Aging and our Vacuum Collections

[pr-21]

Hi,

My name is Bud and my user id is PR-21. Just wondering if anyone else but me has thought of getting older (64) and what will become of our vacuum collections. I am not talking about newer vacuums or plastic vacuums. I mean no offense at that statement, but the vintage ones that are becoming rather extinct as time moves on.

I am not at the point of getting rid of any of my vacuums, but as we have had a couple of recent deaths of forum members, it is making me question what others may think that do not want their vacuums taken to goodwill or put to the curb when they die. I was very sorry to hear about Sebofan's death at such a young age and realize that death is out of our control. So you just never know.

With that said, maybe this topic could be discussed at the next convention to get ideas. Vintage vacuums are becoming harder and harder to find as time goes on. I have collected the vintage vacuums that I grew up with, my first being a 1946 Premier 21 Upright. The last vintage vacuum that I bought was a Eureka Twin Power Automatic Model 270 from the Henry Company. They still have some vintage parts, and I buy what I can from them and Ebay when they come up for the machines I have and even some that I don't have. Outer bags, belts, couplings, brush rolls, etc.

Anyway I thought I could start a thread about 50's, 60's, and 70's machines that are getting harder and harder to come by.

If this isn't an appropriate thread, then I understand if the webmaster wants to delete it.


Sincerely,

Bud

 

[blknblu]

We live in disposable society now.

That reminds me of the stories I have been reading about vintage cars.
The current generation does not care that much about the older cars.
The ones that will most likely survive are the resto-mod cars.
For example, you can take a vintage Corvette body from the 60's and place it on a brand new frame with all the modern amenities including a Corvette LS engine & 6 speed transmission if you want.

Getting back to the subject, some of the older vacuuums - like Electroluxes are still in demand. With Perfect resurrecting the emetal & plastic canisters, parts are pretty plentiful for many models. They may not be of the same quality of the original parts, but they do the job.

Some of the Art Deco style vacuums have been turned into lamps, rockets, or fans.

Time goes by quickly - 1991 was 25 years ago (really?), 1966 was 50 years ago, and 1941 - 75 years already.

 

[vac-o-matic]

I hear you loud and clear. Upon my demise, my executor will have the number of a fellow collector to contact and to get here as quickly as can be arranged, and haul them out! I don't want them out on the front lawn at the estate sale! My house is at it's max, totally, and when I'm able and have the time, I'm going to start ebaying some machines, also maybe use the Supermarket forum for some. It is time to thin the herd. I'm pretty sure I have about 150 and that's being conservative. We used to laugh years ago about how a Hoover Elite or Eureka Bravo would be considered "vintage"...well folks, here we are!

 

[suckolux]

Brad, my quasi grandson will get all my crap! He will enjoy I am thinking.He already has that Kirby in his bedroom

 

[human]

This thought has been very much on my mind this summer as I have been helping my parents prepare to move to a retirement community. They're in their early 80s and Dad has been collecting cars, toys and art glass for most of his life. It has been a massive undertaking to thin things out and my house and outbuilding are crammed full. I have no doubt I'll be selling off stuff of his for years after he's gone.

I have no doubt that my sister and her kids (presently 22, 19 and 9) will want nothing to do with my vacuum cleaners and that's their ignorance and loss. If I don't do something with them first, I'm sure they'll all end up at Goodwill.

As I sell off Dad's stuff, I'm also starting to sell off my own hoard so that maybe, one day before I die, things can be fairly orderly around here.

 

[cb123]

Well, you can always become famous just before you spin off this mortal coil, and they will most likely turn your house into some kind of shrine of sorts and sell tickets to see all your junk that you horded before that great, big whirly bird in the sky hauled you off to the dead house to cool your cold, blue heels! Just a little happy thought, but maybe!

 

[blknblu]

My dad built his house in 1969. The amount of stuff in the house, garage, and separate barn is very overwhelming. I have been trying for a numbers of years to have him make a dent in it, but it is a losing battle. He loves to get stuff, but is very reluctant to get rid of it. What I always tell my kids is "bring one thing in, three has to go out". It is not fun to go through the stuff. One issue I have is the large amount of car parts. I could figure out what some of the stuff goes to, but for the 30's, 40's, & 50's cars I am clueless. Just 2 years ago he sold the remaining Auburn & Cord stuff he had

 

[floor-a-matic]

I am letting go of as many vaccums possible & keep ONLY my Rainbow SE

 

[gottahaveahoove]

I, too, have been thinking about this.

My sister, niece and nephew NOW UNDERSTAND the whole HOOVER "thing' and have been given detailed instructions as to what to do with it all. IF they're smart, they'll heed my advice. I told Tom Anderson that if I should die first, my family might be contacting him for help. He'll also probably end up with numerous items from my collection.I HAD some items willed to others, but that has been CHANGED, (as Joan Crawford put in her will about excluding Christopher and Christina, "for reasons that are well known to them").
I've had people 'call dibs' on certain things already. I hated to inform them that I had no intentions of dying anytime soon. (Anybody want anything in particular)? lol
Still, and all kidding aside, I would HATE to see everything just "go", after all the time and money I spent on this.

 

[caligula]

I think once age creeps up we all start thinking about our stuff, and for me it's not only machines. I've a ton of paperwork that needs to be archived. As to the Whirlwind and other non electrics I've made arrangements, the rest like the Electrolux's, Kirby's and so on, they would be given away.

HOWEVER, let me say this loud and clear, while I just turned 66, I have NO intention of going anyplace!

 

[charleskirby66]

I think many collectors are realizing this

I have noticed MANY vacuum collectors thinning their herds beginning this summer.  Interesting.


 


At only 34, I have been collecting Kirby for almost 2 years now.  I have kept a maximum of only 9 Kirbys at a time.  At this point, I started feeling like my mother, who has SO MANY collections of seemingly RIDICULOUS things that are of little to no value and/or use, and which are choking out the living space in her home.  I swear, she needs to be on the TV show Hoarders, but she angrily swears since she is "clean", she doesn't belong on Hoarders.  So she refuses to thin, trim-down, or even LOOK at her MANY herds of collections, but even worse, she KEEPS ADDING & BUYING MORE.


 


I don't want my Kirbys to ever become this kind of burden on anyone, especially not on ME!  I find it to be a repugnant expression of greed and anger.  So, I began refurbishing and fostering my Kirbys, so someone could discover, as I did, a quality vacuum like Kirby, for a FRACTION of the cost I had to invest. 


 


Now, I'm down to 6 Kirbys in my bedroom display and 2 Kirbys refurbished and ready to foster in my storage unit.  Once those two are fostered, I will reconsider my 6 in my display for a possible refurbish and foster.


 


I've also realized that for me, it is ludicrous to pay hundreds of dollars on ANOTHER vintage vacuum which won't see any daily use, simply because "it's valuable, collectible, rare, etc".  Now, if I get a new unit, it must be MEANINGFUL beyond its value or rarity, as in giving me joy for whatever reason.

 

[dysonman1]

I've been very blessed...

To have had the opportunity to actually do something with my collection that, hopefully, is meaningful to the world. Or at least the other collectors who have visited the vacuum cleaner museum. However, I am at the age where I care less and less and less about them. I have given countless tours of the museum, and have talked thousands of times about the same vacuums to thousands of people. At a certain point, you stop caring. While I wouldn't want my machines simply thrown in a dumpster, I have no desire to burden my husband with their disposal. With 800 cleaners in the collection, virtually all of them very vintage, I have to begin thinking of what would happen if I simply dropped dead. As an insulin dependent type one diabetic, the very real possibility that I could in fact drop looms over me every day. I have told my husband to simply have a online live auction, and hopefully he will be able to dispose of them. Unlike some people, I don't actually care who the person is who gets them. As long as they like them. And if they end up in a dumpster, or the Goodwill, well I will be dead. You cannot take anything with you.

 

[caligula]

Thinning the herd is anything but new to me.

When I bought my house in Naperville, Illinois in August, 1985 I made my collection the official V.C.C.C. museum. By 92 the collection had outgrown the spare bedroom and as I didn't drive, turned the three car garage into the clubhouse where we held our anual meetings. From the very beginning I both added to the collection and gave things away. I still remember the day my friend the late Dave Watters saw a machine and liked it. "Take it home with you" I told him.

Then in April of 95 I sold the house and seriously downsized, that was the first thinning of the herd, and it's continued ever since. Now I have only the ones with emotional value, the ones that belonged to people I knew.

 

[caligula]

The oddtimers may remember this

The display in 92.

 

[vacuumlad1650]

Oddtimer? That describes me!
Andy

 

[caligula]

Oldtimer? you? Not even close! Wait till you hit 66 to use that term.

 

[tolivac]

After reading this for awhile------I just don't worry about it!Just enjoy your collection!Even if you are in your 60's you still could have 30 more years to live!!While reading this almost makes me think folks are ditching their collections because they are afraid of the future.I have other things besides vacuums.

 

[marks_here]

After coming seconds close to death

I can personally tell you the last thing you're going to be thinking about is anything. Things flash through your mind very fast as its a movie of your life up until present. I do not remember seeing anything about vacuum cleaners, appliances or anything remotely connected to those things in fact it was more of people who crossed over that you had encountered while you were on earth. It was quite lovely in fact but I tell you when I came back collecting was the last thing I was thinking about & to this day I'm just grateful I got a second chance at life & everyday I'm living like its my last day last hour & don't want to waste any precious time on something that doesn't matter to a lot of people and for a while I would just look at everything and think it's just stuff & what the hell was I thinking to accumulate all this!

Mark D.

 

[vacuumlad1650]

Alex

You had typed Oddtimer rather than Oldtimet. I thought a good joke about being Odd was in order
Andy