We’ve always been the New York – Pennsylvania Collector and that remains our title, however we could think of ourselves as the World-Wide Collector now that we are totally digital. No more delivery problems, postal holidays and no more lag time as “to press” doesn’t require an extra week between creating the issue and getting it in the mail for delivery. However, we will stick to a monthly schedule for the “e-edition” on our website, just so our readers know we have a predictable “available” time. We’re likely to have “between the months” items regularly on the website, so we invite you to visit it often.

Our staff has been working hard to “refinish” our website, revive our Facebook page and update our e-mail list. So please update your email address if you have a new one. We also encourage you to visit our Facebook location, NYPA-Collector.

My association with the Collector goes back to the days when it was founded in Rochester, N.Y., and I was a subscriber. Its publishing location and ownership changed a bit over the years and when it ceased publication, well I just couldn’t see it being abandoned. I’ve often said it was the most expensive antique I ever purchased when I bought the name, what was left of the subscriber list and files of one-time advertisers and moved the office to East Aurora, N.Y.

Along with the many changes in the “media” world, we know now the Collector alsoneeds to adapt. We are totally advertising funded, so we appreciate the support of the many dealers, shows and auctions that advertise. It supports the continuing work of our writers and production staff. We are confident that the new digital format, an e-edition that reads like a traditional print publication, and the website will serve them well.

I recall in the 1960s the “country store” items that I admired were just coming to market. I was in my teens. Those items seemed like they were “antiques” to me, even though they were typically less than 50 years old. I “graduated” to early 1800s antiques thanks to my exposure to shows and auctions, people in the business, and written material.

I’ve learned over the years that interests change and the manner in which people receive information changes as well. By “getting with the times” with the Collector, we can help new collectors develop their interests and help them find their sources for what they want as a collection.

It seems that while I was collecting 200-year-old items, most of my country store items turned 100!