I started collecting telephones in
the early 1990's. For me, the best part about the hobby was in the restoration
of the telephones. Taking a junky looking relic that just came out of an attic
or barn and making it look and work like new again is very enjoyable for me.
I originally set up a web site with information on restoring telephones. People
started asking if I sold phones so I started hunting for phones to restore and
sell. It's gotten to the point that it's become a second job for me. I call it
a "hobby run amok".
Each phone I sell is individually restored by me with the main criteria being
"Would I want this in my collection?". Then, when I miss something, my wife,
Diana, who does all my final inspection and packing catches it and says
something like "You're not going to send this out like this, are you?".
My wife and I are the only "employees" of this home based business. I
depend heavily on her for cleaning parts, removing stickers, packing, all that
necessary non-technical work that's involved. She's invaluable this way since
this allows me to keep plugging away at the technical part of restoring phones.
Here's a picture of me and my
family taken in the summer of 2016. From left to right is Spencer (son-in-law),
Katie (daughter), Lincoln (grandson), Diana (my bride of 34+ years), Nolan
(grandson), and the old geek on the right is me.
