Like most kids, I was a collector. I started collecting coins in 1946 and still have most of them. I also accumulated quite a few pocket knives. But when I retired, I wanted something different. I remembered things I couldn't afford as a kid. Things that were really fun. One thing that stood out in my mind was an old 1948 Cushman motorscooter that belonged to a friend. We explored most of southern Florida on that thing.

So when I retired, I joined the Cushman Club of America and began looking for a scooter as nearly like that '48 as I could get. I found it. It was a '47 Cushman Pacemaker with a 4 hp engine. A real basket case. Working with my son, who can fix anything, I spent 22 months and 22 hundred dollars restoring it to look like it did when it left the factory in 1947.

Do you think it stopped there? Fat chance. I now also have a '61 Cushman Highlander fully restored, a '74 Vespa in original condition with 700 miles on it, a Wards Riverside (made in Italy by Benelli) in original condition with 32 miles on it, three other unrestored Cushman's, assorted Hondas and even a little Harley Davidson mini-bike made in Italy.

How do I support a money-eating hobby like that?
I dabble in wierd antiques like clocks, bottles, bull horns, gas cans, ammo boxes, fishing tackle, license plates -- almost anything, but very little furniture.

Are there other scooter collectors out there?
Howard