Why I Started Putting My Hood Ornaments Online
I have been collecting hood ornaments for about fifteen years. Most of that time it was just me and a shelf in the garage. Nobody saw them except my wife and whoever happened to come over for a barbecue. That was fine. I did not collect them for attention. I collected them because I think they are beautiful.
But a couple of years ago I started wondering if there were other people out there who cared about these things as much as I did. Not vintage car people necessarily. Just people who appreciated the craftsmanship. The detail in a 1950s Pontiac Indian head. The elegance of a Rolls-Royce Spirit of Ecstasy. The strange ones from manufacturers that do not even exist any more.
So I made a website. Nothing fancy. I am not a web designer. I just wanted somewhere to put photographs and a few descriptions so people could see the collection without having to come to my garage. It is basic but it does the job.
marcusbriggs.autos
That is the site if you want to have a look. Like I said it is not going to win any awards for design. But the ornaments are the point not the website.
What surprised me is that people actually found it. Not thousands of people. But enough. I get the occasional email from someone who recognises a piece or has one they want to identify. A man in Stuttgart sent me a photograph of an ornament from a 1930s Horch and asked if I knew the model. I did not but I spent a weekend figuring it out and we have been emailing back and forth ever since.
That is what I wanted really. Just to connect with a few people who share the same interest. Hood ornaments are not exactly a mainstream hobby. You cannot walk into a pub and start talking about pre-war mascots without getting some strange looks. But online there are people who understand.
I have been trying to get the collection in front of more of those people. Nothing crazy. Just a few places here and there where car enthusiasts or collectors might stumble across it. This is one of those places.
If you collect hood ornaments or vintage car parts or even if you just think they look interesting, have a look at the site. I am always happy to hear from people who appreciate this stuff. It is nice to know the garage shelf is not just for me any more.