house to help with the mortgage, now that the kids have grown up and flown the coop.  I don't like most trailers in general, but this one is classy and about one tenth the cost of a building of the same size, plus no labor:

http://www.birchwoodbeauties.com/pages/54roadmaster.html

I find it interesting that some folks here also collect radios, tvs, music players, typewriters, old computers or even childrens  books.  What do these things all have in common besides nostalgia?  They are all forms of communication.  Now ain't I smart?

Oh yes, I do have most of the old Walt Kelly Pogo books.  I got them cheap on Ebay and enjoyed reading them again as an adult.  Walt Kelly was a genius. Pogo rules.

-Matt

[McHeath]

Used to collect stray cats, that was a bad habit!

That trailer is cool, every so often we talk about buying an old 40s or 50s trailer and fixing it up.  Then I remember the movie Money Pit

Phones are turning out to be a pretty cheap, as hobbies go, hobby.  At least if you don't want a Pekin Red 302, or some such rare and amazing animal.

[BDM]

Here's another set I just fired up for those interested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3jPTl7VvVc

[bingster]

Great little video, BDM.  Even with the limitations of the camera's sound capability, you can clearly hear that the radio sounds really, really good.  I'm also jealous that you still can pick up music where you are.   Around here, there's no music at all left on the broadcast band.

[BDM]

You're correct. The audio is really nice from this set. I'll make another vid when it's back in it's cabinet. Which BTW, has been totally restored also. God willing, this is going to be a nice piece of Philco history.

On a side note, someone emailed me about the "Police Band(PB) mentioned in the vid. Many moons ago, the police & fire operated just above the broadcast band. Prior to WWII, most mid & high end sets included these frequencies. Which are now part of the upper broadcast band, or into the lower medium wave(MW) bands. Later, these frequencies became strictly for base operations. Another words the station would broadcast to the cars in the field, the cars in turn would talk back over the lower VHF bands. Around 38 through 45 MHz. The reason being is this. It's hard to get an efficiently small enough antenna in these lower bands. Which would limit the distance the cars could transmit(very limited). Also buildings tended to obstruct distance for the cars. So, on to a higher band which lends itself much better for the intended purpose.

Some of the last MW police station transmitters lasted well into the 60s. L.A.P.D. was one of the last to move up from these frequencies. They did this on the first night of the Watts Riots. Due to the fact criminals could easily listen in on their station broadcast with a standard car radio at the time.

Just a little history for those who may not know Here's a great web site for this info.
http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm

[BDM]

Here's the last recording of the LAPD using their MW station transmitter. Later that night, they switched over to their new system. This was sort of premature. Apparently they weren't ready for it, but needed to do at the start of the riots.
http://harrymarnell.net/media/1965tape-3min20.mp3

[dsk]

Hmmmm
Actually I don't like to admit I'm collecting stuff, but it tends to come in a lot of phones, and liquid fuel camp stoves

It's not the collection who is the important thing, it is the fettling, using and understanding of such great art.

Now the rotary has became modern, and I may use it over internet as a Cnet member. I'm just waiting for the magnetos to be modern again

So yes, I'm probably a collector.

dsk