Thursday, November 1, 2012

And another thing

On Bid and Destroy last night, the main character and his son found what looked like a typewriter carrier in a closet. They set the carrier on a desk and opened it. I said to myself, “It’s a code machine.” The reality stars said, “Looks like a typewriter.”

My guess: 1. You have never seen a typewriter; 2. The script says you say, “Looks like a typewriter.”

The star then said something about, “And it’s written in German.” So I figured the thing has to be worth $2,000 - $5,000.

At the end of the show, back in the shop, the stars had a local antique dealer appraise stuff found in the old house. The antique dealer said the code machine was an Enigma machine, worth maybe $100,000.

The machine did not look like an Enigma. There were no cipher wheels. I am not an expert, but I do know a little about military intelligence and a little about old code machines.

That’s not the point, though.

The point is, these reality show people fond an Enigma machine in a closet in an old house in New Hampshire.

At another house for tearing down, the same people in another episode found a Harley motorcycle. In tall grass. Standing up. With no dirt on it.

Some things are on the other side of believability.

3 comments:

  1. If you look close you can see the rotors. It is a three rotor machine one of the early version the nazi used. It is a real enigma machine.

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  2. pdkehoe -- I apologize, then, for not paying closer attention. A real Enigma is an amazing find.

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  3. Reading this post and others, I realized my writing somewhat snarky and smarta$$y. I will try to do better.

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