By Maribeth Keane, Collectors Weekly Staff (Copyright 2008)

Ron Sturgeon and Rodney Ross discuss collecting rare toy cars, including early tin, wind-up, pressed steel and other models. Ron Sturgeon is the founder of the DFW Elite Toy Museum in Austin, Texas, a member of our Hall of Fame. Rodney Ross is the curator.

Ron Sturgeon: I had an automotive repair shop in about 1976 and spent a lot of time repairing Mercedes. About 1979 I decided to start collecting Mercedes toy cars. I was young and naïve and thought I could own every Mercedes model …

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By Maribeth Keane

In this interview Peter Berg discusses cookbook collecting, and the American cookbook collection he’s built at the Michigan State University Library where he serves as the head of special collections. The collection’s digital version, Feeding America, is a member of our Hall of Fame.

Special collections is where we keep non-circulating rare materials which have to be used in the reading room. Our holdings range from one of the world’s finest collections of comic art to a radicalism collection featuring material from points of view outside of the political mainstream. We also have important natural …

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By Maribeth Keane

Frank Loevi discusses collecting beer steins, and the history of stein production in Germany and the U.S. Loevi can be reached through his Beer Stein Library, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

I’ve been a beer stein collector for about 25 years. About 10 years ago I sold my business, a specialty database provider. At that point, I had some experience in compiling databases and beer steins were my passion, so with the spare time that had become available to me I tried applying my business skills to the hobby I enjoy …

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By Maribeth Keane

In this article John Stanley talks about collecting antique beer and soda bottle openers, including figurals and other varieties. Based in Durham, North Carolina, John can be reached through his website, Just For Openers, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

My mother brought home a bunch of openers back in 1977, and that got me started collecting. I thought it would be pretty neat to do because nobody else was collecting them. Then I heard about a national club in 1982, and found out there were hundreds of others collecting bottle openers. …

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By Maribeth Keane, Collectors Weekly Staff (Copyright 2008)

Jodi Lenocker discusses antique hatpin collecting, hatpin styles, and related historical information. Jodi is President of the The American Hatpin Society, a member of our Hall of Fame.

Originally my husband and I collected cylinder phonographs, but after you acquire a few of them and their stands, you soon run out of room. So, I was looking for something smaller to collect and I took a walking tour of Old Town Orange. I went through a home where the woman collected hatpins and she had these beautiful bouquets of …

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By Maribeth Keane

In this interview, Bill Soderlund talks about the history of pharmacies and about collecting drugstore antiques including show globes, bottles, and soda fountain items. Based in St. Peter, Minnesota, Bill can be reached via his site, Drugstoremuseum.com, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

I’m fourth generation in the pharmacy business, so I grew up in a pharmacy, and it always was interesting to me. I also enjoyed a lot of the old black-and-white movies that had a hospital scene or a doctor scene. Those just piqued my interest. I’ve collected everything …

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By Maribeth Keane

In this interview, Sam Baker discusses collecting vintage Ford cars (Model T’s and A’s), Ford porcelain signs and other collectibles, and Petroliana (gas pumps and globes), especially Richfield. Based in Oceanview, New Jersey, Sam can be reached through his website, Jersey Vintage Ford Collectibles, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

I’ve always had an old Ford Model A or something to tinker around with or play with. It may not have been on the road but I was always building or working on something. Around 1975 …

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By Maribeth Keane

In this interview Jim Potts talks about collecting petroliana: signs, gas pumps, globes, oil cans, maps, and other items related to gas stations and oil companies. Based in DeSoto, Missouri, Jim can be reached via his website, Oldgas.com, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

I became interested in Petroliana in a kind of roundabout way. I’ve been in the automotive repair business all my life, and have always liked cars and been interested in auto repair stuff. Petroliana is all about gas stations, and gas stations back …

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By Maribeth Keane

Mark Lansdown discusses collectible comic character advertising pinbacks. Based in Denver, Colorado, Mark can be reached via his website, Comic Character Pinbacks, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

I started off collecting comics, and still do, but I’d been given a few early Disney pinbacks as a child and always thought they were interesting. In the early 1990s, I started getting Ted Hake’s excellent auction magazine, and I enjoyed browsing his pinbacks listings.

Then about 10 years ago I bought a couple of early Yellow Kid pinbacks at a flea …

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By Maribeth Keane

In this interview, Stan Coutant talks about the history of the microphone and provides background information for vintage mic collectors. Based in Sierra Madre, California, Stan can be reached through his vintage microphones website, Coutant.org, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

I started my website on vintage microphones in 2001, for a couple of reasons. One was for the benefit of my students. I taught audio controls and master control operations for radio broadcasting and our textbook didn’t cover many of the older microphones, especially the older RCA microphones that were …

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