Hibou

Before I started on this project of mine, I needed to do some research because, 'clock work' was never a feather in my cap and as important as this project was going to be, I didn't want to mess anything up.  So between the traditional internet forums and social media, I was able to come up with a game plan on how I would accomplish this project that I set up for myself.  I found a forum which had a thread that was started 14 years ago where someone was looking to do almost exactly what I was intending.  I found a lot of useful tips from there and actually, had it not been for the useful information contained within that thread, I probably would've ruined my clock.

In addition to that, I found a group on Facebook, of all places, and within one certain post... that led me to a contact who sold these parts.

What is shown here is an original hour split hand along with a reproduction minute and second hand. 

This contact that I found from Facebook was the one that was selling the reproduction parts as a set and so for $20, I ordered one from him.  He's located in New Jersey so I didn't have to wait long for this to arrive.  Anyways, when I disassembled the clock, I could see that it been previously worked on, based on the condition of the hands.  The hour hand, which was difficult to remove, looked like the last person to service or disassemble the clock bent it a bit so I was very happy that I ordered the repro set.  I kept the original second hand (I corrected the arrow orientation) and minute hand on the clock but used the repro hour hand it it looks great.

The only thing I forgot to do before I put it back together was to look for a date on the motor but based on what I know, this clock was probably from the late 40's to early 50's.  The antique store I got the clock from put in new LED lights so it looks great when it's on.  One of the reasons I thought that this clock would be an excellent host (or rather the back can or shell) was because it had a pull chain to turn the lights on and off.  The motor runs very smoothly and is quiet as well which is a good sign too.

So...

After this long build up, it's so appropriate that it I can post this today - another time heist!

The Monarch Finer Foods (established in 1853) Telechron Advertising Clock has served its time well.

Pun intended.

It has now been reborn and I think it looks pretty awesome.

Here is the 'Blue Coal' Telechron Advertising Clock ...

I did some research to try and find examples that had sold in the past and I could only find one from 14 years ago.

Additionally, I saw a picture that Dwight ( @detective35 ) posted of his Shadow memorabilia room and he also had one of these so I feel like I'm in excellent company here with this purchase.

So, what did I find here?

Well obviously it was related to the Telechron Advertising Clock...

To be continued...

You're probably thinking to yourself... I don't get it?!

Yup.

How did I steal time here?

Yup.

Let me pour this time stolen Manhattan and I'll tell you.

This is where I became very conflicted because, as it's my nature to dig and dig and dig, I ultimately found out that this piece that I had purchased came from a community museum from Fenelon Falls, Ontario, Canada. 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g796987-d2457854-Reviews-or45-Horseless_Carriage_Museum-Fenelon_Falls_Kawartha_Lakes_Ontario.html

The owner of the museum had decided to dissolve the museum and liquidate their assets from which this piece came from.

It was transferred somehow to this antique store in Texas and given that history, I felt obligated to respect that history and preserve it.

However...

There's one thing that will supersede respect to history and that would be love for my wife and my honor to my true friends.

Rob is a true friend of mine and when I showed him a picture of this item that I had just purchased, as he took me back to 1976 in his 'Townie Bar', I could tell that he really liked the graphic representation of this item.

It was then that I decided that this was not going to be preserved to history, but in fact, it would be 'distributed'... that's a nice word, isn't it?

Rob will get half of this but he has no idea so please don't spill the beans!

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Ok...

What the hell am I talking about here?!

Well, it's this item here...

A vintage Telechron Advertising Clock!

It appears that the gatekeepers of time have allowed me another heist.

Just over a month ago, I won an item off of eBay that I never thought I'd see but there was a catch... it was half of a whole. 

Does that make any sense?!

I was thrilled to have won the item and even more so when it arrived intact and not broken which I thought for sure, would happen.  I was amazed that this very delicate item survived the past 75 years or so and here I was, now in possession of it!  As I stated, this was half of it and now I would have to marry it with another... would this garner a green label from CGC?!

Perhaps.

Regardless, nothing was going to prevent me from making this happen and a few weeks after I purchased this item form eBay, I found the perfect compliment or host device and this was where I became slightly conflicted.  I had been searching all sorts of online venues from Mercari to eBay and even other auction sites but could not find an affordable piece.

These things can go for upwards of $1000 and there was no way I was paying anything close to that for this project.

Ultimately, my research and diligence paid off as I found an online antique store based out of Lubbock, Texas.

This one here...  https://www.facebook.com/antiqueologylbk/

That was certainly a bit dramatic - sorry about that.

These next few weeks are going to be pretty tough for me and my family as we head into the date of a year ago. 

It was so surreal to hear about the events from last weekend as I was listening to it live on the radio - I was driving over to my parents house to visit with them. 

Anyways, I have this fascination with the track of time, as I've written about that detail numerous times.  And so with that, as I finished last night's post, it is time to travel back in time again as I'm very excited about how my project turned out that I mentioned previously.  The way that this happened to coincide with what happened to me one year ago this week is certainly note worthy, to say the least.  It was last year on this day that my wife and I left to go pick up our daughter in New Jersey as she returned home from Japan. On the way home, I decided to take an impromptu detour to visit the site of the old 'blue coal' breaker in Ashley, Pennsylvania.

This moment here... where I managed to slip in and stole time.

Summer Madness - 2024.

Or are we at 1968?

No... my friends, this is indeed 2024.

Summer Madness.

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Let's time travel once again, shall we?

Do you remember when I was counting down the hours?  When it felt like my entire existence was blown up in a nuclear attack?

(Do you remember Jericho, the TV series?  I really liked that show.)

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It was almost a year ago when my family and I spent a short time and a few dollars in Butler, Pennsylvania on our way home from Pittsburgh.

It was a good time. 

This is what I wrote last year about that memory...

Summer Madness has set in, almost as it did back in 1968... I hope that it doesn't get any closer to that time in this country and I hate that the memory I have of Butler, PA has now forever been replaced by this image taken from the horrible incident that occurred last Saturday afternoon.

I need a distraction or a time jump and here it comes...

Edit:

The religious picture that I purchased in Butler, PA is this one shown here.  It's from the 1930's and I've had it for sale at our antique booth but I've now decided to keep it. 

I'm not an overly religious person but there's now another story behind it and I certainly love my stories. 

I'm sorry, but I have to start here...

I'm only speculating here, but I think Rob got to witness the "live action" representation of my journal... and in real time. 

What I mean is, that as we're talking (as I'm typing), a song will appear in my head (I'll hit up YouTube) and then once that happens, I need to hear that song ASAP!

I think that's what happened a few times in which I took full advantage of the networked jukebox that I discovered. 

That being said, as Rob explained to me that this network was tapped into numerous bars across the county, he reminded me to be mindful of the power that we possess. 

I love that. 

So no, I did not play or dedicate Rapper's Delight to Rob's Townie Bar, despite my desires...

But what did I do... as I sank into my weekly sorrows?

Well, I played this song in the bar and grill that David worked at that will forever remind me of him.

So, thanks so much to my dear friend Rob, as (in my head), I lay waste to that establishment...

We've been stuck in this 'heat bubble' for what feels like a month now, here in the north-east section of the U.S. in Central New York.

I should probably do a welfare check on my poor friend Rob as I'm sure he now resembles this scene...

Whew!

My worries have been dispelled.

It was just a mere week ago when he gave me the chance to revisit 1976 in all of it's glory.  I did forget to mention that we were both in agreement that what this Westworld recreation lacked was this simple addition...

The obligatory 70's netted candle...

Now of course, I described these to Rob as 'Fishnet Candles' but that's because I'm from the 30's & 40's...  

Regardless, he understood what I meant!

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So tonight, I'll try to pick up where I left off last weekend.  Unfortunately, it won't get into that Disney post that I had mentioned.

Thinking back to that last weekend, another reason what made it so wonderful is that it provided me with an escape which I know I'll need from time to time.  I mention this only because I know Rob truly understands this... sometimes you need to depart from the current timeline in order to deal with the current timeline.

Hey, screw you TVA!

We spent a considerable amount of time there and it was just a pleasant experience all the way around.  We left on Rob's advice based on the news that a couple of people were on their way and it was probably for the better.  I think I wanted to see what this was all about, but that's how I get sometimes.  Anyways, we went back to Rob's apartment where he had to show me the contents of that Knight Rider lunchbox that was shown in one of the pictures, I previously posted, along with these mystery boxes that I have yet to talk about in this journal, but I do have it in the queue.

So inside of that lunch box were these cards and of course I loved seeing these as they immediately reminded me of David's collection.  Rob told me that they had probably been in there for over 20 years - just a random assembly of awesome non-sports cards from all sorts of different series and subjects.

That was fun to see and I'm sure some of those 1990 / 1991 Impel cards are still worth something, just not like the crazy prices we were seeing for those things a few years ago.  Like I said, the last thing Rob showed me was one of these crates that he still had from this company : https://mysteriouspackage.com/collections/occult-crates

These things are very cool... very well researched and sourced but kind of pricey. 

He got one for me a number of years ago and I'll have to get that story soon.

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So yes, this was a fabulous weekend to go back in time a little and kind of feel that atmosphere again. 

It's kind of funny but so appropriate, as it was exactly near one year ago when I was allowed to go back in time and touch history, although that one wasn't set in the 70's as this experience was. 

Once I opened the door and walked in, it took me exactly 6 seconds to say "I'm home", as I took in the complete, unfiltered ambiance of the mid 70's. 

As Rob said, it's every bar you ever went to with your parents and / or grandparents.  He was right... complete with Christmas lights (in July), carpeted floor and tin tile ceiling!  We pulled up seats at one end of the bar and I sat directly across from the local shrine that was set up behind the bar of friends that had passed.

Basically their beer selection was just domestics but as Rob explained, very cheap.  For instance the PBR (which I hadn't had in many, many years) were $2.50 each, which in today's economy,  that's like .75 cents .

 For entertainment, they had a pool table, dart board, corn-hole and a jukebox which I was fascinated with.  Rob explained it to me how it works and it's part of a network which allows you to download an app and play songs in the establishment you're at (or any other establishment in the network for that matter)... the catalog of songs is impressive and spans many genres.  I ended up playing 6 songs - I believe you get 8 song credits for $5 or something close to that.  So to fully invoke the spirit of the mid 1970's, the first song I played was Fleetwood Mac's Rhiannon and based on the exuberant reaction from this guy sitting a few seats away, it was an appropriate choice.  Some other songs I chose were from Genesis, Journey and of course Robbie Robertson.

This moment was strangely reminiscent of the when I first opened up "The Book", a few years ago...

It was now time to head over to this "TVA-proof" bar and this was this first image I grabbed, just mere seconds before stepping past the time threshold...

So, why Wonder Woman and that Toto song?

Well, before we left his apartment to go the 33 steps to this new TVA-proof establishment, Rob had me try this drink he came up with, which consisted of Black Currant Liqueur, Gin, Lemon Seltzer with fresh Black Berries and a Lemon slice.  It was very tasty and refreshing to say the least...

Additionally, to help me along with this night, Issac Hayes made an appearance as Rob showed me some of his latest vinyl acquisitions. 

Not only that, but he pulled this out of the bin which was something he bought for me and is just awesome. 

Lynda Carter's Portrait album and a promo copy nonetheless!

So that's the story behind the Wonder Woman video...

Now this (freaking) amazing piece of art was done by the "Bartender" downstairs of where he resides... are you kidding me?! 

(It was given to him for his Birthday)

This was just sick to see in person with the depth and complexity.

Absolutely brilliant!

(Acrylic on Canvas)

And yeah... that's his awesome Wolverine (Art Adams) Standup display from the 90's.

These are the newly updated images of Rob's Muse... Apartment...

I figured it would best to do this update in parts as my PC is doing that thing. 

Hmm... after 10 years should I reinvest in a new PC?

I think it is time.

 I know I led with a rather ambiguous introduction for this weekend's entry from last night so I'll start it again here with a more appropriate video...

I'll get to the reason behind this clip from Wonder Woman : "Amazon Hot Wax" (Season 3, Episode 9)  soon enough and yeah, it's a good one!

Anyways, yesterday (Friday) started innocently enough where i was able to get an actual full night's sleep after having Thursday off for the 4th of July.  I normally don't work on Friday and Saturday so this was truly a nice little bonus.  I went out during the afternoon to run some errands and hit a a few stores while also restocking my cigars and visiting a liquor store that I hadn't been to in a while.  I found this Scotch there, which was something I certainly needed to try as it was about half the price of what a Laphroaig 10 (my favorite "affordable" Scotch) costs.

As I'm finally trying this now, it needs to be cut just a tad but for a blend, it's a very good substitute for a Single Malt, if peated (Islay) Scotch is your thing.

So as the day wound down, it was nearing the time when Rob and I had agreed to meet up at his "Townie" bar (he corrected my spelling of it as I wasn't quite sure last night) for his birthday... albeit, around a week late.  Anyways, he had sent me numerous texts about this bar and he told me that he thought I would love this place.

I think he knows me too well...

His first texts to me about this place focused around the "dark and carpeted" atmosphere.  To say that I wasn't immediately intrigued by this description would be a lie.  To me, it sounded like a place that (Agent) Harry Vincent would frequent... 

And so, after a quick stop at Burger King for one their Chicken Philly wraps (which I love), it was time to head over to Rob's Museum... I mean apartment.  His door was left opened as I approached and I quickly realized why that was, as I entered into his 150 degree kitchen where he was cooking up some bacon as a snack, I suppose.  After some small talk and some of my picture taking of his galleries, I gave him his birthday gifts which consisted of a few small items as well as this officially licensed, double breasted, TVA approved Loki jacket.

Despite the fact that it was hotter than the Sun in his kitchen, like a champ, he donned the jacket and as I later explained, he effectively cloaked himself from the TVA as my BlueCoal time damper that I set up in his basement had stopped working.

Through my lapel camera, he was totally unaware that I was able to snag this picture!

I'm so sorry that I've been taken away from my usual comforts.

My best friend Rob is certainly to blame here.

Why?

"Hey, let's go to the local "Townie" bar here."

Rob - "Are you sure?!"

"Hell yeah..."

My famous last words!

A day later but yes, I'm still in House Cleaning mode...

I do think that the GSX1 CGC 9.9 Heritage auction was a bit underwhelming, but to be fair, there a ton of exposure on CGC's new grading standards which certainly allowed for the 9.9 to enter the market.

There's an expression for this, but it fails me at the moment.

So, back to House Cleaning...

This seemed to be the weekend where the Deadpool / Wolverine merch dropped and it all started with an innocent stop last weekend to a mall around an hour from us..

This was the display set up at Hot Topic.

Behind the scenes with Michelle Joy...

And there it is...

The single highest graded copy of Giant Size X-Men #1 at a CGC 9.9 just sold on the Heritage auction for $170,000.

Well, I never got around to that Disney themed post that I wanted to add last weekend but here we are yet again at another lost weekend.  The main reason why I didn't get to that post was because I would have had to un-bury my large flatbed scanner to scan this CGC slab (as well as several others that I have to get to as well) and I'm just not motivated enough at the moment.  I'm not sure where this is going to go tonight as I'm half watching the Heritage auctions with that crazy CGC 9.9 GSX... I'll get to that later.

I guess the best thing to do right now though is to get into some...

House Cleaning (Part XX)

I'm still watching this GSX1 CGC 9.9 and very interested in the hammer results. 

For the record, I'm listening to Mickey's broadcast... @Swagglehaus

As we're waiting for the final auction results, I'll have to post this 'relevant' music video from Cannons

Cannons : Shadows (2019)

Fire For You

I just spent a good portion of this evening texting with my friend, Rob, on all sorts of topics from AI to Ralph Fiennes and from Pine Needle beer to Reece's Peanut Butter Cups. 

As it stands, he's not at home because this area is in the grips of a hellish heat spell.  It's so bad that I'm hearing that politicians are formulating a plan to blow up the sun.  All kidding aside, but of course, not really... I myself have called for the arrest and detainment of "Weather". 

This has gone on long enough...

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Anyways, I'm sort of in between things right now as I alluded to last week.  I have this project set up for myself but in order to complete it, I have to come up with a bit of extra spending money.  That seems to be an issue now as things are getting tighter for various reasons.  In addition, I have a few comics and pulps that I really want to get graded and there are a few books that I've targeted as well in terms of those that I'm actively seeking. 

So... where does that leave me right now?  Well, I flipped a few keys on eBay that I recently purchased in what I thought was a good deal from my LCS... that will help answer some of my current issues.

In terms of what's next here?

Well... it seems that at the rate I'm going, Deadpool and Wolverine is going to be here before I know it and I guess I'm holding off on a lot of things until that comes around.

That movie is going to be rather difficult for us, for obvious reasons.

As my wife has put it - the entire theater will be hollering while we'll probably be in tears. 

Yes, I'm trying to strategically plan this just right of course, as my family and I will be seeing this within the first two days of the release, but I'd also like to see this with my friend, Rob as well.

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And so...

I might get into an obscure topic and title tomorrow night involving Disney, of all things!

But until then, and to close out this night, I have to link this amazing version of this song that I just heard over the course of this past week.

This is one of my all time favorites, Robert Plant, along with Allison Krauss from Wolf Trap National Park in Vienna, Virginia.

When The Levee Breaks...

... goin' down.

Going down, now.