I've heard it said by people much smarter than I'll ever be that none of us on Earth ever truly own anything, that we are merely custodians and stewards of what possessions cross our paths as we mark our time in this life...The kings and queens of ancient Egypt thought they owned it all, even the human beings that were kept alive to serve them...They imagined that if their wealth and their staffs of servants could be buried with them, they would always be in possession of their accumulations...But their bodies were scarcely cold and tucked away in their pyramid tombs before the ghouls ransacked many of their gravesites and carried off their precious wealth only to become yet again the temporary possession of fools who thought their property to be sacrosanct...Those few whose tombs escaped plunder were only later opened by archeologists who removed their contents and even their bodies for display in museums...When those museums are buried in the dust of collective ages to become the foundations of a thousand succeeding civilizations, those ancient rulers will be no closer to ownership of the baubles and trinkets they coveted in life than they were when they could still draw a breath...
No matter our status nor position as we work our way toward the end of our allotted times here, the objects we have claimed during our years are no more ours to keep than the diamonds buried under miles of rock on distant planets...Even our own bodies which have been our only true homes since birth will be taken away from us eventually by the ravages of time...When we leave to find our next place in God's plan, nothing will remain of us or what we possessed but whatever memories we have bestowed in the minds of those who knew us...And even that will fade to nothingness with the passage of generations...
What then of the physical possessions that mean something to each of us beyond their monetary value...Each of us has and still do have in our possession certain objects which retain for us a value higher than its market worth...When we are no longer in possession of even the life we were granted at birth, and even our souls are returned to He who created them and granted us temporary stewardship, those objects we coveted in life become the possessions of others who may or may not understand the value we placed on them...Not sharing a common history with us, the new stewards may merely exchange our trinkets for new trinkets which they now covet...
In the past year or so, I began to think of the things I possess, and to ponder over the value of what little earthly belongings I have gathered in a lifetime...That which I can still lay my hands on is hard earned, and in some cases fought over to retain...But I know in the end it will all remain behind me to belong to others, however temporarily...My closest family consists of only my two nephews, my late brother's sons, who have grown to manhood and both lead their own lives with their own values...I'm proud to leave whatever I possess to them as I move on at some point, but since their values and their experiences differ from mine, certain earthly items of mine will carry no more value to them, than the money they can be sold for...There are two items of mine which, although they carry a high monetary value in any case, they have a different value while they are in my stewardship...While I still have control over these items, I have decided to transfer ownership to others, to whom I believe they will not only retain my value, but will add their own value...Both of these new custodians are friends, one recent and the other of many decades...
The first item is a wristwatch, an Omega Speedmaster Professional which I bought new at a Canadian Air Force Base in what was then still called West Germany...Details in my memory have faded in the intervening 52 years, but to the best of my knowledge it was Zweibrücken Air Base where at that time an air show was being held, the first I had ever attended...I cannot recall exactly what led to my enamorment with the Omega Speedy Pro, but it may have been an article on personal timepieces in the pages of Playboy magazine, which at that time and place was required reading for any GI stationed anywhere in the world...I can only recall being influenced by many recommendations concerning fashion and accoutrements considered to be the proper choice of discerning gentlemen of the era...Whatever the source of the spark, it lit a flame in my heart to own a Speedy Pro, but the local Base Exchange not only didn't stock it, but had no idea when or if they could obtain one...
The year was 1968 and I knew I would not be making the US Air Force my career, but also knew this would be my one chance to see as much of Europe as possible...Together with three friends in my squadron, we pooled our two Volkswagens and as much camping gear as we could beg or borrow for a 20 day tour of Europe, culminating in attending the Gran Prix of Monaco held in the streets of Monte Carlo...[Note: the photo link just provided includes several photos of a very young Truckman wearing this particular watch]...I wrote to my parents telling them of our itinerary, and to my delighted surprise they sent me a check for $300.00 so I wouldn't have to take the trip of a lifetime on the cheap...Before we were to embark our VW's to conquer a small chunk of Europe, we had a chance to attend the airshow the Canadians were hosting, and while there we visited their Base Exchange to gather a few supplies for the journey...Naturally I cruised by their jewelry department, and lo and behold, there sat a brand new Omega Speedmaster Professional under glass...Having my trip money in my pocket and knowing this might be my only chance ever to own this fine wristwatch, I asked the price...
At this time the watch had not been announced as the choice of NASA for issuance to all astronauts, including those who would be chosen to wear theirs on the surface of the moon the following year...But it was still a hefty price tag even before it became famous...I was able to obtain mine on the spot for the princely sum of 95 US dollars...The remainder of what was in my travel fund found good use as we were able to check into the local hotels every few days, with genuine beds and actual hot showers...I was also able to take advantage of local bargains in quality goods such as leather items in Florence Italy, and hand-blown glass in Venice...When I got back to base, I applied for, and was granted a $300.00 loan from the on-base American Express office which I sent home in the form of a money order...Prompt repayment to American Express also helped with building my credit rating...
My Speedy is what became known as a pre-moon watch since it does not have the (to me) gaudy NASA inscription on the back, but it does have the then new smoother more accurate movement and I have worn it proudly for 52 years...It has endured two divorces, an accidental dunking in a lake when I fell overboard (after which I sent it off for its first overhaul) and even though I shouldn't have, I wore it many times while working at various jobs...In recent years I had it overhauled yet again by a local watchmaker with many years of working on high-end watches as I was told...
Since then it gains about a minute every three or so days, and possibly due to my habit of working while wearing it, the chronometer knobs have both become detached, one of which I was able to recover...It needs another overhaul, and whatever the cost of that might be, it is well worth it to retain its value...But even then its true value to me is beyond whatever it might bring on the open market when left up to my nephews if it came into their possession...At this writing new Speedy Pros are listed at about $6500.00 while pre-moon watches in primo condition sell for considerably more when they can be found for sale...But I agonized over the watch's history being lost and forgotten if my nephews just cashed it in and it wound up on a new wrist...
Recently when my trusted friend of more than 30 years and I were off to yet another gun show, we took one of his fellow workers and friend with us who is also a firearm enthusiast...While talking he recognized and asked about the watch on my wrist...After several conversations it turned out the Speedy Pro is his dream watch, something he has admired for many years...I saw an opportunity here to continue the history of my watch in a new tradition which will see it passed down to one of his sons or grandsons...Being a young family man with the usual obligations, he could not justify draining their savings for either a new or used Speedy, but after talking it over with his wife it was concluded that he could fulfill his dream if he could use some cash and a trade for guns already in his possession...We established a fair price, and came to an agreement to trade for cash plus guns...I will continue to trade up in my own gun collection, and have some cash to put away in savings...This also alleviates the burden on my nephews whom I'm sure would find themselves at a disadvantage when it came to the responsibility of liquidating my assets...When the time comes for my new young friend to pass along the Speedy, which I'm guessing may occur some 50 more years down the line, it will be 100 years old, and he will know its entire history from its date of original new purchase...
This takes a huge worry off my shoulders as I can concentrate on other events as time creeps up on me from behind...But there are still a few items which have some history for me, and I think I can rest easier knowing how they will be treated when they leave my grasp...I have a particular pistol which has not only commercial and intrinsic value, but even greater value as a memory prop for those who know its history...The gun in question is a Colt Gold Cup National Match chambered in .45ACP...I bought it for cash from a man I had dealt with before, but also had a reputation as one who is not always trustworthy...But I ran the gun's serial number through several databases purporting to contain complete lists of of stolen and missing firearms (NCIC is unavailable to me)...The number consistently returned as clean...
When I first got it in the early 90's, it had already been refinished as blued, and some of the lettering had been lost in the process...It shot well in my amateur hands, but I knew it could be improved...I showed it to a friend, Art Collins, who was not only a chief of police at the time but also one of the most knowledgeable people I have ever known on the subject of firearms and shooting in general...Gold Cups are known to have excellent triggers out of the box, but Art cleaned up the action a bit for me, and the shot groups tightened...Later I decided I wanted night sights in place of the repulsive tall Millet target sights which would not even allow the pistol to fit a standard holster...Art sourced some adjustable Meprolight Tru Dot sights for me and installed them...In doing so he had to overcome the double staking on the front sight to correctly install the new ones...Being the consummate master gunsmith he was, it was performed without complaint and he merely passed the information along matter of factly...In the intervening 20 or so years following, the sights have lost most of their original glow, and to my knowledge Meprolight no longer offers this sight in inventory...However the slide could always be sent to Meprolight, or another source such as Miniature Machine Company (MMC) of Ft. Worth, either of which can drill the dead globes out and replace with fresh ones...
At a later point I decided I wanted to refinish the gun again because I did not like the blued finish; it did not match Colt bluing and to my eyes, just didn't look right...In talking it over with Art, I decided on hard chrome which is an industrial finish just about impervious to wear or weather...The hard chrome pieces I had already seen elsewhere never came out as shiny and reflective as traditional triple chrome plating, but Art called a contact he knew at Checkmate Refinishing in Florida (no longer in business today)...He was told they were very familiar with hard chrome and could make it look as shiny as a '58 Cadillac bumper if I wanted...
Before sending the gun off, I also wanted a few changes to the gun...Art ordered a BarSto barrel and bushing, new steel magazine release, Ed Brown single-side thumb safety and wide grip safety...He ordered all new springs and new firing pin at the same time...When they arrived, he fitted each new part to the gun, which in the hands of a master craftsman like him, means that each part of the gun was perfectly mated to the pieces it came in contact with...He took it to the range and shot it, then being satisfied with its performance, he again disassembled it down to the last pin and spring...The parts which were to be hard chrome plated were boxed and shipped to Checkmate...When they came back the job had been done exactly as he specified: flats polished to a mirror finish and rounds chromed in matte...
Plating adds a few microns to the dimensions of each part that is plated, and Art again hand fitted each of the parts on reassembly to a perfect mating...At this time he also hand fitted the slide to the frame, allowing for the new thickness on the parts, and fitted the barrel and bushing for a positive no-movement alignment...After shooting the gun to verify function and accuracy, Art cleaned and returned the gun to me...What, the reader may wonder, was the cost of performing this miracle of new accuracy and dependability?...Art charged me his cost on the plating and the parts used...For his expert labor and hours of painstaking, tedious work he wouldn't take a penny...We had always done each other favors, also watching each other's merchandise and money when we set up together at gun shows, with me selling guns and Art selling his custom loaded ammunition...To my knowledge, neither of us ever made a nickel off each other in our years of friendship...
Sadly Art died from his recurring bouts with cancer in 2009...His funeral was one of the most heavily attended I have ever witnessed with well wishers and mourners packing the overflowing chapel...The stories and accolades heaped on him from those who knew him both personally and professionally went on for hours...I have fond memories of my friend, and of everything he taught me about shooting, firearms, ammunition, history and most importantly - character...Today those memories and the Colt Gold Cup he built for me are all I have left of those days...My recent thinking about my watch also led to thoughts of this gun, and the few other earthly possessions I treasure...Again referring to my well-meaning but inexperienced nephews, they both know what to do with any money I leave them, and will invest it carefully...But the Gold Cup has a history which would be lost on them...It's just another of my guns, and would likely be sold or traded for far less than its value...
To that end I decided the best thing to do would be to turn over custodianship to my friend who has attended so many gun shows with me, and who also worked for Art Collins as a policeman for many years, rising to the rank of Lieutenant under Art's leadership...He is several years younger than I am, and will likely be around long after I am gone...He is also the most trusted of my small circle of friends, and will treat the gun as it should be, shooting it and carrying it on duty...He has been my friend as long as I have owned this gun, and I can think of no better steward for it and the memories it inspired than him...He was even present when I bought the giraffe bone grips that now reside on the gun...As he pointed out to me, he has excellent taste in grips...
At some point both these men will reach my point in life where they wonder what will become of the objects that have stirred their memories and marked their time on our planet...I trust that both will make suitable plans to pass on the custodial duties of a few shiny objects and the history connected to them...
More articles concerning Other Thoughts...
