Lowell_Skoog Posted September 5, 2008 Posted September 5, 2008 Inside front cover of 1938 Mountaineer Annual. Left: copper printing plate; right: printed page. Artwork by Clark E. Schurman. (Note: This item will not be available at the History Grab.) ---------------------------------------------------------------- The Mountaineers History Grab! Before moving to the club's new Magnuson Park facility the Mountaineers History Committee is disposing of extra materials that won't be moved. On Saturday, September 20, collectors and history buffs will have a chance to obtain some of these materials: 1. Mountaineer Annuals, 1920s-1990s The History Committee has hundreds of Mountaineer Annuals that need to go. We have pulled aside all the annuals we need to keep. Extra copies will be made available at the History Grab. 2. Halftone Printing Plates, 1910s-1960s Photos in early Mountaineer Annuals were printed using halftone plates, each made by engraving an image on a copper sheet mounted on wood. The History Committee has pulled aside a selection of these plates that we'll be keeping, but there are hundreds more that we don't need to keep. For mountaineering and history buffs, these plates are unique collectibles. 3. Logistics Materials at the History Grab will be made available in several ways. Some items will be free for the taking. Others will be offered for sale at a fixed price and still others may be offered in a silent auction. Details are being worked out by the History Committee and all proceeds will go to Mountaineer historical projects. Come grab a piece of mountaineering history! Where: The Mountaineers clubhouse 300 Third Ave. West, Seattle When: Saturday, September 20, 2008, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
olyclimber Posted September 5, 2008 Posted September 5, 2008 That is a really cool plate (the one not above that is not available)...are the ones that are available of similar quality/workmanship?
mkporwit Posted September 5, 2008 Posted September 5, 2008 Yeah, that looks like it could be worth going to... Lowell, post more details as you have them.
OlympicMtnBoy Posted September 5, 2008 Posted September 5, 2008 Sounds cool, post a price list or range if they make one up so I know if I'll be able to afford anything cool to hang on my wall or if it'll all go to the software crowd.
billcoe Posted September 5, 2008 Posted September 5, 2008 Like to see some of you post the "treasures" you find and buy there after you've drug them back to your lairs and nooks.
Lowell_Skoog Posted September 15, 2008 Author Posted September 15, 2008 Update: The Mountaineers History Committee is continuing to prepare for Saturday's "History Grab" event at the Mountaineers clubhouse. While selecting photo/printing plates that we'll be keeping, we discovered a second plate of the 1938 inside-cover pictured above. This artwork was used on both the front and back covers, so two plates were made. (Note that the second plate is not as clean as the one shown above. A qualified printer would probably know how to clean it, but I have not looked into that.) We'll be offering the second plate in a silent auction on Saturday. The silent auction will conclude at 2:30 p.m. If you'd like to bid on this item, make sure to come to the History Grab before the auction closes. We may be auctioning other items as well, but final decisions haven't been made yet. There are hundreds of photo plates of various quality for you to look at--probably close to a thousand of them. Hundreds of Mountaineer Annuals will also be available spanning many decades--although there are no complete sets available. If you're interested in Northwest mountaineering history, I think you will enjoy this event. Details: The Mountaineers History Grab 300 Third Ave. West, Seattle Saturday, September 20, 2008, 12 to 5 p.m. (All proceeds from this event support Mountaineer historical projects)
Lowell_Skoog Posted September 20, 2008 Author Posted September 20, 2008 Today's the day! Great way to spend a rainy Saturday in Seattle. Do some early Christmas shopping. Hope to see you there...
tvashtarkatena Posted September 21, 2008 Posted September 21, 2008 (edited) Thanks, Lowell. Aside from two crates of free, 'new' WWII pitons (pretty decent, actually), there were some vintage stoves and other equipment dating back from the turn of the century, including a full bottle of WWII era bug juice and an unopened roll of malted milk tablets, plus loads of cool old copper photographic plates (I loaded up with about 20). A fine day of mountaineering archeology. Edited September 21, 2008 by tvashtarkatena
Lowell_Skoog Posted September 21, 2008 Author Posted September 21, 2008 For me one of the best parts happened in the morning while we were setting up for the sale. After we pried open the crates of WWII pitons, Frank Fickeisen, one of our History Committee members, picked up his cell phone and called his old friend Duke Watson (this guy) and gave him all sorts of grief about the pitons. Duke shipped the pitons from Alton, Illinois to his wife in Seattle in the spring of 1944, when he was commander of the Army's Seneca Rocks Climbing School. Duke remembered this and Frank kidded him that, like a bad nickel, he was never going to be rid of those pitons, now that we'd found them again. That was over sixty years ago!
tvashtarkatena Posted September 21, 2008 Posted September 21, 2008 I hope these distinctive looking pitons remain in the smallest number of hands possible; I'd rather keep my bail off artifacts anonymous.
Lowell_Skoog Posted September 24, 2008 Author Posted September 24, 2008 Following the History Grab event on Saturday, I found a Mead notebook and a couple of unclaimed photo plates lying on a table. To my eyes, the notebook looks like it might be of personal value to its owner. If you can describe it to me, I'll forward it to you. Send me a PM to followup.
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