Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Not Quite Al Capone's Vault


As you can see, yesterday I tackled the mystery of the found lockbox.

I zipped home right after work and took it to our neighborhood locksmith. He and his assistant oohed and aahed over it when I brought it in, exclaiming about its age, and I told them that I'd found it on the street and had no idea what, if anything, was inside. They readily admitted they didn't have a key that would fit it, but after a quick examination, the locksmith suggested simply popping it open with a heavy screwdriver.

"I get fifty percent of whatever's inside," he joked. At least, I think it was a joke. I laughed but didn't quite agree.

I told him I didn't want to damage the box, though to be honest I wasn't sure I wanted to keep it -- especially if I couldn't get a key for it. But he didn't think he would hurt it. He managed to crack the lid enough to see that there was paper inside, which heightened our curiosity, and eventually he pried the box open without any trouble or obvious damage.

It was pretty much empty, as I expected. The paper turned out to be a featureless piece of brown wrapping paper. But there was also this:


It's a small gold-tone pin -- definitely not real gold, but kind of interesting. At first I thought it was broken because I couldn't figure out what the shape was supposed to depict. I brought it home to Dave and we puzzled over it. Was it a pterodactyl? I found an identical pin listed on Etsy, and the seller there called it a pterodactyl, but I wasn't convinced. It looked more like a winged deer or an antelope.

Finally, after quite a bit of Googling, I figured out that it is a lapel pin from South African Airways, featuring their old "flying springbok" logo. This is a streamlined version that the airline used between 1971 and 1997, when they rebranded and dropped the springbok altogether.

So that was kind of interesting.

And here's the best part -- the locksmith didn't charge me, since all he did was force the box. So this whole adventure cost me nothing.

I still have the box, which I'll wedge open with a piece of cardboard or something and stick in a closet. Maybe someday it will be useful to someone. And obviously I'll keep the springbok.


After all that, I celebrated by making my craft gin club cocktail of the month, dubbed "The Banshee." The recipe tested the physical limits of my martini glass, as you can see. (Yes, that is a picture of me as a kid in the background.) The Banshee was yummy and contained spiced gin, lemon juice, cocktail syrup and Polara Mandarino Verde citrus drink from Sicily. There was more than enough Mandarino for one cocktail, so once I opened the bottle I was forced -- FORCED, I tell you -- to drink two.

I suffer for my art!

53 comments:

  1. It IS red inside! It is definitely from the same maker as my own - how marvellous! I wonder if my key would work for your box, or if a copy could be made somehow?
    I like the pin very much (treasure in your treasure chest!) and it was the icing on the cake for the locksmith to have popped it open for free.

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    1. Yeah, when he opened it and I saw the red interior I realized it was just like yours! I bet your key would work.

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  2. I do like that lockbox and am glad you’re keeping it. I, too, thought the springbok was at least some kind of winged, hoofed animal. Not a pterodactyl. Your drink looks nuclear. SO very kind of you to drink two. For us.

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    1. It's that wing that makes it look pterodactyl-like!

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  3. I assume you must have shaken the box and it rattled?...so you knew there was something in there! The pin is most unusual.
    If I lived nearer, I could have helped you with the gin...... shame you had to suffer!

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    1. Actually, we did shake it, but we couldn't hear anything much. I think the pin is so small it just didn't make much noise (and was muffled by that paper).

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  4. Very interesting contents. A lapel pin worn by SA Airways staff? Quite a treasure. Have you checked online if it is a valuable collectable?

    I reckon you should have made a third cocktail and by then you would raise a toast to blogmates around the world. I luv ya mates.

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    1. They're not valuable. Looks like they sell online for £5 or £10.

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  5. Very cool...right up to the last paragraph. Heartbreaking, just heartbreaking.

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  6. You are funny, forced youself to drink the rest of "The Banshee", you are a brave fellow:)

    I was going to say I don't think I've ever met anyone who found so many things as you do and then I remembered a nurse I used to work with, Nadine. She found all kinds of useful things in the hospital for us.

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    1. It's incredible how much stuff just gets abandoned on the street in London. I used to find a lot of stuff in New York, too.

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  7. Interesting find in the box. The two objects don't seem to go together at all and suggest some kind of interesting story. The gin sounds lovely!

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    1. My guess is someone used to keep their jewelry in this box, and the lapel pin just got thrown in with that even though it's basically worthless.

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  8. I love that you took the box to the locksmith and got it opened. Very cool pin in there. I'm glad you are keeping the box and the pin. Time to fill that box up with other cool finds from the neighborhood.
    That cocktail sounds just right for the moment. Yum.

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    1. Ha! I'm not sure I want to USE the box, since I have no key, but at least I won't throw it out for now.

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  9. What a lovely treasure. I thought it was wonderful that the locksmith got excited too over your find. It makes for wonderful memories. That drink looks delicious. I'm glad you were to enjoy two of them. You have a super day, hugs, Edna B.

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    1. Yeah, it was great how his curiosity kicked in as well!

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  10. That was a good treasure find - now we will wonder how that SAA charm ended up in that locked box in London! More mysteries to solve! Fun!

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    1. Yeah, I wonder if someone who worked for the airline owned the box, or if the pin was a gift to a passenger?

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  11. how dast they send you enough for two martinis!

    I'm so glad the lockbox wasn't empty.

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    1. Yeah, the pin made the whole adventure much more interesting!

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  12. Ahhh...the mystery of the locked box has been solved. That was an interesting adventure. Too bad it didn't contain a stack of money. Oh well, that colorful drink makes it all worthwhile.

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    1. I was pretty sure money was too much to hope for! LOL

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  13. You have added to the every growing list list of nothing (much) found in a lockbox since the days of Geraldo. Yet I always wait breathlessly like the next person thinking this time will be different!

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    1. I guess it's human nature to suspect something amazing might be inside a locked container.

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  14. the person who threw the box away had no idea of the adventure it was going to give someone.

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    1. It's true! They'd probably laugh if they read my account.

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  15. I'm glad that the mystery is solved. I flew on SA Airlines once (to Senegal) and was impressed. That cocktail is pretty, although I don't do gin.

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    1. I flew on SAA in 1998 from Florida to Johannesburg. It was the longest flight I'd taken up to that time, though I have since flown farther.

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  16. What an adventure! Oh well, you got a good story out of it!

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  17. Well that was fun! Your drink looks really yummy, but since I don't like alcohol I probably would hate it. Ha!

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    1. Like most of my craft gin club cocktails, it was too sweet. I don't really like anything with cocktail syrup in it. But it was better than some of them.

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  18. Well, as MFK Fisher said, "You can't fly on one wing." This was in relation to drinking one martini. I imagine the same is true for Banshees.

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    1. Ha! That's a great quote. And so appropriate for the flying springbok!

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  19. Interesting! I think that's a raised front hoof rather than a wing on the right side of the springbok. Before I read about your research, I thought it was a prancing deer. Turned on its side :)

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    1. Yeah, you can definitely see the profile of a deer with the raised foreleg. We couldn't figure out why it had wings, though!

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  20. P.S. And the rounded bits on the top would be its horns, yes?

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  21. What a cool pin! You do find the best stuff on your walks.

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    1. There's a lot of stuff lying around out there!

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  22. A flying springbok followed by a Banshee! Yes, Virginia, England really is different than Florida.

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    1. Ha! It's that Halloween time of year. Something is in the air.

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  23. My first thought was a pterodactyl, as well... but now that I know what it is, it makes sense.

    I'm not a gin drinker, but that sure is a pretty cocktail. I know I'm "new" here, so it might be common knowledge, but does Dave not drink? Or maybe he just doesn't like gin? (not that I'm accusing you of hoarding the Banshees for yourself!!)

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    1. Dave doesn't often drink because of his Crohn's disease. He finds that alcohol really disrupts his digestion. He did take a sip of the Banshee though, just to try it. :)

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  24. It’s a jumping deer with the antler broken

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    1. I don't think it's broken, it's just a small horn. I think springboks don't have big antlers. And it's not jumping, it's flying! (If you click the link to the Wikipedia page showing the airline logos you'll see it very clearly.)

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  25. A true librarian! Only you would follow the Trail of the Springbok to its conclusion. And what a nice locksmith you found! All in all, a good little adventure. Worthy of two Banshees.

    Chris from Boise

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    1. I definitely felt that I earned that second Banshee. :)

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  26. How horrible to be forced into having TWO drinks. The lock box and the pin are very interesting. Thanks for sharing the story with us.

    Love,
    Janie

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  27. I like the funny way this blogpost ended. You should consider becoming a stand-up comedian Steve. Love the South African Airways lapel pin and the story behind it.

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