First, Ron taught me to think outside my comfort zone of collecting and consider adding a rare specimen even if it doesn't meet your collecting criteria. Ron and I both talked about this knife during the eBay auction and while I could have taken a shot at winning the auction, I couldn't pull the trigger because of the broken blade and hazy covers. Ron saw beyond that and somehow knew that I'd see the light once the knife was in hand. He was spot on.
Second, I've always loved the provenance behind any knife, and having the full name, city, and state of the original owner on this knife is huge. I've already discovered much about Austin C. Watts including his military service during WWI with the US Marine Corps and that his only child, Raymond Austin Watts had no children, thereby ending the lineage back to the original owner. I've got access to the BSA annual reports to Congress dating back to 1910 so my next adventure is opening up those and trying to place Mr. Watts in a Troop with a Rank!
Third, I think I've been gift-blinded by running our monthly giveaways for the past 5+ years and have become numb to the notion of giving away one of my knives. I guess because I'm involved transactionally with our now twice-monthly donors and recipients, I forgot how good it feels to be on the receiving end of a random act of kindness. I have many knives in my collection that would make someone feel good and I would also feel good for making them feel good, IYKWIM!
As I learn more about this super rare knife I'll update my findings in this thread. Thanks for listening to my story. Peace.
