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Author Topic: A Bulb Collectors Club ?  (Read 7143 times)

Offline Bob Masters

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A Bulb Collectors Club ?
« on: August 26, 2000, 12:35:00 pm »
Is there enough interest now in starting an official "Bulb Collectors Club" ?
I honestly think so !
How about "The International Bulb Collectors Society" ?
Any thoughts about it ?

Offline Tim

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A Bulb Collectors Club ?
« Reply #1 on: August 27, 2000, 12:28:00 pm »
Hi Bob,

You have my vote!

Here's some random thoughts about it. I hope everyone else will voices their opinion.

In order to make such an organization a success I think the key is the members. Quite frankly I don't think there's enough interest to sustain a successful organization - you need to get the casual collectors and newbies and provide them a reason to join. I don't think it's any trouble getting to die-hard collectors to join but I don't think their numbers are that great. Although my main interest deals with the earlier forms of incandescent lighting I think it would be beneficial to the organization to include other forms of lighting from the last century that have historical and technological significance - fluorescent lighting for example. It may be surprising to some but there are quite a few people who collect more modern forms of lighting and if you exclude covering these topics then I think you are excluding a big audience. Some other forms of lighting to consider are Christmas lighting and street lighting - both very popular right now. People with interest in these two categories could bring a lot to the organization. I've also come to realize that people with the varied interest mentioned above also have crossover interest - meaning a lot of them are interested in other forms of lighting to some extent. Covering all of these topics probably wouldn't deter many people, but rather bring them in I think.

You have to give people a reason to join. You have to offer them something- a top quality club newsletter, regional club gatherings, or whatever. Some kind of newsletter would be great but you need people to come forward and write articles that's of interest to collectors. Veteran collectors with many years of experience need to be actively involved for newsletter articles. The Tube Collector's Association has what the've termed an "Advisory Board" of such "expert" tube collectors - I think it's a great idea.

I think it's beneficial to have a club "presence" at major collector shows but I'm not sure where to best advertise for a bulb collector's club - major antique radio meets, scientific shows perhaps, or antique shows? The club itself should have it's own regional gathering where members can get together to swap bulbs and swap stories.

If a newsletter is published I think classified ads should be banned - it seems to cause nothing but trouble between some people. The interest should be focused on the goal of the club - to inform and bring collectors together.

Just my 2 cents.........

------------------
-Tim

Offline Ed Covington

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A Bulb Collectors Club ?
« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2000, 03:16:00 pm »
I'm sure many of you are aware that an organization did get started about 40 years ago. It was started by Dr. Hugh Hicks in Baltimore. It was called TILCA, an acronym for The Incandescent Lamp Collectors Association. I thought it ceased to exist, but yesterday I checked a book (Warman's Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide, 32nd Edition) out of my local library and on page 282 the organization was still listed as being in existence. I did not know this. In fact Jerry Westlick was interested in starting it up again but apparently ran into some difficulties. A check with Jerry might be of help in any new thinking about an association.