By Janet Gustavson (Curator of the Filing Cabinets)
Over the years of the Museum’s existence, I have spent many hours opening and closing the drawers of the two filing cabinets in an attempt to organize and catalogue the vast collection of unique “model-related”memorabilia contained therein. This is an on-going process which is never finished because, of course, collectibles suitable for preservation in these cabinets are constantly being added. These “new arrivals” are often donated, but, occasionally, they are purchased with Museum funds. Dealing with this diverse and sometimes perplexing plethora of items is a tedious job in many ways, since the contents of the drawers must exactly match a “hard copy” listing in a constantly updated three-ring binder. At least six Saturday mornings a year are spent, bagel and juice at the ready, eyes straining, paper cuts notwithstanding, leaning into the complicated matrix of model memorabilia in these drawers.
I am not a particularly avid builder though I once built a pretty cool ‘69 Riviera which won a prize in a local contest (I think the funny fur interior did it)! So, you might ask, why do you do this job? How can you find, some ask, any interest in so many arcane ads, capricious correspondence and a labyrinth of cross-referencing. Sounds dull! Well, only to the uninitiated . . . Once you have sniffed the ancient aromas lingering on the paper of the vintage ads, and once you have caught a glimpse of the history of the hobby as it unfolds in the recesses of these drawers, you would want to help preserve these interesting artifacts, just as I am doing. I have a background managing rare collectibles in a University library, so a curiosity comes naturally about the passion which so many individuals have for this hobby. It surely is satisfying to make sure that everything is in its proper place and chronicled for future visitors. As Mark says, this stuff MUST be preserved!
But all such obsessive-compulsive reasons aside, the best way to convey the essence of history that lurks between the file folders in those drawers is to give you a sneak preview into their mysterious contents:
There are two 4-drawer legal-size black metal filing cabinets; 5 drawers are devoted to the “blue-labeled” General History of the hobby files. In these drawers you would find letters, ads, samples, photos, etc. of contests, projects, people, and companies which have played a major role in the development of the model car industry. So, from A – through Z, you will run across delicately-preserved ads from early Monogram contests all the way to a sub-category under the “Museum” heading, entitled “The Time Capsule.” If you opened these drawers, you could thumb through photos of models being completed for the Bob Barnett project and you could find old and rare decals which are now priceless. You would run across a myriad of folders which keep a record of persons and paraphernalia pivotal to the hobby throughout the last 50 years or so. You would undoubtedly find some really cool stuff to touch, smell, laugh, cry and shake your head at. But, I’ll tell you, I won’t let anyone casually browse!
In one of the drawers, “green-labeled” file folders hold a complete record of correspondence between my husband and over 200 other modelers! That’s a lot of letters and many of them were written way before the days of computer-processing. Dreams, suggestions, compliments and humor are contained in these letters. You might find one you’ve written! The remaining two drawers contain some bulky memorabilia from various GSLs – buttons, goody bags, stickers, and other things which could not be “squished” into the larger scrapbooks or history books.
So, next time you’re in the Museum, ask a Trustee to open one of the drawers of the filing cabinets. Place a vintage ad up to your nose — breathe in the memories of your hobby’s past. It’d be like a Ray Bradbury moment! Travel back in time with graces, be sure that the item gets back in the right folder! And, watch for an update on the filing cabinets as a permanent new column in this newsletter where I will “highlight” one fascinating artifact.”