• Originally published December 6, 2009 at 11:15 a.m., updated December 6, 2009 at 11:16 a.m.

STAFFORD, Conn. (AP) — It's not every day you come across an original model of the Ford Rotunda building that was on display at the 1934 World's Fair or an actual copy of the Detroit Times from the day automobile pioneer Henry Ford died in 1947.

And when was the last time you saw a rare 1946 Ford Sportsman convertible with side panels made of maple and mahogany, or a bag of charcoal briquets invented by Ford that's more than 75 years old?

All this and more are what resident Donald Passardi, 59, has amassed over the years at his home, which is the site of a treasure trove of rare Ford memorabilia and antique automobiles.

From original political advertisements promoting Ford's little-known bid for the presidency to the china used in the cafeterias of Ford factories, Passardi's extensive collection includes more than 10,000 original items, most dating between 1903 and 1953.

"I have some of the most unusual stuff," Passardi says.

Passardi, a lifelong resident of Stafford who manages the dairy department at a Super Stop & Shop in Glastonbury, says he spends 90 percent of his salary on his hobby. He is an active member of the Early V8 Ford Club of America, the Antique Auto Club of America, and the Model A Ford Club of Connecticut.

Passardi first became fascinated with antique Fords when he attended his first car show at age 13. By the time he was 15, he'd bought his first antique car a 1930 Ford Model A pickup truck.

"After that day, I got hooked," Passardi says.

In the early 1990s, Passardi became fascinated with the life and business of Henry Ford, which prompted him to start his collection of memorabilia.

He even built a separate building on his property in the mid-1990s to house the collection, which includes 13 antique Ford cars. He has nine showcases full of items on display inside.

Set up like a museum with each item in its carefully chosen place Passardi shows 500 to 600 visitors his collection each year. About 98 percent of his items are originals, he says.

"Sometimes it'll take me an hour to put away one pin," says Passardi, who may spend weeks documenting one item. In addition to recording a description of each collectable, Passardi does research to find photos and historical documentation of the item. For example, he has obtained photographs of people eating on the Ford china.

"This is more or less a Ford museum now," Passardi says, adding that he's made several trips to the Ford archives in Dearborn, Mich., and has met the curator of Fair Lane Farm, the Ford Estate.

Last year, a representative from the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich., visited Passardi's collection. It wasn't until then did Passardi realize how impressive the collection was.

"A lot of people don't realize all the things Ford was involved with besides automobiles," Passardi says.

Passardi says Ford produced his own tomato juice from the thousands of acres of farmland he owned. Since he couldn't market the juice on his own, he sold his business to the Ford Motor Co. He has several of the original tomato juice bottles in display cases.

Ford also invented charcoal briquets, produced fertilizer, and experimented with gasoline made out of soybeans in the late 1930s and 40s, Passardi says.

Passardi has a full bag of Ford briquets that is more than 75 years old, in addition to Ford brand plant fertilizer.

The rarest items, Passardi says, are those related to Ford's short-lived political career. In 1918, Ford ran for the U.S. Senate, but lost. He also ran for president in 1924, but dropped out after winning the Michigan primary to support Woodrow Wilson.

Passardi has original advertisements, campaign pins, and other Ford presidential memorabilia. He even has a sign from the 1920s that reads "Wilson needs Henry Ford."

Passardi has badges from almost every Ford plant in the country. Examples of other items he possesses are Ford pedal cars, trophies given out to employees in the early 1940s, ladies compacts from the 1930s, gear shift knobs sold at expositions, salt and pepper shakers in the shape of the Rotunda building, Ford perfume bottles, stamps, printer blocks commemorative plates, and countless other items.

He even has a photograph autographed by Henry Ford, as well as the pen he used to sign it. He has letters from Ford's wife, Clara, and son, Edsel.

"The stranger the item, the better I like it," Passardi says.

Passardi, who drives a Ford Crown Victoria, takes his antique cars out occasionally, he says. The three rarest Fords which are kept upstairs in the museum part of the building are only for show. The remaining 10 cars are kept in the bottom floor of the building, which doubles as a garage.

His rarest automobile is a 1946 Ford Sportsman, a wood-sided convertible. The car has power windows, a button on the floor to switch the radio, and a fire extinguisher all of which were rare features during the time period.

When it came out, the car cost about $1,600, which was twice the cost of a typical Ford at the time, Passardi says.

"The accessories just go on and on in this car," he says, adding that the car was built to compete with the Chrysler Town and Country.

Also in the garage is a Ford neon light from 1932, which still works.

Passardi says he spends about an hour a day on the online auction site eBay looking for items, and spends an additional two to three hours cleaning, dusting, and rearranging items in the museum. He's collected his items from flee markets, eBay, and from hearing about them through word of mouth.

"I'm just touching the tip of the iceberg with this stuff," Passardi says.

He's also in touch with other collectors and trades items on occasion.

"I've come to the point where I've just about outgrown my building," Passardi says. "I'mm running out of space very quickly."

___

Information from: Journal Inquirer, http://www.journalinquirer.com

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