By Maribeth Keane and Jessica Lewis

Australian thimble aficionado Sue Gowan talks about her passion for sewing thimbles, from hand-painted Royal Worcesters to plastic ones. She discusses the history of thimble making, the various materials used, the different design styles employed, and their collectibility. Sue can be contacted via her website, Thimbleselect of Australia , which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

My husband, Mike, used to buy me pieces of china. One day he bought me a Jasperware blue Wedgwood thimble and I put it aside with my other pieces of Wedgwood. Later, one of …

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By Maribeth Keane and Jessica Lewis

Andy Lustig talks about collecting U.S. coins, especially pattern coins, pre-production prototypes struck to test new design concepts. He discusses how these coins have entered the market and which are the most collectible. Based in New York, Andy can be contacted via his website, USPatterns.com, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

I started collecting coins when I was five years old, and I started dealing when I was 13 or 14. Most kids start with coins of circulation—I had albums for Jefferson nickels, Lincoln pennies and Roosevelt dimes. I started …

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By Maribeth Keane and Jessica Lewis

Harry Berzack is a collector of 19th-century and pre-World War II sewing machines. Unlike many collectors in this field, Harry’s 500-piece collection is international in scope. Recently we spoke with Harry about his collection of antique sewing machines, the history of sewing machines, their uses, and the four major manufacturers. We also discussed toy sewing machines made for children.

I work for a sewing machine distribution company that was started by my late father. We mainly distribute industrial sewing machines. At a very early age, I …

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By Jessica Lewis

Frazier Dailey talks about antique and vintage tractors, discussing their history, the major manufacturers, collecting trends, and events for tractor enthusiasts. He can be contacted via his website, Antique Tractors Forum.

I started collecting antique tractors in 1971. I’ve owned several old tractors over the years and always wound up selling them to somebody else—all but this one old 1938 Case. That old Case will never be sold. I drove that same tractor when I was five years old, sitting on my daddy’s lap, and it’s just not going to be sold.

Its name is Samson, and I …

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By Maribeth Keane

Jeff Hess talks about the history, mechanics, and evolution of wristwatches, discussing some of the major manufacturers and designers. Jeff is an online moderator on the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors’ message board, and can be contacted via his website, Hess Fine Art.

I started with pocket watches as a child, watching old movies on television, watching the cowboys occasionally pull out an old pocket watch. I collected pocket watches until my grandfather gave me his old wristwatch when I was about 18. It was a real funny-looking, old thing, and I …

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By Maribeth Keane and Jessica Lewis

Noreen Marshall is the curator of the Dress, Doll, and Childhood collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood in London. Recently, we spoke with her about the history of dolls, the various materials used and types of dolls that were made, and how dolls have evolved over time. Noreen can be contacted via the Victoria and Albert’s Museum of Children microsite, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

We have a very small team here at the Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood, so we all have to do lots …

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By Maribeth Keane and Jessica Lewis

Dave Weisbart talks about 19th-century clocks, discussing notable manufacturers and designs and sharing his experience with clock repairs. Dave is the owner of Prestige Clock Repair in Huntington Beach, CA and shares his clock collection on his site, Dave’s American Clocks.

I was working as a jewelry department manager for a department store, and I had a customer who brought a clock in for repair. I was able to fix her clock very quickly and easily, and I didn’t charge her anything. It turned out she had a huge collection, and she asked me to see the rest …

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By Maribeth Keane and Jessica Lewis, Collectors Weekly Staff (Copyright 2009)

Alan Basinet talks about collecting antique marbles, noting various design styles, manufacturers, production methods, and the regions they came from. He can be contacted via his website, marblealan.com.

Like most kids growing up in the late ’60s, early ’70s, I played with marbles. Of course I grew out of it, but I carried those good memories with me. Skip forward some years, and I was working in my previous profession as an archaeologist. Most of the sites that we investigated were pre-Columbian, mostly here in Florida. When we started …

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By Maribeth Keane and Jessica Lewis (Copyright 2009)

Steven Lloyd talks about antique duck decoys, discussing their history, how they were made, how they went from ubiquitous to rare, and the differences between factory-made decoys and those made by local woodworkers. He can be contacted via his website, decoyinfo.com.

Thirty-five years ago, after I graduated college, I needed some decoys for hunting. I had used my father’s wooden decoys ever since I could remember. My mother used to go hunting with them before I was born. I answered some ads in the paper—turns out there were literally thousands of wooden …

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By Maribeth Keane and Jessica Lewis

Mike Thomas talks about collecting vintage football cards, noting the major manufacturers, popular teams and players, and what collectors look for in a card. Mike can be contacted via his website, Vintage Football Card Gallery, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.

I collected football cards when I was a kid, back in the late ’60s, early ’70s. Then I set them in the closet for about 15 to 20 years and picked them up again in 1989. A friend of mine had a drugstore and he sold some of the …

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