Motorcycle In The Living Room

     When you buy a new Harley Davidson motorcycle and your wife says,"Let's put that in the living room.", you know you have done good.

     We went to Wisconsin on vacation last month.  I went to the Harley Davidson museum in Milwaukee .  They had a bunch of old bikes at the Harley Davidson museum.   They only had two Hummers on display.  One was Willy G's first motorcycle, a 1948 Harley Davidson 125.  The other was a 1955 Hummer.

This Harley Davidson Hummer has found a new home

     For the benefit of you that don't know, Hummer was a small 125 cc motorcycle that Harley Davidson manufactured from 1948 until 1964.  When I was a kid in Douglas, Georgia, I had a 1959 Harley Davidson Hummer.  My brother had a 1959 Harley Davidson 165.  They were both calypso red.

     After my visit to the Harley Davidson museum, I decided that I wanted to look for a Hummer.  I looked on Craigslist.  I looked on Ebay.  I went to a couple of antique motorcycle events like the one in Chesnee, South Carolina the last week end in July.  There was no Hummers for sale or on display.  I decided to expand my search on Craigslist.  When I got to Atlanta, I found one.  It was fully restored to like new condition.  It was only 550 miles away.

     I hopped in my pick up truck and drove to Port Saint Joe, Florida and bought a 1961 Harley Davidson Super Ten.  If you have never been to Port Saint Joe,Florida, watch the last scene of "Easy Rider".   I am pretty sure I was on the same road where that scene was shot.

A piece of my childhood that will never be forgotten

     As I was driving home, my brother called me on the phone and asked me what I was doing.  I told him I was driving home with a Hummer.  His first question was,"What color is it?".  Calypso Red.

     When I got home, Kathy said,"That motorcycle is too nice to stick in the garage.  We are putting that in the living room."   Life is good.  Do you think I can join the Harley Owner's Group as a junior member ?

Schrade U.S.A. Pocket Knives Found In Box Lot

    An auctions is still a fun and exciting event.  Kathy came home yesterday from an antique auction with another surprise box lot.  It had two Schrade U.S.A. pocket knives in it. 

Pocket knives are very collectible.  You can't have too many.

     Today; in modern America, four per cent of men carry a pocket knife.  Here in the Carolinas, I think that is closer to 75%.  Fifty years ago, when carrying a pocket knife was a socially acceptable practice, there was a pocket knife for every man.  There were big ones and little ones.  There were knifes with multiple blades.  There were all kinds of pocket knives.  In my previous article I mentioned that Coca Cola and many other companies gave away and sold pocket knives with advertising on them.

      Kathy came home from the antique auction with a box with four pocket knives in it.  One is a modern Schrade U.S.A.  with a logo of the "North American Hunting Club" on the blade.  One is an old Schrade that says "Schrade Cut.Co Walden N.Y " on the blade.  It is a gentleman's knife.  It is very small with two blades.  It is shiny.  Kathy also brought home a Buck X 11 pocket knife with the original box. 

     There was also an Elgin pocket watch among Kathy's treasures.  You can open up the back and watch the watch tick.  Inside it says" Elgin Natl Watch Co. U.S.A.   There is a serial number (27126210).  

     Kathy has put these treasures in her antique booth at The Tryon Antique Mall on U.S. Hiway 176 at the South Carolina North Carolina state line between Landrum, South Carolina and Tryon, North Carolina.  Stop by and give them a look.  www.ronclimer.com   

Coca Cola Pocket Knives Found in Surprise Box

     If you have ever been to an auction, you are familiar with a "box lot".  A box lot is when the auctioneer auctions a box of stuff.  There may be five to twenty five items in the box.  This is good for the auctioneer.  Often, the bidders that are bidding are interested in different items in the box.  Box lots are a surprise.  We just recently had such a surprise.  We bought a box lot with several items.  One item looked like a pendant .  After closer inspection, it was a very unique knife.  It has two folding blades that come out from either side.  It was a Coca Cola advertisement with the phrase "Relieves Fatigue" on it.  Coca Cola has not used that phrase since 1906.  This knife is old.  In the picture below, that is a quarter in the picture.

The two blades fold in so this looks like a pendant or coin

     Kathy put the knife for sale at our booth at The Tryon Antique Mall on U.S. Hiway 176 in Tryon, North Carolina.  We also found a small pocket knife shaped like a Coke bottle.  The Coca Cola Company must have sold or given away a lot of different pocket knives as advertising.

     We also have a small pocket knife from the Chicago World's Fair in 1933 with Coca Cola advertising on its Bakelite handle.  We have put all of these little Coca Cola advertising knives in Kathy's booth at The Tryon Antique Mall at 1005 south Trade street in Tryon, North Carolina. 

The Coca Cola World's Fair knife was made by Ideal

     Kathy has other Coca Cola advertising paraphernalia  in her booth.  If you have any antiques that you want to sell, call Kathy at 828 755 6996