That day I was outbid on a wall telephone with a hand crank by the young lady, wife of a good buddy, who had gone to the auction with me. He was a missile launch officer and was on alert. She purchase and armoire and I bid on some kerosene lamps. I have a sun colored one from that auction.
I met my wife in Sept of 73 when I finished my tour. My future wife was so... well I stayed in Minot and went back to school under the GI Bill. The house in Blaisdal is still in the family and the family farm is still worked by my brother in law.
BTW one of my NCOs was a bottle nut so when I wasn't going to auctions I was digging in old town dumps for bottles. I have several bottles from the 1890s on my collections shelf.
Thirty years or more ago, a buddy and I went to an "estate sale" and I bought several old (full) bottles of liquor. The one I'm looking at right now is one of two unopened bottles of G. H. Mumm extra dry champagne, lot #5014...I'd love to know how to research this stuff. I'd have to just guess that these were bottled in the 1930's or 40's.
Another is an empty Clicquot Club ginger ale bottle...I know it can't be, but it looks handblown due to imperfections in the bottle; there's a nice mark on the bottom, but only about a quarter of the label still exists.
Fun stuff...