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The Collector
One of Dick Best's friends, Joe Fuller of Cumberland, West Virginia, brought his beautifully restored 1952 GMC Cannonball to Dick’s Birthday bash. – photo by Steve Pollock –
One of a kind! A 1957 Mack Greyhound bus – the only one to ever be built!
One of Dick Best's friends brought this incredibly sharp antique Mack and box trailer to the event.
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By Steve Pollock NEW WATERFORD, OH....Some guys collect stamps and some collect baseball cards but Dick Best is a Collectors collector. Dick has collections of cars, trucks, tractors, gas pumps and gas cans, to name just some of his collections. In all, 4 buildings are crammed full with his antique vehicles, all of which are meticulously restored, bumper-to-bumper – 2 and 3 deep and some neatly stored on racks above other vehicles. Dick began collecting antique cars and trucks in 1952 and has literally hundreds of them and easily thousands of pieces in his entire collection. Each has been meticulously restored as close as possible to its original condition. Vern Stone restored many of the vehicles. Dick's company, R.L. Best also fabricated many parts in their own shop. Most of the vehicles are in good mechanical and running condition. The very first piece in Dick's collection was a 1926 Model "T" pickup, which he still owns. Dick's personal favorite is a 1956 Peterbilt flatbed with a Caterpillar tractor on the deck. Many of the pieces are unique and many belonged to area truckers or local trucking companies. Some have an interesting story behind them like Eisenhower's golf cart and the 1936 Autocar moving van that has been to all 48 states. The Autocar saw service from 1936 to 1982 when Dick purchased it from Sonny Davis. The crown jewel of Dick's collection is a 1957 Mack Greyhound bus. It is a one of a kind prototype, built by Mack trucks for Greyhound. The bus cost a whopping 1 million in 1957 and obviously cost was the reason Greyhound only purchased one. Each September 12th, on this birthday, Dick holds a party at his house. Since his antique collection is so huge, he invites all his friends to come and enjoy his collection. In the course of the day, probably a couple of thousand people visit and peruse the collection. There is a free dinner and no admission; Dick just asks that you bring a covered dish, if you can. A lifetime member of The American Truck Historical Society, Dick has many friends with antique trucks and tractors and all are welcome to bring their truck or car to the celebration. Dick has been hosting the event for a decade now and celebrated his 78th birthday last September. I had the very good fortune to attend the event and hope you enjoy some of the photos of the antiques.
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