June 1985

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N umber 15

" L YONS "

Yal e & Towne

Sc h o o I : Roman e squ e

Gronuention NrlUs

DE BB I E & DOLORES FELLENZ SAY

"NEET 11E I N ST . LOUIS"

The f i f th a nnua l c on vent i on o f t he A D C A wi l l behe l d Se p t ember 20 , 21 , a nd 22 , 198 5 . It wi l l ta ke p l a c ea t Noah ' s Ar k Mo t or I nn a nd Res t a ur a n t , St . Cha r l s ,Mis s our i .

S t . Cha r l e s i s l oc ated about 25 mile s (30 mi nu t e s )f r om S t. Lou i s . Th e r e a r e lots o f t hings t o d o a nd s e ein t he S t . Loui s ar ea s o , if po s sible, pl a n on stay i ngl onge r . The weather in Se p t embe r i s usually warm (7 0 ' s )but unpr ed i cab l e .

Th e r e g i s tration f e e f or t h e wee ken d i s $45/s i ng l eor $ 75/ co up l e . Th is i nc l ude s two dinners, two c oc k t ailpa r t ie s a nd a tab le in the d i s p l a y r oom.

Room ra t es at the Motor Inn will be $38/s ing l e ordo ub l e occ upan c y. A r g i s t r a t i on for m i s e nclo s d .Pl ea se indicate t he nigh ts you will b e sta ying an d re s­e r va t i ons wi ll be made f or you .

The hou s e tour will c os t $5. 00/person, in or d e r t opa y f or th e bus rent a l . Plea s e i nd i c a t e if you pla n toattend t h i s event s o we will kr.o v. wha t s i ze bus t o r e­s rve . Pa ymen t wi l l be c o l l e c ted u r, t he day of th e to ur .

Fathe r Pep per of Wav e r l y , I owa will ag a i n be pr e s ­e n t f or our invocation.

REGI STRATI ON DEADLINE I S AUGUST 1ST 1985

The Doorknob Collector is published by the Annque Doorknob Collector. of America . Inc .

Editors: Lee 8:. Jim Kaiser. 4 12" Colfax Avenue South , Minneapolis. Minnc...otu :'5409

1985 CCNVENTI~ SO-tEOOLE

Thursday, September 19th:

Early arrivals gather in the Hospitality Room.

Friday, September 20th:

9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.Noon - I p i m.5:30 - 6:30 p.m.6:30 - 7:30 p.m.7:30 - 8:30 p.m.8:30 - 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, September 21st:

Setup, Register Items for AuctionLunch, On Your OwnHappy HourDinnerMaudie's Slide ShowAuction

- 10:00 p.m.

Sunday, September 22nd:

6:00 p.m. -

9 a.m. ­Noon1 : 005:306:307: 30

8:30

9 a.m. ­10: 00Noon1 : 00

Noon1 p vrn .5:00 p.m.6:30 p.m.7:30 p.m.8:30 p.m.

10:00 a.m.Noon1:00 p.m.5:00 p.m.

???

2

Trading, Display ContestLunch, On Your OwnOpen to the PublicHappy HourDinnerTalk by Clarissa Start(Local Author & Antique Dealer)Movie - "MEET ME IN ST. LOOIS"

Question & Answer PeriodBusiness MeetingLunch, On Your Own (Packup)House Tour - Old St. Charles &St. Lou i s Horne sOpen House - Debbie's House~~

1985 CONVENTION DISPLAY COMPETITION

CLASS I METALLIC

CLASS II NON-METALLIC

CLASS III BEST OF SHolJ

Any metal knob or knobs, brassor iron, cast or wrought, plainor fancy

Any material other than metal.Glass, wood, plastic, ceramic.

Any and all displays eligible

RED TAG

YELLolJ TAG

BLUE TAG

Displays are limited in size to fit on the table-top furnished for each member(approximately 30" x 72"). Number of knobs not important, can be one or 100.

If escutcheon plates are used in combination with knobs, they must be matchedsets.

All class I and II displays will include only the tagged items. Each membermay bring as many entries as desired in either or both catagories.

Class I displays can be all brass, all iron, or can be a combination of both.

Class II displays can be all glass, all ceramic, or can be a mixture ofvarious non-metallic materials.

Class III displays will include the entire display of the member.

A numbered tag of appropriate color will be furnished for each display.

Voting will be done by tag color, number, and name of member. Ballots willbe distributed at the convention.

Ballots will be counted prior to the public open house, and award plaqueswill be presented to the winning displays.

Traders and items for sale will not be included in the displays, but shouldbe arranged attractively and marked as such.

Vince Noe

§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§

Item from the East Liverpool, Ohio "Evening Review"

An event called the "doorknob toss"will be brought back as an activityof the 18th annual Tri-State PotteryFestival - and a local pottery willhave to begin manufacturing porcelaindoorknobs again so participants willhave something to toss.

Homer Laughlin China Co. workerHarold "Sonny" Rayle said the eventwas last held in 1978 or 1979 andwas discontinued because nobodymakes porcelain doorknobs anymore.

3

The last time the event was staged,workers waded out in the Ohio Riverto dig old, rejected doorknobs outof the riverbottom.

Rayle showed the association a door­knob blank which Homer Laughlin willmake especially for the competition.

In the toss, participants toss door­knobs into one-pound coffee cansfrom a distance of 30 feet.

CLUB KNOB DESIGN CONTEST PARTICULARS

After due consideration, an advisory panel unanamously established the Septemberconvention date as the deadline for accepting entries for the club knob designcontest.

The prize for the winning entry, membership and convention registration for oneyear, should be sufficient inducement, that even the least artistic among us willbe motivated to submit an entry! The winner need not attend the convention to claimthe prize.

Membership voting on the entries will occur at the convention, followed immediatelyby counting of the ballots and announcement of the winner.

The winning design will not automatically become the club logo, but could qualifyat the time the membership votes on an official logo.

The following entries, submitted by a club member, were self-labeled "doodles"but certainly are worthy of the consideration they will receive as bona-fideentries. Eight entries have been received to date. Remember, more than 1 designmay be submitted per person.

Last months hint was that the club's initials might conceivably form part of thedesign - this months hint, well-taken, submitted by a discerning member, is thatthe rank and file outside doorknob circles would not be able to decipher the in­itials, and that the club name, in full in the design, might better serve the club.

I regret that Charles Wardell·s name, as being a co-worker on this project, wasinadvertantly omitted in the announcement of the contest.

Because of the deadline date and this being the last newsletter before the con­vention, and the determination to move ahead quickly with the project, it willnot be possible to print all of the entries for the entire membership's vote be­fore the selection of the winning design.

Continue to send submissions to: Maudie Eastwood, Project Chairman, 3900 LatimerRoad No., Tillamook, Oregon 97141.

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MEMBERSHIP, JUNE 1985 - ANTIQUE DOORKNOB COLLECTORS OF AMERICA

Jeff Franc-j k324 So Fairfield Ave Helen &Bill ByingtonLombard 11 60148 415 Magowan Ave

Iowa City la 52240

A1 Still2020 - 40th StDes Moines la 50310Tel: 515-277-3382

Max &Barbara Liesman4004 OxfordDes Moines la 50313Tel: 515-243-4025

Eugene MorrisBox 467Forest City la 50436

Arnie &Tedi Fredrick221 - 2nd St S EWaverly la 50677Tel: 319-352-4070

Wk: 319-352-1575

Mr. &Mrs. Dave Dvorak747 Alpine DriveIowa City la 52240

Mr. &Mrs. Donald CookBox 121Webster City la 50595

Jack Cooney105 So. 3rd AveVillisca la 50864

Gerald &Ardythe Leaders901 JerolemanDunlap la 51529

INDIANASteve & Barbara

Menchhofer5538 l~est 25thSpeedway Ind 46224Tel: 317-291-6043

A.G. Terry Shaffer5688 No. Broadway StIndianapolis Ind 46220Tel: 317-253-5203

Wk: 317-875-8755IOWA

James ~nderson1104 - 5th St. N.W.Waverly la 50677

Ralph &FlorenceChelin

RR 5Princeton 11 61356

Loretta &Ray Nemec1424 Heatherton DriveNaperville 11 60540Tel: 312-357-2381

Wk: 312-840-3309

Bruce Griffith2135 W. Caton StChi cago Il 60647

Stefan Lys Jr.4412 No AshlandChi cago Il 60640

David Olafsen20048 Free Church RdCaledonia 11 61011

Glen &Junella Leach42 Nottingham RoadSpringfield 11 62704Tel: 217-546-8442

Roger Merenkov3807 So. East AveBerwyn 11 60402

Arthur R Paho"1 ke5208 So Christiana AveChicago 11 60632

Florence &Vincent Noe402 W. l~alnut StMetamora 11 61548Tel: 309-367-4733

Roy &Dorothy Schourek3217 - 15th St 'C'Moline Il 61265

~~elinda Nichols1220 ~'1eade AveSan Diego Ca 92116

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Betty RothaermelBox 2074Newport Beach Ca 92663

Carlos Ruiz1232 Fountain StAlameda Ca 94501

CALIFORNIA (Cent.) IDAHOMountain View Door Closer Alex KunkelKey and Lock Service Star Route171 Castro St Twin Falls Id 83301Mountain View Ca 94041 ILLINOIS

Lillian &RichardBalasa

2060 CarletonHoffman EstatesIllinois 60195

Frank Peters495 Carr AveAromas Ca 95004Tel: 408-722-6090

Kent Stormer175 Byron StPalo Alto Ca 94301

Matylda Richey428 Orchard AveArroyo Grande Ca 93420Tel: 805-489-7186

Clifford StroingBox 74Elk Creek Ca 95939

Bud &Margaret Wolski9120 - 7th AveInglewood Ca 90305Tel: 213-756-3868

Wk: 213-759-0344COLORADO

r1. Gustafson1832 So BroadwayDenver Colo 80210

CONNECTICUTEd &Flicka Thrall145 Chamberlain RdBroad Brook Ct 06016

FLORIDAFred &Ethladel Magnus370 Washington CourtFort Myers BeachFlorida 33931Tel: 813-463-9216

Pete &Violet Raffin990 So. 6th StSan Jose Ca 95112Tel: 408-298-5935

Pat Droubay6 Friendly LaneNavato Ca 94947

Michael Bruno30 Club DriveSan Carlos Ca 94070

John' & Ch lorene Holland3434 No 47th WayPhoenix Az 85018Tel~: 602-840-1945

Edwin &Lois Hutchings1576 Parker CourtNapa Ca 94559

Cameron BrownBox 1283San Juan Bautista

Ca 95045

Len &Patti Blumin382 Throckmorton AveMill Valley Ca 94941Tel: 415-388-4990

Denise Green3902 W. Tierra Buena LnPhoenix Az 85023Tel: 602-938-1164

Steve Efnor12327 Louise AveLos Angeles Ca 90066

•Mr s Fritz Fleischer3 Paseo del Cajon

Pleasanton Ca 94566

Marjorie &Emmet WiemerBox 3088Sedona Az 86340Tel: 602-282-4516

ARKANSASJim Meadows10317 Meandering WayFt. Smith Ark 72903

CALIFORNIA

t t y Kay Bjornsen13

endale Ca 91209

ALABAMAElizabeth Lampson1325 Laurence St

e l1l"ingham Al 35210ARIZONA

Walter &Mildred Bright11 East Papago DriveTempe Az 85281

MEMBERSHIP, JUNE 1985 - ANTIQUE DOORKNOB COLLECTORS OF AMERICA

KANSASEd Bauler-317 East 15thWellington Ks 67152

MARYLANDRichard &Lois Simons20113 Darlington DrGaithersburg Md 20879

MICHIGANFlorence Jarvis127 Prospect Ave N EGrand Rapids Mi 49503

Norman &Evelyn Nichols1423 Williamsburg RdFl i nt Mi 48507

MINNESOTACharles &Elva Bednar1132 West RoselawnSt Paul Mn 55113

Steve Blumberg1605 Hennepin AveMinneapolis Mn 55404

E.P. & Irma Dick6815 So. HumboldtRichfield Mn 55423

Jim Huntsman416 So. 4th StStillwater Mn 55082

Lee &Jim Kaiser4125 Colfax Ave So.Minneapolis Mn 55409Tel: 612-827-7080

Wk: 612-827 5677

MISSOURI (Conto)Hm. &Dolores Fellenz439 No EuclidSt Louis Mo 63108

NEBRASKAAlice Chadonich4701 Harrison StOmaha Ne 68157

Dorothy Ann Miller8074 Cedar StOmaha Ne 68124

NEVADAJean P. Hand870 Antelope RoadReno Nv 89506

NEW JERSEYAllen &Gunilla Joslyn249 Valley RoadMontclair N J 07042

NEW YORKDonald Pearson3 College StCanton N Y 13617

NORTH CAROLINAWingate Anders34 Hollywood StAsheville N C 28801

Donathan BootheBox 30864Charlotte N C 28230

Roddy &Caroline Brown1252 Andover RoadCharlotte N C 28211Tel: 704-364-5084

Wk: 704-554-1421

OREGONDean &Edith Campbell612 No. MeridianNewberg Or 97132

f'1audi e Eastwood3900 Latimer Road No.Tillamook Or 97141Tel: 503-842-2244

Lynn Fowler8070 S E 13th AvePortland Or 97202

Don &Elaine Shreve8550 S.W. Holly LanePortland Or 97223

Bill &Marge Varitz17828 S. Robinview Ct.W. Linn Or 97068

PENNSYLVANIAPat Cody2100 Forrester AveHolmes Pa 19043Tel: 215-586-4382

Steven StableyR D 2 Box 72Wrightsville Pa 17368

TENNESSEEJanice C. Shelton2003 Williamsburg SqJohnson City Tn 37601

VERMONTJudge &Mrs Alden Bryan68 N. Williston Rd.Williston Vt 05495

WASHINGTON (Cont.)

Darrell RazorBox 456Bellevue Wa 98009.Tel: 206-883-0118

Wk: 206-454-5472

Art Smith936 No. 76th StSeattle Wa 98103

WISCONSINLois Hatch342 So. 23rdLaCrosse t,Ji 54601Tel: 608-782-8741

Robert ~1i 11 erBox 565Walworth Wi 53184

Dan &Judy PetersonRt 2-5372 Mahocker RdMazomanie Wi 53560

Kae &Ray Zyc1042 ~1i 1ton AveJanesville Wi 53545Tel: 608-754-2643

WYOMINGPaul i ne Schul tz •Box 253Midwest Wy 82643

•

Louis A. ToepferBox 666Saxtons River Vt 05154

WASHINGTONGeorge Doyle3700 Elizabeth Ave #131Olympia Wa 98501Tel: 206-491-6312

David T. Keyes3516 No. 33rd StTacoma Wa 98407Tel: 206-759-8482

Hk: 206-535-7576

Cathy Moes823 South \Ali 1sonOlympia Wa 98501

Bunny WalkerBox 502Bucyrus Oh 44820

Wooden Nickle Antiques1408 Central ParkwayBox 991531Cincinnati Oh 45202

Martin &Harriet Meldahl Charles W. Wardell1103 Missouri Ave Box 195Duluth Mn 55811 Trinity N C 27370

Tel: 919-434-1145NORTH DAKOTA

Lois &Phillip WarreyBox 3Page I~ D 58064

OHIOCarol K~ermans30516 Maple DriveBay Village Oh 44140

Bradley Widseth732 E. 16th St. #24Minneapolis Mn 55404

MISSOURI

Debbi e Fell enz2216 Cherokee StSt Louis Mo 63118Tel: 314-776-8363

Charles Meskin819 East FranklinMinneapolis Mn 55404

Gene Moen4813 Vincent Ave SoMinneapolis Mn 55410

6

J ust how in the wo r l d could I f oI l w Ar t Pahol ke , wi t h hi s f abu l ou s coll ec tion?Wel l , 1 can ' t . By f ar hi s is t he mo s t ou ts tand ing co l lec t i ons I ' ve seen . Soinstead , I'l l hav e t o te l l j us t how I s ta rted with the fol l owi ng ,

"Moder n Hous e . " Gon e was t he ske le to n ke y .knob with a litt l e ho l e in it for t he key .

DOO RKNOB COLLECTI NGby Lor etta Nemec

Throu ghout li f e ev e r y one col l e c t ssomethi ng. Be i t rub ber bands onth e doorknob, or bu t t ons . As achi l d we sta rt pi c king up fa sc i ­na t i ng r oc ks f ound i n our ba c kyard .When going t o t he beach we ca n ' tr es is t pi c k i ng up a n in te res t i ngs he l l , f rom one s h 11 to ano t he run t i l we hav e ou r f i ll. At homewe sepa ra te our t r ea s ur e. Do wes t op or doe s our ques t c on t i nuei n t t he l ib r a ry?

As a t we l ve year ol d chi ld I wa si mpr es s ed by a l i tt l e b l ack je tk nob ~.] i th i t s r os e a nd es cutcheonplate , a l l th e way to the match inghinges on th e doors o f my mot he r 'shous e . Af t e r ge t t i ng ma r ried a ndbuying our f i rs t hous e i n 1955 , Irea l i zed that no l on ger wa th r ea ny c r a ft s mans hip Pllt i nto the

The key ho l e wa s replaced by a do or ­We we r e HO DE R.l\l I ZTNG .

I lo nged fo r t he l i t t l e bl a ck je t knob . With a li t t le encourageme nt , I go t t heknob, r se , p la te a nd hinges f rom my mother , Wl lich satisfied me for a l ong t i me .Yea r s passed , my paren t s were go ne , t he hou s e in Ch i ca go i s decaying wi t h age ,bu t T s til l have t he k nob t uc ked away amoung my souve niers . I n r emi ni s c i ng, Ibrou gh t ou t the kn ob a nd pu t i t on d isp l a y wi th a f ew strow f l owers a nd a l i t t l eb la ck ribbo n on t he s ha nk . Gradua l l y , I p i cked up a [ w mor e knobs to decor atea nd give to fr iends . Soon , other s caug h t my eyes , f rom whit porc e l a in t o t hebrown po t t ery, t o g l as s , t br a s s . Yes , t he ue s t wa s on . Fr i e nds sta r tedb r i nging me doo r knobs . Soon they wer e on d isp lay on s helves , t ab l es a nd wi ndowsi l l s . I t was a conver s a t io n pi ec e i ns t a n t l y when anyone entered my hous e .

I t hought I wa s t he on ly on co l l e c ti ng loorkno bs , much t o my s ur pr i s e I r anac ros s a n Anita Gold' s column t hat me ntione J t here ha d been a book ava i l a ble ona n tique doorknobs , by Ma ude Eas t wood . I cou l dn ' t wai t t i l l th e boo k a rrived . Iwil l a l ways be tha nk ful t Haud e fo r publis hing t ha t f i r s t book, a nd to ArnieFredr ick f o r a l l h i s ef f or t s i n ge t t i ng t he fir s t ga t heri g of co l l ec to rs in] 981 a nd s pea r head ed the or g i na za t i on of t he Antique Door knob C l l ec t o r ' s c l ub .

7

LORETTA'S FAVORITES continued

What sta r ted out as a retirement hobby seems to have jumped the gun. I pres e n t ­ly am doin g my retirement dream along with being a full time secre t a ry forFermi Laboratory, a wi fe to Ray for 30 years , mother of four grown c h i l d r e n andgr a ndmother of one. By husband and childre n have been helpful i n my s e a r c h ,along wi t h f ellow workers who have found k n ob s for me. (On one occa s i o n hadbrought an entire fLve panel door into the office just so I could have the knob)

My fav or ite knob Ls the one I found in a little antique shop in Oswe go, Ill.It is a solid 14 02. brass knob wi t h the vermiel bee on it. It orig inal ly camefrom Be lgium. In researching it, apparently when Napo l eon b ecame emperor hep i cke d t he b e e as his symbol for industry, hard work, d e d i c a t ion and t e am work,hence the b e e was used to decorate practically everythi n g . The bee k nob c ou l dhave come from anyone of the palaces Napoleon us e d in Ve r s a i ll e s , . ~ lma i s o n ,

Compi e gn e , St. Cloud, Rambouillet, or Fontainebleau or anyone o f the pa l a c esof h i s Na r s h a l s . My search a l s o took me to the Na po l e o ni c Soci e t y i n Fl o r i da ,and coun t less b oo k s . (Next to Chr i st , Napoleon h a s had the mo s t wo r ks wr itte na bout h im.) My search wi ll not be complete until I find out wher e t h is knobcame from.

A t a p istry , on c e inBon a pa r t e ' s s t udy atth e Tuiler i es a n dnow at Mal ma i s on ,i s r i c h in Napoleonica n d Roma n imperials ymbolism: eagles,impe r ial c r own s ,laurel wreaths, hismonogram and bees.

8

LORETTA' S FAVORITES con t inued

Ano the r favor i t e knob i s the " I nd i an"t ha t r epor t ed l y came f r om the Mizp ahHo t e l.

I f ee l t here mus t be a s t o r y beh i ndt he I nd i an as t he r e wou l d be f o r a nyf i gur a l kn ob .

Addi t iona l docu menta t i on would be mostwelcome .

This por c e l ain kno b wi t h t he Na ti onalFi re I ns urance Compa ny na me embos sedin i t, came f r om a f i r eman who co l lec tsan tiqu e fi re f i gh ting equi pmen t .

Thi s I bel ieve, is a f a i r l y r a r e t ypeo f pro pr ie ta r y knob .

My son picked up this old i r onhexagon knob in an an t i que s hopin Cartage , I l linoi s .

Glass knobs also turn my fancy ,I would l ove to add a Wa te r f ordcrystal knob t o my co l l ec t i on .

What I en joy mos tbe i ng a member ofJ ohn Ho l land onc e

a r e the wonde r f u l peop l e I have met t hro ugh co l lect ing andhe c l ub . The c l ub ha s opened numerous DOORS f or me, and as

s a i d , "doo rkno b co llectors a re t he cad i llac of co ll ectors. "

As f or the size of my col l ect i on , I wou l d p l a ce mys e l f a s one of the sma l l e rco l lectors . I have abo u t 300 knob s . To t hos e who have small co l l ec t i ons , i t 'sno t t he amoun t of kn obs yo u pos s e s s , i t's mo r e t he kn owl ed ge yo u ha ve acqui redf r om co l lec t i ng t hem.

Col l ec t i ng to me i s l i k e hun t i ng : I never qui t e kn ow wha t I'l l fi nd. The s ea r chi s sa t i s f y ing enough . I t' s no t wha t i t ' s worth i n dolla r s . I t ' s t he pride ofowner s hi p. . . . . . . . It ' s pri ce 1e s s .

9

VA R I AT I 0 " S