" I am sure we can all remember the first few items that started our interest".

Chris had mentioned this in the last post the first few items that got us started? With all of this  time on my hands that I'm not used to I was just digging though some old stuff today and  ran across this picture. My dad had made this display board for my new found tresures that hung on the wall of my bedroom as a kid. I have to say how lucky I was to start off with a Bean Giant 

A great photo Fred! I also know your father made your extremly nice wood cabinets, which I have been lucky to see in real life. Starting with a Bean Giant is rather luxury!

I started collecting in the age of 17 I believe. Here is a photo of myself and my very small collection hanging on the wall in my very first, very small, apartment. On this photo I'm about 20 years old. I really would like to be that skinny agani LOL

My collection started early for me. When i was about 10 or 11, I acquired a brand new set of Smith and Wesson M-103 Stainless steel cuffs. I soon learned how to pick them. That was the match that started the fire! My first set of leg irons were a set of Navy Issued, Harvard Lock Co. One side of the lock was missing the centering pin. I have replaced both cuffs, with ones in better condition, since then. But these two designs have led me to where I am now.
-Richard Knip-

Of course my interest started after reading the great book on Houdini by Williams and Epstein while in high school.  I was already into magic and my first trick was a Brema Bill Tube.  A friend would chain and tie me up and we practiced basic escapes.  My first cuff was a very nice pair of Tower leg irons, nearly mint and of course no key.  I paid $25 for them in an old junk shop.  That was a lot of money in those days.  Unfortunately only one side of the irons would work.  I still have all three of these items.

My interest shifted to hypnoses and after reading a book from Johnson Smith, I found that my friend was an excellent subject.  I still remember staring in amazement after he was under.  

Crazy dazes,

Ron

My collection start at the age of 16... An Clejuso 12! It was huge overpriced, but I loved it xD


Really triggering historical collection was my Schlüter last year...

The first non toy real handcuffs i seen was my grandfather’s when i was probably about 8ish they are a pair a darby cuffs that look amd have simulator marking to haitt but instead carry the name burt

This was about the time that police here (uk) started using the speedcuffs that they still use today. As soon as i seen these i wanted a pair and it was not until i was 18 that i got some from ebay. It was looking for these that i discovered collecting was a thing.

At that point i discovered that i could get old american cuffs from points back in time that interested me and with that i had to have what still remains my favourite cuffs to this day a pair of peerless 1912 1915-25 patterns. And thats how i found this forum and ended up hooked.


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