THE FIRST ENCOUNTER
Toting around what you collect at flea markets, collectors' shows, etc., makes a clear definite statement about what your collecting specialty and pursuit happens to be.
For a few years on every Sunday I usually met up with an insulator collector friend, Jim, at a given place and time at a large outdoor antiques flea market. One day he got there before I did and prior to my arrival another insulator enthusiast introduced himself, noting that Jim was carrying some sort of insulator around which he had just purchased. They talked insulators for a short while and it wasn't very long into their conversation when the other collector, Scott, made mention that he collected streetlights, and came to the flea market frequently in search for some he could add to his collection. "Wow!" Jim exclaimed, "You have got to meet my friend Joe. He has been specializing in streetlights for a long time and has an awesome collection!, and he'll be here any time now and I'm sure he would really like to meet you!". That was during late May l989. When I arrived the introduction was made. Scott and I discussed streetlights for at least an hour and we made certain that we exchanged phone numbers before we parted. During our initial conversation I mentioned that I was looking for any straight-sided mercury lamps, particularly those in the 400-watt size. Scott said he knew where there was one in a broken out fixture in an abandoned parking lot. I was excited and promised him that I would make it very well worth his while if he could retrieve it sometime. From there Scott went to Sears and purchased a 26-foot aluminum ladder, got the bulb and called me. He lived only a half-hour away and it wasn't long before he came to my house to be rewarded with fixtures in trade that he did not have in exchange for the lamp, which turned out to be a General Electric type, apparently unused because of its pristine clear arc tube, with a date code of 1965 on it. During his visit he was overwhelmed by my collection and did not leave until around 3 o'clock the following morning. Ever since then our friendship has continued on an on-going basis. Many fixtures have been traded and exchanged, as well as streetlighting accessories that have enhanced each other's collections. In addition we have conducted streetlight tours around southern New England; viewing and photographing some of the more interesting lights each of us have discovered in our travels.
About a month later I had a similar experience, meeting yet another street lighting enthusiast and collector! Up until I met Scott I thought I was the only person in the world who was entertained by such things. At the National Insulator Association Show and Sale in Allentown, Pennsylvania I met a fellow named Charles. It all began when I noticed him carrying an old hook and bracket assembly that probably supported an old suspension type arc light. I approached him and asked, "Are you interested in street lights? I notice you are carrying a neat hanger bracket." He replied that he indeed was a purveyor of streetlighting artifacts and had been since the late 1950s. I was very impressed, noting that he has been into this hobby for all that time. He lived in Maryland and mentioned that he traveled to Boston on occasion. I invited him to see my collection and to meet again next time he was in the area. Several months later we met again and toured the Boston area photographing some of the older mercury and radial wave incandescent fixtures that were still in use in this area. Among the highlights of his visit was a great slide show he created through the years, consisting of many shots of vintage streetlights taken as far back as the late 1950s. This visit was followed up by several others in subsequent years.