Not just the most expensive, but don't be shy about posting pics of cars and guns.

This is my friend, Elvira. I'm 6'2" for reference. She's a Russian cop and literally wrote this book on the AK. We got to be friends between '07 and '10. Until the politics changed, she'd come every summer for vacation and we'd hang out. This is the coolest thing I own.







We did one of these threads several years ago and we saw some really cool stuff!

No photos handy, but I have a pre-1st Edition advance review copy of Col. Dave Grossman's "On Killing", signed by Grossman.

I picked up the unsigned book from a used bookstore in the mid-2000s for a couple bucks, in near pristine condition.

He taught a class at a neighboring agency a few years ago, which I attended. I approached him with that book during a break and asked for a signature. He was surprised by such an early copy, and after signing my book, told me to take that book, put it in my safe, and put it up for auction when I retire.

Since we are on books so far I have a hard cover edition of 93 Confirmed Kills Marine Sniper by Henderson signed by Carlos Hathcock!

Found it at a book reseller chain here in Houston, they must not have realized that Hathcock while not the author was the subject of the book.

Got it for under $7 bucks.

Pretty cool book thing at least.

HK Ag

A full 10 volume set of the Encyclopedia of Explosives and Related Items. Some of them were owned and marked by the previous owner- Jerome S. Brower. He was involved in an operation to smuggle large amounts of C4 into Libya in the late 70s. I believe he went to prison.

I collect books on explosives and have other works from the 1800s as well.

A cock ring. I’d post a picture, but...

My 1966 Mustang:

000_0073.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr

Hmmm. Nothing I own is really cool, but I did get Willy Driscoll (F-4 Phantom RIO Ace from Vietnam) to autograph a print of their final shoot down.

I also acquired a couple of used books with Apollo Astronaut autographs (Bean, Lovell, Stafford, Cernan) - not by design, just from used books I bought.

I have a bottle of sand from the beach at Iwo Jima from a US Marine who went there. I had one full of Mt St Helens ash somewhere too.

But.... No zoom lens.

quote:

Originally posted by kimber1911:
But.... No zoom lens.

How did you know?

Wow, you are good, very quick wit.

Two Babe Ruth autographs my dad got at the Worlds Fair in NY on Western Union telegraph forms.

I have my Dad's old Porter Cable 10" rotary saw. VERY expensive when he bought it in the 50's. He did a lot of work with that saw, built a lot of houses. It has a unique sound due to the drive system.

Heard that thing a million times when I worked for my Dad off and on during high school and a few years later.

Every time I use it, the sound reminds me of my Father. Brings him back to me at least for a few seconds.

Maybe not the "coolest", but My most valued possession.

That seems pretty damn cool to me. ^^^^

I wish I had something similar. I've only got a couple of very small things from my dad, nothing that brings back memories though.

May it run many more years!

quote:

Originally posted by FN in MT:
I have my Dad's old Porter Cable 10" rotary saw. VERY expensive when he bought it in the 50's. He did a lot of work with that saw, built a lot of houses. It has a unique sound due to the drive system.

Heard that thing a million times when I worked for my Dad off and on during high school and a few years later.

Every time I use it, the sound reminds me of my Father. Brings him back to me at least for a few seconds.

Maybe not the "coolest", but My most valued possession.

That is damn cool. What a great post! Thanks.

I have a diary kept by a northern soldier when he fought in the Civil War. It spans a period of about two years. I have no idea what happened to the guy, whether he made it or not, and I really don't know who he was. It was part of my grandfathers collection of stuff and when he died (1955.) My grandmother kept it for me until I got older. She told me she didn't even know he had it until she was going through his stuff after the funeral. She didn't know the guy either.

A real mystery but cool nonetheless.

Whichever hand tool is helping me get the job done.
Pocket knife, needle files, chisel, card scraper, an Exacto blade ...

Lie-Nielsen ⅜" chisel

My latest victim: c.1850 Sebastien Kloz An 1700 (Mirecourt copy)
It was taken back apart after the last picture was taken. I got the neck angle wrong by 2˚ and the strings ended up 10mm too high. But it is back together now, even with the original bridge. To be test-fiddled tomorrow, first playing for a century. There is a repair label inside dated 1886 but that job did not go well and may never have been finished.

Custom longbow I find quite cool. An Al Mar Gerber knife I find equally cool. Would hate to have to choose. I use them both, which has endeared them to me even more.

My wife to be bought me this for my birthday when we were dating. (keeper!)
It was the last one in stock in Colorado as they stopped making them after being sued by Gibson so it's become quite special.

A napkin from the old Thunderbird Hotel in Las Vegas signed by Johnny Mathis who was headlining there in 1957. He was sitting at the table next to my parents.

Edit: I found it in my old set of World Book Encyclopedias under the letter M.

A gizzard stone from a brontosaurus