I have got a good old car buddy (Pete) that i have know for 33 years and met because of our mutual love for 1957 Chevy's. Pete like many of us does not just love old cars but loves old memorabilia as well and has been collecting for many years. I almost forgot to mention that Pete has two 1957 Chevy's, one a Bel Air two door hardtop that is restored and a Bel Air two door sedan that he is doing a complete body off restoration on. Pete's dream was always to showcase his passion in his own man cave and in his own way, so he did. His collection consists of original items as well as some reproductions. Many of the higher ticket items in his collection caused his wife of over 40 years to raise an eye brow or two over the years but in the end she has mostly been supportive of his love and passion. None of his family really totally gets it but he gets it and that is all that matters. In the collection there is a varied interest in subjects as can be seen in the pictures and that makes the collection even more interesting. Not just car stuff but all stuff. Pete loves to go down into his vintage man cave by himself and soak in all those wonderful images of the past and he does this everyday, even falling asleep down there most of the time. Every time i go to my buddy's place and we go down into the basement and into his vintage memorabilia escape from reality, i feel like i should be paying an admission fee. It never wears thin on me because it is always a joy to look at all these wonderful artifacts from the glorious past. Pete has many favorites in his collection but his main favorites are the Mr. Mercury robot, the Vendo Coke machine, his bike like the one he had as a child, the air meter and his pinball machine that he rebuilt himself. He is now working on a 1955 candy machine and an early parking meter. Every thing works in his collection that should be working because to Pete, if it does not work then it is useless. He has rebuilt and restored everything himself. I guess being a professional millwright has come in handy in more ways than one. His attention to detail in every way has made everything he restores better than when it came out. I contributed in a very small way by giving Pete original 1957 Chevrolet dealer matches that were never used and a 1957 Chevrolet model. Hey Pete when are you going to put up all all those 57 Chev ads i gave you. After the 1955 candy machine and the early parking meter are done, i wonder what is left to acquire for Pete's man cave. He is retiring in two years, so then there will be far more time for his various passions. I hope you enjoy these artifacts as much as we do. Cheers.

-- Edited by long stroke on Monday 2nd of December 2019 08:01:23 PM