Collector Interview

[nigel]

Hi,

This is Nigel at Vacuum Cleaner Advisor. I have been reviewing and talking about vacuums for quite some time – all new machines - but still have a fair bit to learn.

I hope you guys don’t mind me posting here but I would like to interview a serious vacuum collector and publish the interview on our site. I am looking to send someone questions via email (such as “What started your interest in collecting vacuum cleaners?”, “What is your most prized vacuum?”, etc.) and maybe have a bit of back and forth.

The interview would then be published on our site and would likely be promoted to some degree via social media as well. It would be great if the interviewee could also provide some good hi-res vacuum images.

Is anyone interested? I would be sure to make this as straightforward as possible (to not take up too much of your time).

Thanks,
Nigel Russco
www.vacuum-cleaner-advisor[dot]com

 

[caligula]

Vacuum cleaner interview.

Hi nigel:

As the founder of the Vacuum Cleaner Collector's Club I've done several interviews over the past 30+ years. What are you interesred in? Why we collect? why vacuum cleaners as a hobby? and a number of others also come to mind. While I certainly can't speak for others, for me it's the history, combined with the people I knew when I was a child (had to know what they used.) I connected the memory of the person with their vacuum cleaner. But it's a lot more complicated than that. What time frame are we talking here? early machines dating back to the late 1800's, the early electric machines of 1910 - 1930's? vintage machines 1910 - 1950's? or all of the above?

Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] subject V.C.C.C. and let's talk about this.

Alex Taber.

 

[charleskirby66]

I am interested

Feel free to contact me at [email protected].  I have a small collection by most standards on here, however I am a well-rounded, fair-tempered, accomplished, and mature human who makes efforts to be inspirational and of integrity with my affairs and dealings with others.  I think your readership would enjoy our interview.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

I'm strictly HOOVER

I'm also the Vice President of The VCCC (Vacuum Cleaner Collectors' Club.  Feel free to reach me at:


 [email protected] OR


[email protected]


  Thanks, in advance,


 John Long


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

 

[vintagevaclover]

I would be interested as well!

I'm just a novice collector though. My email is [email protected]

 

[dysonman1]

Are you looking for a novice or experienced collector? I have a VAST collection of vacuums, over 700 at the moment. ALL brands. A major vacuum cleaner manufacturer built a Museum to house my collection - it's open to the public all year round. We have thousands of visitors every year. I write a monthly article on vintage cleaners for a Vacuum Cleaner Industry trade publication, and have for seven years. I've been interviewed on Radio, Television (many times) as well as Newspapers. I'm a former President of the VCCC (six years). I'm currently a member of the Vacuum Collectors Group, and we have an annual vacuum collectors convention at the Vacuum Cleaner Museum every June.

If interested, contact me at The Vacuum Cleaner Museum in St. James, Missouri. Feel free to come by for a Tour of the Museum at any time.

Tom Gasko

 

[cb123]

...Ouch Sailor!

 

[caligula]

You may call me Alex,

Hi nigel:

As most of the club knows Caligula is the name of the cat sitting in my lap, it means 'Little Boots' in Latin, note the gold on his front paws. This was the only mascot the V.C.C.C ever had.

I suggest you look at the posts here at Vintage and find what works for you. I also suggest you contact the members who have responded as they all have a wealth of information to share.

 

[nigel]

Hi

What a great response! Thanks very much to everyone who took the time. I was only looking to do one interview but in light of the enthusiasm I would like to do 2 interviews. I’ll contact the interviewees shortly.

I hope to be back here more often and maybe have the chance to participate more in the forums in the future.

Thanks again,
Nigel

 

[cb123]

Nigel, I'll assure you that you'll find no greater encyclopedia of vintage vacuum cleaner information in all of the vast, wide, wide world then that of the before mentioned Mr. Alex Taber. If vacuum cleaner wisdom you seek, you came to the right place!  

 

[caligula]

Thank you cb123.

For once I'm speachless!

All I can say is that I simply share what I've learned over the years. There are countless people here at Vacuumland and at the V.C.C.C. who are very knowledgable. We have experts who cover every brand imaginable, be that Air-Way, Electrolux, Eureka, Hoover, Kirby, or Westinghouse. I'm certain we can provide all the information he needs.

 

[caligula]

Convention 2016.

Hi Nigel:

It's too bad you didn't contact us earlier, the V.C.C.C. just held it's 31st anual convention in Chicago. May I suggest you get in touch with our Hoover expert, John Long, he's a wealth of knowledge. He can also give you all the history of the club and our past conventions. And here's a look at our original logo, a non-electric two person pumper called 'The Baby Daisy' it's a British machine that dates back to 1890.

I look forward to helping you all I can,
Alex Taber.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Austin!

Never refer to yourself as "I'm JUST..." You are far more than that. You're poised, intelligent, etc. And, what is a novice? You've been around here long enough to see/know/ learn a lot. We all know what we know, and, hopefully, are aware of what we don't know.
Perhaps Nigel will talk to a few, maybe not. We've been interviewed before, in various arenas.
At one VCCC convention, a crew followed us around all weekend.
In Texas, Alex T. was interviewed, etc.

So, never be 'just' again.

 

[caligula]

Hi Nigel.

This is awesome!

One question, will those of us here at Vacuumlamd have access to this? And I know my friends at the Vacuum Cleaner Collector's Club would love to have the intervies(s) for future newsletters.

I'm here if you need me. However, let me share one thing that seems to be the general rule here. Most of us started out as kids. We were fascinated by our mothers (grandmothers, aunts) vacuum cleaner. The usual age was about 2 or 3. For some it was the look of the machine, some liked the sound of the motor, or, as in my case, the paper bag being shot across the floor when it was full as shown here! It seems there are as many answers to 'why' as there are members.

Why start a club? To be a research center for those who thought they were the only ones into this, to help with patent information (needed to learn the age of the machine) and put collectors together to share information. Please rembember, the club began in 1983, before the internet, and the only resource was a by-monthly newsletter. So in short we were a teaching club.

This is of course only scratching the surface, but it's the basics. If you want more detailed information ask us.

Alex Taber.

 

[cb123]

Well, Alex, I have read a great many of your posts and they have always been quite informative. You just don't know about the machines, you know about their history also, and if someone is earnestly seeking information, your always there with the right answer. What you've done is combined your love for these wonderful, old, vintage machines with all that knowledge and it works quite well together!  So keep on keeping on! That's what this site is all about -- Sharing information. 

 

[caligula]

My knowledge of machines and their history.

Hi cb123:

Back when John Lucia and I formed the club he said we were "research junkies" meanig that we left no stone unturned to get the facts on a given machine. I love history, so this research was easy. But there was a drawback. In 83, there was nobody aside from Hoover to helped us. History was a dirty word in the vacuum cleaner industry. As Charlie McKee of Electrolux told me "we're not interested in history, we're interested in sales!"

As I said before, we were a teaching club. We tracked down information on countless models for our fellow collectors. We also acquired instruction books and ads by the dozens. But there's a major problem here. If a printed fact is incorrect we would publish the misinformation in newsletters, and so on. Here's an example. When I first went to Hoover in 1980 I got a listing of non electric vacuum cleaners. It stated that the Whirlwind was made in 1869, and that's correct. On the heels of the Whirlwind was the Agan, manufactured by Whitehead and Hoag of Newark, New Jersey in 1870. According to Wikipedia, that information is wrong! The Agan was patented sometine around 1885.

The V.C.C.C. was and I hope still is a place where the members can share ideas, get help with repair, restoration or locate that dream machine. Through the club major companies recognize us, and have come to realize that history is important. Kirby now does a lot of business in restoration. Old machines like a Vacuette, or 1-C are 'rebuilt' all the time.

When John Lucia and I were kids we often heard "you collect, what?" The club was created to counteract that, and give people a place to go where they were not only accepted, but encouraged.

Now with Vacuumland, and the V.C.C.C., the problems John, I, and countless others faced doesn't exist. Answers are a mouse click away.

[this post was last edited: 7/23/2016-11:51]

 

[cb123]

You see, Alex,  you just proved my point again! Your not only an avid collector and VCCC cofounder, your an historian!  You know the machines and there history better than just about anyone I know. And there's a lot on here which knows a great deal, and that's saying something!

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Well, I just had a great interview with Nigel.

I was very pleased to share a lot with him. I mentioned lots of important facts, people, places, models, etc. Imagine my surprise! I'll be posting some pics in here for him to scan . I'm sure you've seen them before.
I thank him for providing me with the opportunity to answer so many questions, info about The VCCC, history, etc.
It will be interesting to see the outcome.
Thanks, Nigel.[this post was last edited: 7/26/2016-14:52]

 

[kenkart]

We learn by studying and listening!

I have learned what I know not only by listening to Alex. Clay Floyd . Tom Gasko. Mike Rogers. Roger Proehl. Billy Lipman.Craig Long. who was a walking vacuum cleaner encyclopedia and others. but also by reading old catalogues. I have nearly every Sears catalogue from 1947 thru the 60s so I can consider myself a Kenmore expert. John Long is a Hoover Expert as is Fred S. so we all have something to contribute.