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The Golden State Phonograph Society was founded in October of 1999 by collector John Robles of Ventura, California. For scheduling reasons, he had continually been unable to attend meetings of the California Antique Phonograph Society. He missed the camaraderie of other collectors, being situated about an hour and a half north of many of them. He decided to contact other collector friends and establish a California chapter of the Michigan Antique Phonograph Society, with the goal of meeting in a different collector's home each month in order to share information and view a variety of collections. This offered insights into areas of collecting of which his fellow members might be unaware. The meetings started on a social note with a potluck meal. A program followed, usually (but not always) put on by the host of the meeting, typically concerning their particular collecting interest. Also, members were encouraged to bring items to trade or sell, and this monthly marketplace became another fun feature of the meetings. A short business meeting was also instituted, and this format has become solidified over time, though there are variations. Sometimes GSPS meets at a museum or other public place, such as the time we had our first public sale at an RV park and campsite.Now our
meetings take place from Central California to the Inland Empire to the
California coast, and we are taking in new members from all over the country.
They keep in touch via our newsletter, and now the Internet affords our
members and friends yet another service option.
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