Posted by
Glenn Flowers on Friday, July 18, 2008 11:16:04 PM
Today, July 18th, I turned 56 years old. (Thank you, thank you.)
I went to the mall to a music store and spent two hours test driving acoustic guitars. I bought an elect/acoustic Ovation Celebrity 12 string with case for my b'day present from my wife.
When I left the music store there were 20 or so private vendors having a sort of sidewalk sale along the mall. I was scanning their trinkets and at one guy's table I spied an authentic, embroidered NASA mission patch. I picked it up and, to my surprise, it was the patch from the Challenger mission that exploded in January, 1986. It was in perfect, unused condition. NASA only orders enough of these patches for the flight crew, crew assist techs, the launch team, and the pad crew. Less than 30 are ever ordered, and here was one of those, from THAT Challenger mission.
I asked the fella how much he wanted for it, and, get this, he said, "Well, it ain't no good anymore, that's the one that blew up. I'll take, uhhh, five bucks."
I couldn't get the 5 dollar bill out of my pocket fast enough. I almost wanted to run out of the mall in case he changed his mind. But, he didn't.
How valuable does anyone think it might be?
Glenn Flowes