It was one of those typical Sunday evenings, with two daughters having
major homework panics, my wife trying to get a meal together, etc.
The phone rang, and, a few seconds later, it was handed to me. As
Regional Rep for Tigers East/Alpines East, I sometimes get calls from
people asking general questions about Sunbeam topics, but this was the
weirdest yet.
The lady never identified herself, but she asked what I thought a
"Tiger VIN BOOK" was worth. "A WHAT?", I asked. Well, I finally
sorted out this confused lady wanted. Apparently her husband had been
offered $75 for a VIN plate from a Tiger, and had his wife call me to
find out if the price was reasonable.
Amid all my daughters' confusion about the Stamp Act, and where to put
the pictures on a historical time line, my mind wasn't working. I
SHOULD have come back with some sort of line like, "Give me the number
so that I can check it in Norman's book and see what that says.....".
But I didn't. I just said that I had no idea of the value, but I
would bet that the buyer was up to something unethical, such as an
Alger that would be passed off as the real thing.
Anyway, here's what I know. The VIN number is being sold is probably
somewhere in New England, and the buyer is in Canada (Ontario?). The
seller has some connection to a gas station.
The lesson? If you hear of anything weird happening, invent some
reason to get the VIN number, and pass it around, especially to
Norman. You might save someone from a big mistake.
Stu Brennan
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