Today I found the gem of my collection, the most valuable piece by far. Is it worth much money? Doubtful. I was visiting my grandfather in the hospital today, and he told me he wanted me to have something. Told me where it was in his house, and told me to go get it. My grandfather is 87 years young, tough as nails, a Navy vet serving in WWII & Korea. He has saw the Great Wall of China, and during the Cold War, he worked on missile warning systems in the Atlantic. He was a boilmaker for over 40 years, and is one of the few to reach the achievement of belonging to the Boilermakers Union for over 65 years. So I could only imagine what gift he had waiting for me. When I found the gift, I could hardly believe what laid in front of me. It was his pair of cutting glasses he got on his first job when he moved to Kentucky from Louisana.

I went to see him again this evening and told him how appreciative I was of the glasses. He told me he remembered when I told him I learned to use a cutting torch from my uncle(I just began middle school I believe). He knew from that day on, that I would appreciate the glasses. Though they are minimal in value, they cannot be bought in my eyes.

I figured a few of you guys would appreciate this story. Some of you might even have similar stories. If so feel free to share them!!!




Thanks,
Brandon

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great story, money isnt everything, cherish those glasses and your grandfather!

He told me, "I know how you are with all you old stuff. You put it on a shelf, or the wall and look at it. If you do that with these glasses, I will haunt you after I die. I'd rather you use them than just sit."

I will keep them on the shelf for now, but one day I will use them and make something in his honor...

Brandon that is a great story. Memories cant be bought but they can be cherished!!!!

A great story Brandon ,a piece you can cherish forever.

Family Heirlooms aren't about monetary value, they are about stories like your grandfather. He was one of the men who helped build this great nation in the 20th century.

I never got to meet either of my Grandfathers to know them, both were farmers who did their part to feed this growing nation. Sadly there isn't much of their lives I can connect to other than through my parents, who thankfully were the most precious gifts I could ever have been given.

Brandon--Thank you for sharing this bit of personal history with us! Your grandfather has given you a connection to his past life. May you treasure it forever and pass it on again!

Brandon... a great story, that I can also relate to. My grandfather passed away a couple years ago at the young age of 95, he was a WWII vet as well. He was a man of few words, and those words rarely consisted of his work history... as it was quite lengthy. When cleaning out his house, I learned of his work history for which I never knew. From shoe salesman, to Cities Service oil distributor, to a Caterpillar technician and many more.

That is how I started collecting Cities Service... and just like you, my prize piece in my collection is his Cities coveralls, which were still being used in his basement wood shop.

A great story about one of the greatest generation.
These are the men who made the world free.
When you wear those just think what those eyes before you saw. I hope you enjoy them for a long time

I showed my father and mother and they were glad he gave them to me. He got a job offer here in Central City to build a boiler unit at a future power plant. Little did he know this small job would turn into 30 years of employment, and several different opportunities. He was on the first team of boilermakers assigned to the TVA Paradise Fossil Plant (John Prine Mentions it in his song "Paradise"). I tell other boilermakers I meet, and they either know him, know of him, or have saw the plaque with the team members names on it. It's a good feeling knowing that these glasses have seen lots of things, and also what they mean.

Thanks for the comments guys!

Bryce,
I've got my other grandfathers (my dads dad) first work shirt he got when we went into the work force in the late 40s. He worked for a tire company, which led him to a 35 year career for General Tire. Can't beat the guys of yesteryear!

Great thread Brandon and a great pair of safety glasses too. I have been collecting most of my life, Grandma had an antique store so must be in my blood. Here's the most valuable (to me) piece in my collection. This was my grandfather's deck of cards he played with while in the trenches in WWI, hopefully you can read what he wrote on the extra card. I remember the stories he told me about the fighting, both horrifying and fascinating at the same time.


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Thanks Brandon, I like to hear stories like these. These pieces are priceless.

Pretty hard to put a price on memories. I also have some items from my dad that are not worth much but are priceless to me. Great story by the way!

Cool!

Thank you so very much for the story!
THIS type of posting makes this forum so valuable!!