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 …

By Maribeth Keane, Collectors Weekly Staff (Copyright 2008)

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 …

By Maribeth Keane, Collectors Weekly Staff (Copyright 2008)

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, …

By Maribeth Keane, Collectors Weekly Staff (Copyright 2008)

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. …

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 …

By Maribeth Keane, Collectors Weekly Staff (Copyright 2008)

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 …

By Maribeth Keane, Collectors Weekly Staff (Copyright 2008)

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 …

By Maribeth Keane, Collectors Weekly Staff (Copyright 2008)

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 …

By Maribeth Keane, Collectors Weekly Staff (Copyright 2008)

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. …

By Maribeth Keane, Collectors Weekly Staff (Copyright 2008)

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 …