Glen Faulman takes his self-anointed moniker "The Hamilton Kid" seriously. Besides being a bar owner, steelworker and punk rock singer, Faulman is a collector, and lover, of all things Hamilton.

He finds wonder and awe in the untold numbers of things that have been made here.

The downtown home he shares with his wife, Jodie, is crammed full of more than 200 artifacts - waxed paper, appliances, bricks, tools, bathing suits, maps, books, games and more - all made in Hamilton. There are Tuckett Tobacco tins, Peller and Grant's Spring beer bottles, even Hamilton-made condoms.

In his driveway, Faulman keeps two bullet-nosed Studebaker Champions, one a dilapidated dark blue 1950 model; the other, a working 1951 coupe in eggshell blue. One he found in Bradford, the other he hauled home from Peterborough on the back of a flatbed truck. They both came off the line of the North End auto plant that supplied Canada with Studebakers from 1948 to 1966. About 700 workers lost their jobs when the plant closed.

When Art Gallery of Hamilton curator Melissa Bennett heard about Faulman's collection, she decided it deserved to be on view. She went to his house and selected an array of artifacts and put them on display at the AGH Design Annex on James Street North.

Called "Things Made Here," the free exhibition includes a 19th-century sewing machine, a 1950s table top hockey game, nail samples, graphic ads and an antique brass cash register. It opened Jan. 31 and continues through March 21. An opening reception will be held Friday. And Faulman will be there to answer questions.

"Everything on this wall is out of my kitchen," says Faulman, dressed in an NHL Hamilton Tigers' replica hockey jersey and pointing to a metal tray from long-gone Regal Brewing.

The slogan on the tray reads "Spell it backwards." It takes a while to figure out the joke. Then it comes. Regal spelled backwards is "lager." It's hard to resist a chuckle.

"See, it still makes you smile and it's 90 years old," Faulman says.

Faulman, 42, has been collecting for about ten years. When he's not browsing the Internet or poking through flea markets, he works 12-hour shifts on the Stelco (he doesn't like calling it U.S. Steel Canada) Z-line. He is also part owner of This Ain't Hollywood, the popular rock club on James Street North and has fronted two punk bands, The Sam Lawrence Five and the Steel Town Spoilers. He started calling himself "The Hamilton Kid" as a stage name with The Sam Lawrence Five.

His roots go deep. Faulman is a third-generation steelworker and a 10th-generation Hamiltonian. His mother's family first came to the area in the 1780s, settling on a farm in the area of Mohawk and Upper Horning.

Just as important as the artifacts are the people who made them. Faulman can tell where the factories were located and how many workers they employed.

He points to a hand-operated 1862 Wanzer Sewing Machine. "That was made across the street at James and Vine," he says. "Wanzer employed 800 people. They opened factories in England and Europe. They opened one in Dresden, Germany. My dad is from Dresden."

Faulman has no interest in selling his trophies, but he's glad they are on display.

"The goal is a museum," he says. "Dundas has a museum; I don't see why Hamilton can't. Dundurn Castle and Whitehern don't really reflect anything about the working class. Those places don't say anything about the clock punchers. That's what this city has been all about."

When asked what would be his ultimate find, the Holy Grail of Hamilton collectibles, Faulman pauses for a moment and then says: "A Beaver truck, the Beaver Bullit. They spelt it with an 'i.' They were based on Wilson Street and made mostly one- to two-ton trucks during the 1920s. They were popular with local farmers. I've got a drawing from a single-page magazine ad, but that's as close as I've come so far.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

"And an armoured car. In the building that Rheem took over, they built armoured cars during the Second World War. It would be nice to have one of those."

Things Made Here: The Collection of Glen Faulman

Where: AGH Design Annex, 118 James St. N.

When: Now until March 21

Admission: Free

Opening reception: Friday, Feb. 13, 7 to 11 p.m.

