Rotary Dial GTE Starlite Princess-Style Phone By Automatic Electric, 1970's
Classic vintage rotary desk/boudoir slim-line phone by GTE known as "The Starlite." Styled to be reminiscent of the princess phones so popular with that era's better half. The handset straddles the receiver for a nice clean compact appearance. The rubberized coiled cord reaches to about 15' if needed. Power cord is about 8' long and currently has a four prong plug. This phone was originally beige-pink, but its exposed areas have faded to a kind of butter yellow! The dial makes that fabulous clickity-clackity sound when turned and the bell has a sweet soft high tone to it.
This phone was manufacture for GTE by Automatic Electric of Northlake, Illinois, circa early 1970's. I have cleaned this little beauty inside and out and the guts appear to be fully intact and in fine condition. I have not tested it (no landline here!) but Terry, the former owner, says it was operative when last in service and I have no reason to doubt him.
BEACHWOOD 4-5789
MR. PANDEMONIUM WEIGHS IN ON THE TOPIC OF HOARDING!
A Pejorative Pathology
OR
Some of the Best Fun We Can Have in This Short Time We Live?
CASE STUDY: The Many Hats of My Neighbor, Terry B
Terry is a multitasker and no one is going to pick a bone with that; it's actually a talent that is encouraged, even venerated, in this modern materialistic culture. He's a little restless too, and comes from a family that has circulated around many career and job choices that often involved a shop of some kind: Barber Shop, Radio Shop, Sewing Machine Shop, Pancake Shop, etc.
Well, in this mobile society moving from one thing to another has become common and may be easy for some, especially if you didn't like what you were doing or where you were doing it. But, for Terry moving on was a bittersweet process because he loved everything about all of the many hats that he wore. So, when he was ready to move along, he always took with him as much memento mori from his travails as he could. Ultimately, this led to many boxes, tubs, bags, and bins full of many varieties of many different kinds of things associated with the many different hats Terry wore. (And, by the way, he kept all those hats, too!).
Along the way Terry met and married Sharon who also loved to hold on to things that attracted her. Together they made a demon collecting team and filled a couple of houses, garages, barns, and yards with so much stuff their properties started to look like something had taken them over. This is what some would technically call hoarding. But, what it looked like to me was a well-lived lifetime together that was documented with the actual stuff of their lives so much better than a faded photo album or fuzzy video tape could ever convey. In essence, the joy of their clutter most certainly outweighed the clutter of the clutter and it would be an insult to call it hoarding in a negative sense.
Being invited into his home to pick reminded me of that great song from the 80's called Memorabilia:
"Give me a reminder; I collect, I reject,
Memorabilia.....
Little bits of glassware
Ashtrays with inscriptions
Plastic things on pencils
Bits of mass production
Postcards, pretty pictures
Little bits of plastic
Memorabilia (Keychains and snowstorms)
Castanets, mantilla torremolinos and plastic men..... "
Downsizing Terry's Estate
Recently, I have been helping Terry downsize (which is where this and many other current listings in my shop are from). He and I have developed a relationship that is nearly synchronistic: he knows what I like and lets me know when he finds something that will appeal to me. If I agree (which is almost a 100% thing) he puts it "on the pile" for my next visit! This is like having what I call a "Rolling Estate Sale" with a personal picker and a mutual benefit.
Terry B's "Rolling Estate Sale" Items Have Their Own Section in Our Shop
Terry's Memorabilia
https://www.ebay.com/str/portlandpandemonium/Terrys-Memorabilia/_i.html?store_cat=38715010017
