Author Topic: Anyone know Don the Telephone collector from American Pickers? (Read 2254 times)

Partyline4 · « **on:** November 18, 2015, 02:26:08 PM »

I'm sitting here watching American Pickers, Season 3, Episode 8, and there is a man named Don. He lives in a 10,000sqft warehouse with his collection. Says he has over 200,000 phones and communication equipment. As I type this I think he is probably a generic term to most of the users here. Has anyone ever been to see his collection? What was it like?

jsowers · « **Reply #1 on:** November 18, 2015, 03:52:49 PM »

It's not Don, it's Dan. Dan Golden. There was just a thread about him two weeks ago.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=15169.msg157584#msg157584

Partyline4 · « **Reply #2 on:** November 18, 2015, 04:00:58 PM »

Quote from: jsowers on November 18, 2015, 03:52:49 PM

It's not Don, it's Dan. Dan Golden. There was just a thread about him two weeks ago.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=15169.msg157584#msg157584

They call him "Don" on American Pickers.

How bout that thread? I figured he would have decent coverage with that type of collection!

Jim Stettler · « **Reply #3 on:** November 18, 2015, 04:37:29 PM »

I think Don on "American Pickers" is a different Collector than Dan Golden. I tried pulling up the episode but the video was screwed up.
Jim

G-Man · « **Reply #4 on:** November 18, 2015, 05:28:37 PM »

Hmm… Off-hand, the only telephone collectors that have a collection that size would be either Don Weig of the Sharon Telephone Company, or John LaRue who has a couple of warehouses (that survived the fire), that are crammed with old telephones and equipment. Don has several buildings that are also crammed to the ceiling with equipment.

Jim Stettler · « **Reply #5 on:** November 18, 2015, 05:37:57 PM »

I think it is Don Weig.
There are a few other collectors with that size of collection. I think John just bought out one of them last month.
JMO,
Jim

G-Man · « **Reply #6 on:** November 18, 2015, 05:51:41 PM »

We are both wrong, I thought he had passed away and his collection dispersed but it’s Don Capehart.

Also, John LaRue still has warehouses that didn't burn and are crammed with telephones, plus he was able to remove most of the ones from the museum before the fire swept through it, so he still had a sizable collection even before buying more to add to it.

Jim Stettler · « **Reply #7 on:** November 18, 2015, 06:19:53 PM »

I have heard of Don Capehart (long ago). Collections that size typically don't disperse quickly. I have been trying to disperse my collection since about 1991 (and it is a small collection). The method I use is sell 1 buy 2

Jim S.

I have known several collectors who have sold out their collections, they always seem to end up with another collection of telephones they like better.

HarrySmith · « **Reply #8 on:** November 19, 2015, 08:54:55 PM »

IIRC Dan Golden did make an appearance on American Pickers. They were not there to buy anything, I think he was the "expert" they were consulting and they visited him at the museum.

rotary63 · « **Reply #9 on:** November 24, 2015, 03:40:29 PM »

FWI, John Larue was NOT able to remove most of the phones from the museum. They all burned, I just talked to him at the San Jose show. Very sad. Not only did all of the phones burn...and there were A LOT. He had two vintage telephone trucks that also burned. His warehouse was spared, that does have a lot of phones, but not of the caliber that were in the museum.
Also the switching system in the basement burned too. As well as a mobile switch system in a trailer that was ruined by the heat of the fire. I donated several phones and they bought many phones, so hopefully we will see a new museum in the not too far off future.

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