Terry Bond

There were more aftermarket accessories produced for the Model T Ford than perhaps for any other car ever produced. Whatever you could dream up to improve the ride, handling, performance or appearance of the "tin-Lizzie" was available for sale. Here is a display case in my old auto parts store recreation that contains a number of them -

I think this thread needs to be retitled to "What's the worst state to get a title in for an old car." 🤔

I'll bet this is the most discussed topic on the forum. All states are different. Everybody has an "opinion." Your best bet is to study your state laws and understand them then follow the process. PITA yes. No shortcuts, no good deals. What happens in any other state won't do you much good. Let us know how it goes. That part of these discussions is usually absent. Terry

Great place with plenty of early stuff to drool over! Terry

Absolutely right Robert. In one of my seminars at the upcoming AACA Convention I'm going to talk about some of the great ways to find good stuff and this tip is golden. I regularly attend a couple of nice antique shows (with REAL antiques) and there are several vendors who save things for me to look over. Of course I always try to be their best customer too I'll spend some time with them showing photos of some of my latest finds (cell phones sure are handy), and will help educate them about some of the things I'm looking for. They are really appreciative when I can help them to be well educated buyers too. Even when I don't make a purchase I'll let them know why and help them establish a fair price. I often get email from a few asking questions. I don't mind helping in return for as chance to add something nice to my own collection. Terry

Good points John. Fits with my own experience too. I've become well known to a number of dealers/pickers, especially some I've met through internet sales or in person at antique shows. I get offers regularly, especially for additions to my sheet music collection. Nice to get a chance before it gets to the open market, but it does sometimes pose a dilemma. Its difficult to turn down an item that has been offered. My concern is the person offering the item will loose faith in me as a buyer, or perhaps will think I'm too fussy. I've bought some duplicate items as a result just to maintain the relationship. Most of the time, upgrades to my collection will end up at Hershey or our own local club swap meet as a result, but how to say 'no thanks" to an expensive piece might be a bigger problem. Terry

Thanks for your comments. I do enjoy the convenience of bidding on-line. The recent actions I participated in were schedule for very inconvenient times during the holidays and there was no in-person bidding, just on-line or by phone. Absentee bids could be placed directly with the auction company too, so they certainly made it easy to spend some $, which I gladly did, At least I was able to join the fun without the time and expense of travel to their location. The internet certainly as opened such sales up to a worldwide audience. Things have become much more competitive, whereas with swap meets, it's only when you attend in person that you gain any advantage. But, at least with an on-line auction you know before it begins if anything is of interest. I've found most auction companies will quickly respond to questions and send additional photographs. It's different for sure, and although I much prefer the good old fashioned treasure-hunt of a swap meet an on-line auction still represents an opportunity. It does seem like there are auctions almost every day, and although I've subscribed to "alerts" from a few of my favorites, there are countless others taking place that might have one or two great items I could be interested in, but can't spend the time glued to my computer to find them. Any good tips for finding stuff like that - maybe only one or two great items in a sale that includes mainly household items? Last year I found (and purchased) an amazing early motoring related lithograph from an auction house in California that was an estate sale of mostly Victorian furniture. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut occasionally! Terry

Recent addition to my collection is this neat plug called "Radio." It's marked "Pat Pend." I've not been able to find any advertising or other information on it. the plug itself is 4 1/4" tall. It has a visible air-gap that can be seen through the top holes in the fiber cap. The holes in the bottom metal area under the fiber cap are for air-cooling i believe. The entire plug is nicely copper plated and in superb original condition. The center electrode grounds to a wire about 3/4" up inside the base. I know of only a few other examples of this plug in other collections. Terry

I'd think the first step is to look at your workshop and get it organized/prepared for the project. When disassembled, that car will take up twice as much space as it does now (at least). If you already have the room, tools and equipment, then try to establish a time-line and reasonable goals for your project. An easy '6-month" restoration can end up taking years! If you'll need to leave the car in "roll-around" condition while you work on it, that will determine how far you might want to go with disassembly. Spend some time up front figuring out what you are not capable of and what will need to be farmed out. Try to identify the necessary resources for tools, equipment, parts, skills and experience that might be needed. Pay attention to details like how you intend to mark/tag and stash parts that will be removed. Instead of spending half your time wondering where you put things, keep things carefully cataloged and stored with other components of the particular system being worked on. Take careful notes and file them with the parts. I'd remove the interior, pull the engine//trans first so you can have easier access to see and work on things you cannot otherwise reach. Agree with getting the body work sorted initially. It's a process for sure and the key to success is to stay organized and detail focused. Terry

Thanks for sharing that great collection. Have you posed some photos before? I think I understand what you are trying to do. Having a resource with photos, dating info and specific usage would be a tremendous reference for all collectors as well as anyone interested in selling similar items. I'm continually amazed at the incorrect identity of items listed for sale on the internet and a reference like that would make it easier for people to sell, and easier for buyers to find exactly what they are looking for. Recommend you take a look at the fantastic automobile and truck emblem reference a good friend has put together as an example of what can be done. It will take a lot of research and work to get an accurate list of hubcaps, and it will need to be an on-going (never-ending) project keeping it updated and adding new information and examples of rare items as they are discovered. http://www.americanautoemblems.com/ As you can see, it's a stand-alone website, but a link could easily be posted on this forum. That would save you having to make continuous posts that might not get the exposure desired. Those individual posts eventually fade from the front page in these forums and are eventually forgotten about. I'm not suggesting you "copy" what has been done with emblems, but it should help give you some ideas about what could be accomplished if you dedicate some time and eneergy to it. Good luck with your project and by all means, keep posting here with updates and photos of your great collection. Terry

Come on now, it's not April 1st yet!

These are a few of my random thoughts on "collecting" today. Despite the assumed relative obscurity of one of my main interests - spark plug collecting, there has recently been a flurry of activity on the internet. First up was the much anticipated auction of some of the plugs from a large and important collection in the Norrth East. It was a great collection. While the collector retains a few of his favorites to continue enjoying them, he sold some pretty nice items. Many were early and rare. In some cases, the only known example of a few were up for grabs. Yes, I acquired a few I wanted but there was plenty around to satisfy other collectors and command some hefty bids from those who knew what they were. In many ways it felt almost like a private sale among a few of the more advanced collectors world-wide. No doubt some more casual accumulators of plugs were left wondering "what just happened?" as bidding rushed right past them. Such is the madness of an auction - you just never know what will happen. He has sold other items of automobilia including oil cans and advertising, signs, and a nice collection of early felt pennants. At the same time, there was a large very old collection of spark plugs in the mid-west that came up for sale. It was a poorly advertised sale, and the plugs were sold in large lots -good and bad mixed together indiscriminately. There were bargains but again, some of the more advanced collectors really duked it out to get their prizes. Yet another great early collection recently surfaced in New England and has been sold off via evil-bay. The seller really has little knowledge about what he has. No doubt he is also wondering what differences there are that will cause one old plug to remain unsold, while still others go for hundreds. It can be a real mine-field from those who just want to buy a pile of rusty, crusty old plugs in hopes of striking gold. "Investing" in spark plugs is not for the faint of heart. For sellers, there is a vast difference between "good" and "great." For those tempted to walk into the quick-sand here, remember-you can only sell your good stuff once! i guess the same observations can be made for any automotive collectible these days. There are more emblems, hubcaps, catalogs, mascots, etc. etc. on the market now than I can ever recall. I think a lot of old collections are being broken up, either through inherited items being unpacked and disposed of for the first time in many years, or through that evil we'll all eventually face - downsizing. Sometimes, "right-sizing" takes place also as collectors refine their tastes and move on from what they accumulated earlier and are focusing more on quality and rarity. It seems like there are multiple auctions each weekend all across the country. Internet bidding platforms enable players across the globe to take part. Byers premiums and other "convenience" fees for using credit cards to pay or to even bid via internet add greatly to the cost of playing. But, that doesn't seem to hold many back. The pain of purchase is brief compared to the pride of possession in many cases. It' my observation that this has encouraged competitiveness and "winning" has become more important to some than simply adding an item to their collection. I long for the days when good items were found in small country auctions or antique markets. The good old swap meets are fondly remembered where one could rummage through boxes of unsorted items and pull out treasures from he bottom. I'm down to basically a couple that I know have always been great - Hershey remains my favorite. the Pre-War swap meet in Luray, Va is a close second. You can still find vendors there who have cleared out from under their workbench, or have just emptied a barn. Model T parts are everywhere, and for me, there are still old spark plugs in the bottoms of rusted coffee cans. So-what are your thoughts on collecting today? Good or bad, it would be interesting to hear how you feel about "collecting via catalog" and buying via internat based auctions as opposed to trudging the swap meet aisles in search of treasure. If you plan to attend the AACA Annual Convention, you might enjoy my seminar "The Incurable Collector" to learn more about the thrill of the hunt. I'll plan to reveal some of my "top secret" tips in finding treasures without having to pay those dreaded "buyer's premiums." What do you collect and how do you go about it? Let the conversation begin- Terry, professional accumulator of early motoring objects.

Nice stuff in beautiful condition. Thanks for letting us look.

Thanks. While the cap was not made by Boyce it was sold for the purpose of using the motometer with it if desired. Nice item. Thanks for sharing. Terry

Is the dogbone cap itself marked as Boyce or just the motometer? I think the doggone cap is a generic item. The Boyce Motometers did not come already mounted. They were boxed and sold fir whatever application was desired, being mounted on owner supplied caps. Nice piece and a great discovery. Terry

Excellent! Thanks much!!! Terry

Fantastic documentation! Frame a copy of the ad and display it alongside the mascot.

Here is a real neat piece - it's a cross-over item that appeals to a variety of interests, especially those who collect Uncle Sam or patriotic items.

Sherm and I were at WMU at the same time and he was a standout athlete. It's my recollection the Lions had expressed interest in signing him but an injury had impacted his football career. He certainly would be thrilled to see them play this year. As a life-long Lions fan I thought of him when we watched and celebrated their playoff victory. Terry

Thanks. I enjoy their catalogs but don't need one quite that badly. Running out of wall space anyway. Terry

You're being rather nebulous with info. What kind of car? What country? How did you find it? Dealer or advertisement? And, how about some photos. Your answers will depend on detail. Terry

Thanks for the info. I've had the chance to buy a tin sign recently but the guy whose had it fir years thought it was 1930s, but the tire sure looked like 60s to me. Terry

This is an interesting piece from 1904. It's "Dedicated to the Oldsmobile Company." Pictured on the cover is a 1904 French front Oldsmobile.

The sky is falling.

Thanks to everyone for the input. I'm leaning g towards the 1919/20 date. Not sure how long after the end of WWi Studebaker might have started exporting cars as the European economy really suffered, although I'm sure many people there were hungry for new cars. I've seen the tile advertisement in Spain. It's a fantastic piece of artwork. Will try to post the music itself when I get a chance. Terry