I've been looking forward to our local gun show, and today I dropped in after breakfast. Wanders around, light attendance, a few empty tables, but still, not a bad turn out. Maybe I'm getting a little jaded, but I just didn't see much that caught my attention.
Then... There was an older gentleman who was selling coins, and paper money from all over the world, and military decorations, and whatnot. On top of a pile of older paper money, I spotted a pre-Russian revolution 500 ruble note. As some of you know, Russia is one of my interests.
1912 issue. Worn condition, but for me attractive!! So I asked him how much he wanted for it..."how about four dollars??"...
Well, that seemed pretty fair, so I bought it.
I'll display it in my office along with much of my other Russian artifacts. Thinking about the history of this piece of paper, which has survived the Russian Revolution, WWI, WWII, Lenin, Stalin, the Cold War, and who can say what else, one of the least expensive pieces of history that I've come across!!
I also looked at, and might buy tomorrow, a couple of boxes of .38 Long Colt Ammo, pretty hard to find. I can use it for my Colt 1877 "Lightning"...which I have never shot.
Oh yeah, the irony is that I had a little windfall last week, and had a pocket full of cash that I could have spent without feeling guilty. And nothing much appealed to me. Lots of plastic pistols, a few common Smiths, nothing spectacular, though...a few Colts, one guy had a nice, but run if the mill Detective Special that he had priced at over a thousand!!
On the way out, I saw one of the Italian M1 Carbine bayonets that have been on the surplus market for the last year or so, and succumbed to the temptation to buy it for $40.
I may stop back in tomorrow and take another stroll through. No extra charge for the second day.
Best Regards, Les
Then... There was an older gentleman who was selling coins, and paper money from all over the world, and military decorations, and whatnot. On top of a pile of older paper money, I spotted a pre-Russian revolution 500 ruble note. As some of you know, Russia is one of my interests.
1912 issue. Worn condition, but for me attractive!! So I asked him how much he wanted for it..."how about four dollars??"...
Well, that seemed pretty fair, so I bought it.
I'll display it in my office along with much of my other Russian artifacts. Thinking about the history of this piece of paper, which has survived the Russian Revolution, WWI, WWII, Lenin, Stalin, the Cold War, and who can say what else, one of the least expensive pieces of history that I've come across!!
I also looked at, and might buy tomorrow, a couple of boxes of .38 Long Colt Ammo, pretty hard to find. I can use it for my Colt 1877 "Lightning"...which I have never shot.
Oh yeah, the irony is that I had a little windfall last week, and had a pocket full of cash that I could have spent without feeling guilty. And nothing much appealed to me. Lots of plastic pistols, a few common Smiths, nothing spectacular, though...a few Colts, one guy had a nice, but run if the mill Detective Special that he had priced at over a thousand!!
On the way out, I saw one of the Italian M1 Carbine bayonets that have been on the surplus market for the last year or so, and succumbed to the temptation to buy it for $40.
I may stop back in tomorrow and take another stroll through. No extra charge for the second day.
Best Regards, Les
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