OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums General Discussion Forum Off Topics Collections

Hi All,
What is it that makes things worth collecting? Is it just the fact it is just old? Is it because it is the first model? Is it because they built plenty of these but because they were no good everybody threw them out? (think Leyland P76, Edsel Ford)so now there is only a few left so collectors chase them.Collectors are their own worst enemy because once there becomes an interest group looking for a certain product it automatically pushes prices up as collectors chase after anything with that name on it. If you consider the early "toecutter" Victas, is it because Dad or Grandad bought one way back then and you remember them cutting the lawn with it. Once you move onto the early seventies Victas such as the New Utility, Consul, Corvette, there seems to be very little interest in them. Is it because they moved on to a more modern type of styling, is the 160 motor of little interest because they made so many of them by this stage? Many questions, maybe somebody has some answers

Well NormK.
i think it could be a disease!
I know for a fact that 5 years ago i didnt have it.
something happened and now i have an obsession that i must admit i dont tell everyone about.
you try telling a room full of teenagers that you collect old mowers and see what kind of looks you get.
I must admit my disease didnt kick in till i was over fifty.
so to all those younger folk that ridicule me, well all i have to say to them is you are getting older every day and maybe one day in the future you will be contaminated as i am.
Not sure if there is a cure for this?
i know my wife keeps trying to find one Ha Ha .

In my opinion, you tend to collect what you remember, which is what you saw when you were a kid.I was born in the early 70's so I like things from about that era. Once you start collecting your era, and the 'bug' gets you, your era becomes limiting and I think you then expand your horizons, so to speak, especially towards those items perhaps more rare or of particular interest to you. Often the attraction seems to be to have something someone else doesn't, bragging rights so to speak.

We had a Morris 1100 followed by a bronze 1974 Volvo 144 GL. Those two cars, plus others of the era particularly interest me.

We had a Rover Princess 2-stroke Villiers powered mower. I'd have liked one again. The Barons appear to be the 4-stroke version, there were 3 of them at the local recycling depot recently, I was eyeing them off but no space for more junk storage currently.

Oh, and guess what colour the Rovers were? Hammertone blue of course...now where have I seen that recently?

Enough of the pub psychology (back to the pub?!!)

Hello Norm, Gizmo, Patrick and all

As Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney) said in the masterpiece
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, "It's a fool that looks for logic in the
chambers of the human heart".

I thank Norm for raising this provocative issue.

People will collect whatever people will collect.
Collecting is one part genetic and one part emotional experience.
The 'mature' collector will manage these by reason.

Patrick has said - better than I - how early influences impact
on later preferences.

The genetic part is what Gizmo suggests could be a 'disease'.
I have found that mower collecting goes through phases. In the initial
phase, the collector finds it difficult to say 'No'. The genetic
predisposition is dominant and collection numbers rapidly grow.

At some point reason (or necessity) takes hold, and their is a 'culling
of the collection'. At this point the collector becomes more discerning-
perhaps deciding on a specialty area. This is the mature phase that
has the 'disease' under control. Reason takes control of the passions,
but with an ironic twist: the discerning collection exists because of
an even stronger emotional attachment.

And it's back to the pub now from him.

Yes all good reasons why we end up doing this stuff, but what is it about certain items that makes them become highly sought after and other things of similar vintage are of little interest to collectors

i think its just what people like i like old mowers valve radios valve tvs 1 arm bandit poker machines mantle clocks etc I'm lucky enough to have collected all these things for my own enjoyment and its good to see peoples reactions like when i recently sold my house you could hear the comments about the old stuff i have on display when they see this stuff from a bygone era

Jack,
the 3 fellows in your pic above look more like they collect postmen (post-people? Endangered, paper-based communication mechanism delivery agents? What's the PC term nowadays?) than lawnmowers!

Having said that, just how do you 'collet lawnmowers' anyway? Perhaps 'collar lawnmowers?' (Read you pic's words carefully)

Here is another one, anybody interested or is it worth collecting?
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/172059645496?_

"Wico (England)Lawn Mower" ???
That is just a model 2 Victa ??
Ian

I'm hoping Jack can shed some light on it

Wico is the brand of the magneto. Yep, it's a model 2. I'd grab it for $25!

Just a model 2? Bleh...Absolutely worth bidding Norm! Any Rotomo is worth saving or in this case maybe using to save another.

And has been stated, Wico, Wico/Pacy is a brand/company name that made among many other things, magnetos and electrical components used on some early mower brands including Victa.

Pity though, as usual its not in Sydney....

Ok then you talked me into it, usually everything I want is in QLD

Keep in mind Norm that its cheap for a reason. The seller has no idea and Its missing a few of its parts and if your intention is to restore her or complete an accurate worker then you have around 150+ for correct parts plus restore cost.

Ive been restoring this model for 25 years and I love them dearly, but with anything old rare and or desirable they can bite you hard sometimes.

Just a heads up goodluck!

No problems, I'm aware how parts can bite you, I have about 10 early Victas here I'm working my way through at the moment