Willtelcom

About me: I retired from Southwestern Bell, (now AT&T) almost 5 yrs. ago, after 30 yrs. of service. When I retired I was a cable repairman, but worked as a station installer and exchange repairman for a good part of my career. That's where I picked up my collecting/obsession with collecting phones. I used to go to every auction, flea mkt., antique show or sale I could find that had old antique telephones in the late 70's and early 80's and I still do today, but my interests have changed. After about a year or so of being on my own, I found out about a group of collectors known as TCI,(Telephone Collectors International), of which I am a past president and board member. I went to my first show in St. Charles, Mo., where I found out about another collecting group called ATCA, (Antique Telephone Collectors Association). ATCA's headquarters at that time was in Abilene, Kansas where they are associated with the Museum of Independent Telephony, about 20 miles from my home town. After that I started going to every antique telephone show that I could find. I started buying and then selling to upgrade my collection. I was very busy in the early years of my collecting and I'm still just as busy in my later years also.

My collections: When I first started collecting I mainly was looking for wooden wall phones, candlesticks, and old desk phones. Then I started expanding to signs and memorabilia. My collection now contains early wall phones, telephone vanities, candlesticks, signs, badges, pocket mirror's and other memorabilia. I also have a collection of telephone tables and one really neat phone booth.

My interests: I'm still interested in collecting telephones, but now my interest have changed to other types of early communication such as Western Union, American Express and other early express items.