These are a few of my (new) favorite things...

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weaselmeatgravy

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Got my mitts on some of Bill Ruger's personal effects removed from his desk in Southport.

First coolest item is a lighter. Jack Knode was one of WBR's pals and the Chief Engineer at Savage. This lighter may have been the inspiration for Ruger's similar offering as seen in my avatar, or Jack may have been inspired to create his own after receiving one of Ruger's. This lighter is pictured in the collage on page 20 of Ruger and His Guns.

Robbed-from-Jack-Knode.jpg


Next first coolest item is one of the rare SR&Co NYSE IPO stock certificate mementos set in Lucite. I had seen pictures of these before, and there is a picture of one (presumably this one) in Ruger and His Guns. This one being WBR's personal one, with his name on the box. Bad pic, I'll have to work on taking a better one.

Lucite-Stock-Certificate.jpg


Lucite-Stock-Cert-Box.jpg


Tiffany business cards from WBR:

WBR-Tiffany-Business-Cards.jpg


Here is Bill's NH driver's license, that's one way to get his autograph!

PaperLot-WBR-NH-DL.jpg


A pin that may not have made it into production, this one has a stone (I'm presuming it is a diamond chip until someone proves me wrong) set in as the eagle's eye.

Gold-Pin-with-Diamond-Eye.jpg


This looks like a paper weight, appears hand-made with what looks like a wood eagle and possibly an aluminum base.

Eagle-Logo-Paperweight.jpg


Eagle-Logo-Paperweight-side.jpg


Here is a die that must have been used for stamping the eagle logo on something. Not a printer's block as those were soft copper and this one looks to be hard steel.

Eagle-Logo-Die-1.jpg


Eagle-Logo-Die-2.jpg


This is a variation on the 30 year patch, this being embroidered and attached to a clear plastic pocket clasp, I envision WBR wearing this on his lapel every day in 1979.

Embroidered-30-Year-Badge-front.jpg


Embroidered-30-Year-Badge-back.jpg


Unknown purpose eagle ornament, about 5/16" thick with two threaded holes in the base - maybe a prototype for the hood ornament on the Ruger Sports Tourer automobile?

Eagle-Ornament-face.jpg


Eagle-Ornament-side.jpg


Belt buckles with Bill's name cast into back:

Belt-Buckles-face.jpg


Belt-Buckles-back.jpg


Belt-Buckle2-back.jpg


Various cartridges and brass shotgun shells. The .256 Win Mag case has NO headstamp, so may be an early demo round.

Ammo-etc.jpg


Rounding out the A-T in A-T-F, here are some personalized matchbooks, a bronze lion ashtray, a full pack of 1975-dated Soviet cigarettes, and a single shot bottle of cognac.

Smokin-n-Drinkin.jpg


An Anson boxed keychain knife engraved to WBR. Anson did quite a lot of the 1950's and early 1960's Ruger mementos.

Anson-Keychain-Knife.jpg


Stutz brass lock and keychain. Stutz made a car called the "Bearcat" that gave WBR the inspiration for naming his little .22 revolver.

Stutz-Lock-n-Keychain.jpg


More on the car theme, here's Bill's Bentley driver's club card (probably would have gotten him into all the hot spot clubs with that!). Also an honorary chiefs-of-police association card.

PaperLot-CoP-Bentley.jpg


Another autograph, this one on his CT CCW permit. 30 pounds lighter than on the NH DL.

PaperLot-WBR-CT-CCW.jpg


The above 3 items along with some seating arrangement slips from some event that read like a who's who of the firearms industry and a board of directors ribbon

PaperLot-Misc.jpg


Republican Presidential Task Force medallion from the Reagan administration.

Republican-Pres-Task-Force.jpg


South London Rifle Club medallion

South-London-Rifle-Club.jpg


NYSE badge for what must have been the day of the IPO (which I did not realize was on my 30th birthday until I saw this). Also a U.S Naval War College badge.

PaperLot-NYSE-Navy.jpg


1959 NRA convention badge.

PaperLot-NRAbadge.jpg


WBR notepad with a couple badges.

PaperLot-Notepad-SAAMI-SHOT-Show.jpg


More badges, this SAAMI badge being different from the one above.

PaperLot-SAAMI-Mass-No-ref.jpg


Sealed envelope from Sid Bell with three pieces inside, likely some sort of jewelry. Holding it up to the light, I can make out three shapes, one of which is clearly a moose. Interestingly, I have (from a prior acquisition) a Ruger auto-pistol tie tack that was sent from WBR back to Sid Bell with a letter thanking Sid for the items he sent to WBR, so it would be wild if these items completed that circle!

PaperLot-Sid-Bell-1.jpg


PaperLot-Sid-Bell-2.jpg


Now if the sealed envelope from Sid Bell is not enough of a mystery, we also have this curious piece. It is an ivory "thing" in a wood stand. On closer inspection, it turns out that the top unscrews from the ivory part revealing a compartment. In there is a small paper package tied with string with numbers written in what appears to be a fountain point pen. I am SO tempted to open that! So far I have not given in to temptation!

Ivory-Cannister-1.jpg


Ivory-Cannister-2.jpg


Ivory-Cannister-3.jpg


There are other items that I didn't take pictures of. There are some tools, including a Yankee push screwdriver and bits, I don't know if it is newer or older than the screwdrivers made by the defunct Ruger Corp. prior to SR&Co. There are some of the common Zippo items (knife, tape measure, keychain) with the Ruger logo and these may also be the ones pictured in Ruger and His Guns in various collages. Other stuff like a coffee cup, a toggle switch, a plastic rhino, a Ruffed Grouse Society pin, a few political pins, an unknown rifle butt plate, a bottle opener, etc.

Then one more mystery is a roll of developed photographic negatives. I can see buildings, a row of oil wells, a street scene with what looks like an early 1950's car on the road, a guy in a rocking chair, etc. I may have to either have those printed or figure out how to use the slide scanning strip in the lid of my scanner. Looks like it might be from a long-ago road trip to someplace like Texas where oil wells grow more prolifically than they do in Connecticut.
 

Sugar River

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Great stuff there, WMG!

One fine point of errata I noticed.
I'm not sure you can call the NYSE stock offering an IPO.
S,R & Co was publicly traded for years prior to that issue, but on the NASDAQ. Then they switched listing to the NY as noted on your momentos.

The switch was made possible when SR accumulated enough capital reserves to qualify for listing on the NYSE.


Anyway, a fine point to be sure. And an amazing collection!

Pete
 

Bootlegger

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:shock: For me, the NH driver's license is the TOP SHELF TREASHER!!!
Just think, he had it in his hands, in his wallet, in his house, with him everyday (until it was time to renew). Man thats just too cool. "I'll take it"!!

shipping info on the way!! :roll: :lol:
 

HAWKEYE#28

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Great stuff, Bob! 8) I listened to that lot sell and recall that two others in that immediate lineup were passed/not sold. I wondered why.........Think that drill a sample of what drove the design of some of the early tools? A great score for your collection and items the vast majority of us will never see, had you chosen to not share. My sincere thanks. MIKE
 

XLIV

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Like a junk drawer of Bill's..that found it's way into the very hands of the person who would most treasure it. Kudos brother..

44
 
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damn that's probabaly the best haul of memorabilia ever and that's from someone who's dad made a haul or 2 but never to that caliber. Someone really should have a Ruger museum for all this stuff. Here in Ct/MA I'm sure between Ruger Colt Winchester Savage S&W Marlin Mossberg there could be one fine display
 

weaselmeatgravy

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Thanks for the info on the stock, I thought the date seemed weird as I remember owning some in the late 1980's for a brief period, when it was around $40 per share but I wasn't sure whether that was really in the 80's or if it might have been the early 90's. I know it was sometime around there because I remember reading something about the stock out on a lounge chair at my old house (lived there '87 to '92) and falling asleep and waking up with a wicked sunburn :oops:

Also, my apologies for taking the pic of the "hood ornament" from the back side of the bird - don't know if anyone noticed that he's facing the wrong direction!

I took a few more pictures tonight:

Some brass belt buckles, I don't know the significance of these:

Brass-Buckles.jpg


A kangaroo keychain! I'd like to think that this had something to do with the contract for my Western Australia Police Speed Six! I don't know who Peter Ball is/was but it looks like this made its way to WBR through Ed Nolan.

Kangaroo-Keychain.jpg


A shot measure and a short brush.

Measure-n-Brush.jpg


The misc tools; ratchet screwdriver with philips bit installed and extra standard bit, an allen wrench, a couple of punches, an old screwdriver, a newer screwdriver, and a small triangle file.

Misc-Tools.jpg


There are yet other items that I haven't gotten around to but this is most of the interesting stuff. There are a couple advertising rulers, a miniature brass spittoon full of percussion caps, a dilapidated cardboard tray full of spare change, plus the items mentioned yesterday. No tooth 8)
 

radicalrod

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Bob, one of the lots listed a TOOTH ???? It was in a plastic case....looked like a big "wisdom tooth"........I wanted to make a gold chain necklace outta it :shock: :shock: :shock: see ya RR.
 

chet15

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WMG: I'll bet a lot of the stuff you just got will be found pictured in the pages of Ruger & His Guns.
Neat to see those business cards were made by Tiffany. I recall seeing one of those with "Alexander McCormick Sturm" on it from Ruger & His Guns also, but not sure.
Chet15
 

contender

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That was the "lot" of stuff I wanted. At least it went to a friend,,,! :D
Thanks for sharing,, and if my pockets had been a bit deeper,,, I'd given you a run for that stuff.
That patch,, (1979) one would help my collection of patches be a bit more complete. All the other stuff,,,,, WOW!!!!!!!!!!!
 

weaselmeatgravy

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chet15: Yes, I think the Zippo knife on the same page as the Jack Knode lighter is the same one included in this booty. I noticed the knife in the pic looked like it had "gold" right at the base of the blade at the hilt so I opened this one and found old congealed amber oil covering that part, making it appear gold, and the gray interior of the case has oil stains.

In fact, there is also an oil can included in this stuff, I forgot to mention that. Sadly, it is NOT an Anderol can, but it is something I'd never seen before called "Bux Dri Slide", molybdenum disulfide base, and there is a metal agitator ball inside with instructions to shake well before using until ball rolls freely. It is dated 1960 on the side.

contender: This was actually three separate lots. The bullion patch is cool for sure but it might be something that was made in quantities > 1 so keep looking!
 
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