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Publisher’s Corner

Collecting Technology journalofantiques.com

ehind every modern invention is a spark of consisted of a battery and transceiver Publisher
innovation that in some cases was lit back in the in the vehicle trunk weighing close Maxine Carter-Lome
B19th century, an era of rapidly accelerating scien- to 65 pounds and a handset with journalofantiques@gmail.com
tific discovery and invention. Significant developments in the coil attached to a cradle mounted Maxine Carter-Lome Business Manager
the fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, in the center console of the front seat, cellular phones Jeffrey Lome
electricity, and metallurgy laid the groundwork for have come a long way since they were first introduced jeffrey@journalofantiques.com
the technological advances of the 20th and now 21st in 1983, thanks to Martin Cooper, considered the Father Managing Editor
centuries. Telling that history through objects that of the Cellular Phone. You can read more about these Judy Gonyeau
demonstrate that evolutionary link in their design and early days in cellular on page 15. editorial.journalofantiques@gmail.com
functionality over time is what great science and technology So, are old cellular phones, first-generation computers,
collections are made of. vintage video game cartridges, electronic games, tablets, Art Director
Many of the products we were introduced to growing movies (VHS, BETA, CDs, Blue Ray …), and other Y2K Lynn Cotterman
up and now take for granted are based on the vision and technologies worth saving/restoring/preserving? That’s a ads@journalofantiques.com
inventions of such men and women as Humphry Davy question that is anyone’s guess but the safest answer is, “it
(1809-invents the arc lamp, the first electric light), W.A. depends.” Early test models, first generations, condition Production
Burt (1829 – invents the typographer, the precursor (i.e., factory-sealed), and limited releases … all play a role Lynn Cotterman
to the typewriter), Cyrus H. McCormick (1831 – invents in inciting a frenzy at auction today as fans and collectors Judy Gonyeau
the first commercially viable reaper), Jacob Perkins hedge their bets on the next hot tech collectible.
(1834 – invents an ether ice machine, a precursor to the Consider the following: Jill Montague-Kaitbenski
modern refrigerator), Samuel Morse (1837 – invents the A pristine, 25-year-old Super Mario 64 game fetched
telegraph), Elias Howe (1845 – invents the modern a record-setting $1.5M at Heritage Auctions this past 508-347-1960
sewing machine), Alexander Parkes (1862 – creates the February, and a sealed copy of The Legend of Zelda broke Toll free:
first man-made plastic), George Westinghouse (1868 – the record for the most expensive video game sold at
invents air brakes), and of course, Thomas Edison, auction with a high bid of $870,000. 888-698-0734
Alexander Graham Bell, and Nikola Tesla, among When Apple released the first Macintosh computer Fax: 508-347-0911
countless others. They were the catalyst for a new back in 1984, it revolutionized desktop computing. Mailing:
industrial revolution focused on mass manufacturing Fast-forward to today and the original Macintosh is a P. O. Box 950
and commercializing technology for the new 20th collector’s dream. This past March, Boston-based RR Sturbridge, MA 01566
century consumer. Auction held a 55-piece auction titled “Steve Jobs and the
Over the course of the next century, consumer Apple Computer Revolution” where early computing info@journalofantiques.com
demand for the latest and greatest—and a willingness devices, Jobs mementos, and vintage Apple merchandise
to pay for it—filled the pipeline with a range of new sold for astronomical sums. An unopened first-generation UPS and FedEx
products, designs, features, and functionality offered at iPhone, mint in box, recently sold through LCG Shipping Address:
varying price points. Into the 21st century, advancements Auctions for $63,356, an early Atari keyboard prototype 46 Hall Road
in everything from battery technology to manufacturing went for about $61,000, and a 1980s Bill Gates computer Sturbridge, MA 01566

materials, AI, and microchips are now taking these sold for $25,000. And, if you have an original Motorola Journal of
everyday products and making them even smaller, more DynaTAC 8000X portable phone (the “brick”) stashed Antiques and Collectibles
resilient, smarter, intuitive, personal, and portable in ways away in your closet, it could be worth more than $2,000 is published monthly in digital
the original patent holder might never have imagined. on average! and bi-monthly in print by
The speed with which new generations and iterations “Old gadgets hold as much nostalgia as a baseball card
of popular products hit the market leaves in its wake or comic book, perhaps even more to some people,” said Weathervane Enterprises, Inc.
a tangible, evolutionary footprint for collectors and Vincent Zurzolo, the president of Metropolis Collectibles 46 Hall Road
technology historians who see a story to be told and store and auction house in New York City in a recent Sturbridge MA 01566.
value to be found in preserving the products thus article in Lifewire entitled, “Old Gadgets can be Worth Periodicals postage paid at
rendered obsolete. Big Money – Here’s why you Should Hang on to Yours.” Sturbridge MA.
Consider the camera, typewriter, personal computer, “Gadgets are things we use every day and oftentimes
telephone, sewing machine, recorded sound, phono- all day for a period of our lives. Often disposable and
graph, and countless other technology-based products hardly ever kept in sealed or mint condition, people wax POSTMASTER:
that continue—in one form or another—to be a part of nostalgically for the good old days when enough time Send address changes to
our everyday life. And then consider how many of these goes by. Early cell phones, computers, video game con- The Journal of Antiques
products you have discarded or given away with each soles, and the like become cherished by people who grew
upgrade over the years. up or grew older using them.” and Collectibles
When it comes to building a technology collection, Can’t the same be said for all the things from our past ISSN: (1539-5618)
space must be taken into consideration. These object- we love to collect? P.O. Box 950
based collections are best appreciated and their stories Sturbridge, MA 01566
told when the items are on display to showcase the
The Journal of Antiques and Collectibles
physical as well as functional evolution of the product reserves the right to reject any advertising that
category over time. does not comply with our standards. The
Journal will not be liable for any errors or
Technology evolution is a subject that personally omissions but will print a correction in the
02/23
appeals to me. I am a collector of 19th and early 20th Maxine Carter-Lome, Publisher following issue if notification of such error is
century crank and gear tools (my “build a better mouse- sent by the appropriate deadline. Original
manuscripts are welcomed by qualified
trap” collection) and someone who had a front-row seat writers. We assume no responsibility for loss
at the birth, launch, and evolution of the cellular of unsolicited material.
telephone industry during its first 25 years. When you Copyright 2023
consider that the earliest model cellular car telephones All rights reserved

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