Menagerie Around the Television

Name: Francine Phillips, Los Angeles

Collectible: “Television lamps. When we grew up and TV became popular for the masses in the ‘50s, the medical profession advised the public to watch TV with some light, usually 15 watts or 25 watts. And so people who manufactured a lot of pottery and ceramics took their forms and changed them so there was someplace for a small bulb. The light would reflect through the eyes, say, of like an owl. Mine has a green bulb, so he has green eyes.”

History of the collection: “I was in New York visiting my friend Joan Stacke, who’s a collector. We were sitting around having a glass of wine, and I said, ‘What are those quirky-looking things?’ She said, ‘They’re TV lamps. Many of them were manufactured in California, around L.A.’ So, I asked, ‘How would you like a West Coast partner?’ She said, ‘Come on, Fran. You’ve never been to a flea market in your life. You’ve never shown any interest in collectibles.’ I said, ‘Do you want a partner or not?’ And she said OK, never figuring I would follow through.

“I went out the first time and bought two lamps at the Rose Bowl: a Siamese cat lamp and probably a dog or a panther--those were the most popular. So the next Sunday I went to Long Beach. Then my husband and I went to San Diego. We’ve been up north, south, inland. You can’t believe how many places we’ve been. Now the dealers know me.

“I had an experience with a dealer in San Diego. He said, ‘You know there’s somebody out there buying all the TV lamps, and that person’s pushing up the market. I can’t get enough of them.’ And then he turned to me and said, ‘You’re the one!’ I looked at him, and I didn’t say a word.

“Collecting TV lamps became an obsession with me, and it became fun. They’re decorative, they’re amusing and they make me smile, and that’s a nice feeling to walk into your home and get a smile on your face after the traffic.”

Where to find TV lamps: “You used to be able to go a flea market and find a dozen. You go to a flea market today a dozen times and maybe find one. The market is tight.”

Number of pieces in the collection: “Close to 300.”

Price range: “You can see the ordinary, most popular one--the Siamese cats--for $25 to $35. Flamingos are the most desirable. They’re worth way over $1,000. They’ve become very popular. Things of the ‘50s are very in. Kids in their 30s are furnishing their homes in the ‘50s style, and because of that the prices increase daily because they become harder and harder to find.”

The most expensive piece in the collection: “I paid a lot for the flamingo. I can’t say how much. When I bought it at the Rose Bowl, I asked the dealer to hold it because I didn’t want to carry it. I paid him, and when I came back he said, ‘You know what you’re doing.’ I paid a lot, but he was bragging to somebody about how much he got, and someone else told him he gave it away.”

Where the collection is stored: “I have 70 on display in my house. I must have another 50 or 60 in the closets. And I have 17 on display at Decorative Fabrics & Furniture in Pasadena.”

Would you ever sell your collection? “I will. I can use some room for myself!”

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If you have a collection you’d like to tell us about, send photos and a letter to Page 2 Editor, SoCal Living, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053.