By Dave Margulius

Wes Cowan talks about collecting 19th Century photographs, including daguerreotypes, CDVs and stereoviews. Cowan, who appears as an appraiser on Antiques Roadshow and is a regular cast member on the PBS show History Detectives, is founder and owner of Cowan’s Auctions, Inc. in Cincinnati.

I’ve always been interested in antiques. As a kid, I collected a variety of stuff – fossils, rocks, minerals, natural history stuff, Indian artifacts and antiques. I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, and my mother had a lot of Victorian antiques. We lived in an old Victorian neighborhood, one of Louisville’s …

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By Maribeth Keane

In this interview, Russ Grunewald talks about collecting, restoring, and touring with vintage Ford Model T’s, and gives a brief history of vintage Ford cars. Based in Texas, Russ can be reached through the website of the Model T Ford Club of America, which is part of our Hall of Fame.

The Model T Ford Club of America is headquartered in Centerville, Indiana. We have about 115 chapters in the United States and other countries like Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Austria, Great Britain, Holland, and New Zealand. The club started in Indiana, but it’s one …

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By Maribeth Keane

In this interview, Joe Yates talks about collecting antique fishing lures and tackle, from the big five manufacturers (Heddon, Shakespeare, Creek Chub, Pflueger and South Bend) as well as smaller shops. Based in North Carolina, Joe can be reached via his website, Joes Old Lures, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

I grew up fishing. And I always had a few old lures – several came from my grandfather – and I just decided one day that they were pretty pieces of art as well and it would be neat to have …

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By Maribeth Keane, Collectors Weekly Staff (Copyright 2008)

Jim Mamoulides talks about collecting vintage fountain pens, and the various models and styles produced by manufacturers including Sheaffer, Parker, Montblanc, Waterman, and others over the years. Jim can be reached via his website, PenHero.com, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

When I got my first job out of college, I did what a lot of people do: I ran out and bought myself a Montblanc pen and fountain pen set. I kept that pen for years, but in the mid-’90s, I lost the ballpoint at a …

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By Maribeth Keane

Jef Beck talks about collecting vintage Ken dolls, and the evolution of Ken as part of the Mattel Barbie franchise through various styles and eras. Jef can be reached via his website, Keeping Ken, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

I always wondered if starting a hobby in my free time was a good idea, and then I remembered Ken. He was a gift to my older sister Brenda in Christmas of 1970 when I was living in Independence, Missouri. I was only 6 years old at that time, but I remember …

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By Maribeth Keane

In this interview, Ann Waidelich discusses postcard collecting and the many varieties of collectible postcards on the market. Ann is a volunteer with the Wisconsin Historical Society, whose microsite, Tall Tale Postcards, is a member of our Hall of Fame.

I worked for 35 years as a reference librarian with the Madison Public Library and I just got interested in Madison’s history through my reference work. My husband and I collect antiques of various sorts, and as we would go to antique stores or antique shows in malls, I began looking through boxes of old …

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By Miriam van Houten and Joop Muller (Copyright 2008)

Miriam van Houten and Joop Muller run DXPO Playing Cards, a great information resource on antique and vintage playing cards, and a member of our Hall of Fame.

People are often surprised when we tell them we collect playing cards. They all know how to play games with cards and have all held them in their hands before, but they’ve never realized that ordinary playing cards come from a long history of ancient patterns, in Europe dating back as far as the 14th century. Local standard patterns appeared, disappeared or …

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By Maribeth Keane, Collectors Weekly Staff (Copyright 2008)

Amy Karol talks about her lifelong love of vintage clothing, including aprons, and how vintage designs and patterns have influenced her own sewing and writing. You can find more of Amy’s inspirational work on her website, amykarol.com, on her popular blog or on her Flickr vintage aprons group, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

I think I started collecting vintage aprons seriously probably in 1991, my first year of college. I was an absolute junkie for vintage clothing, which was pretty much all I’d worn for …

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By Maribeth Keane

In this interview Mike Konshak talks about collecting vintage slide rules, and their history and uses. Based in Louisville, Colorado, Mike can be reached via his website, Slide Rule Museum, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

I’m 61 now, and I’m an engineer. I was thinking if I ever wanted to collect something, I would probably collect slide rules because they’re small, they don’t take up much space, and they’re an engineering tool. Then one day I went on eBay thinking I’d just buy myself about 10 slide rules and put them …

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By Maribeth Keane

In this interview, Michael Tisdale talks about collecting vintage Bolex-Paillard home movie cameras and related ephemera. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Michael can be reached via his website, Bolex Collector, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

Collecting Paillard-Bolex cameras was something I started doing by accident. It was a combination of several interests I had, including, photography, broadcasting and even collecting vintage records and magazines. I became really passionate about the Swiss craftsmanship and the high quality of the cameras. And I started trying to trace the history of the Paillard …

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By Dave Margulius, Collectors Weekly Staff (Copyright 2008)

Reyne Haines talks about the history of art glass, and about collecting art glass from designers such as Tiffany, Loetz, and others. Based in Cincinnati and New York City, Haines is a 20th-century decorative arts appraiser, collector, and dealer, who also appears frequently on Antiques Roadshow. She can be reached via her website, Justglass.com.

I started becoming interested in art glass when I moved from Texas to New York, and wanted to decorate my apartment with New York-type things, things I …

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By Dave Margulius, Collectors Weekly Staff (Copyright 2008)

In this interview, Riley Humler talks about collecting Rookwood art pottery, and discusses the history of Rookwood and its artists and products. Based in Cincinnati, Humler is Gallery Director of Cincinnati Art Galleries, which holds two Rookwood auctions each year. He also appears as an appraiser on Antiques Roadshow.

I don’t remember the first Rookwood piece I ever bought, that’s getting close to 40 years ago. But I must have liked it, because I kept studying and learning, and it’s been a lot of fun and a lifelong thing. I’m …

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