Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Classics

Lincoln’s Birthday 2026

Today, we celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.

Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865.

I was going to post a photo of the now discontinued Lincoln Penny, but I remembered about a United States Note, Red Seal Lincoln five dollar bill I have in the safe. I’m saving it for posterity, I guess, because it’s only marginally worth more than $5 to collectors.

Circulated Condition: – Basic circulated bills are typically worth face value of $5 – Lightly circulated examples may fetch $5-$7 – Bills with minimal wear might retail for around $7

Pennies, however, were selling 50 cent rolls for Ten bucks according to something I saw on-line. I verified this to be true with Alexa+.

Click on the image to enlarge.

Anyway, even though the pennies are out of production, Abe is still remembered on the Fiver. Happy Heavenly birthday, Mr. President!

Blockquotes courtesy Grokipedia

12 Feb 2026 by Classics Holidays Nostalgia Notions 0

Car Show and Fly-In

We attended the annual Wickenburg Fly-in and Car Show this morning on a beautiful January day here at the local airport. Among the sights to see (and hear) was this magnificent PB4Y Privateer which did a 150 foot elevation pass along the runway centerline before circling to land and taxi to its display position. What a sound!

We also saw literally hundreds of cars and dozens of different aircraft.

There were rows and rows of classic cars and hot rods. (Look at the weather – clear sky and 70°.)

Damsel took this photo of a gyroplane on the aircraft line:

One of the more unusual entries in the car category was “El Grinch,” this odd-colored Jeep:

It was a fun and interesting event and a nice way to spend a couple of hours this morning. Click on any image to view enlarged.

17 Jan 2026 by Arizona Aviation Classics Entertainment Nostalgia Photography

122nd Anniversary of Powered Flight

Just a quick one here to acknowledge one of the most iconic technological feats in history that occurred in the early 20th century; to wit: the Wright Brothers first flights. I did a detailed post on this topic in December of 2022. In that post, I referenced an old photo, a display replica of the flyer and occupant. I asked the GEMINI AI to colorize and noise enhance it and the (clickable) image above is the result.

17 Dec 2025 by Aviation Classics Technobabble

2025 Cops Who Care
 Classic Car Run

Today, we attended the annual Cops Who Care Car Show and Toy Drive. The weather was great and the show was well attended by both cars and visitors. The toy table wasn’t doing too bad either — gonna be a lot of happy kids this Christmas.

When I was a kid in the late 1940s, my folks had one of these Ford Coupes modified with a bench seat for their three little boys to sit behind the driver/passenger seat. It’s a 1933 Year Model, same as Dad and Mom’s.

Also, when I was a kid, there were a lot of these Studebakers on the road as I recall. This Convertible is a member of the local Studebaker Club in the Hassayampa Valley.

We enjoyed the time spent at the Wickenburg Community Center today and look forward to attending again next year.

07 Dec 2025 by Arizona Charity Classics Nostalgia Notions Photography Something Shiny

USS Brooklyn March 1943

Eighty-one years ago, during WWII, in Casablanca harbor, my father was stationed aboard the USS Brooklyn as an Electrician’s Mate, Second Class. Dad went on to become a Chief Warrant Officer in the US Navy.

USS Brooklyn CL-40 in Casablanca harbor – March 1943

The first of the nine Machine Gun Cruisers*, USS Brooklyn was commissioned in September 1937. With a primary armament of fifteen 6”/47 guns in five triple turrets, each 6”/47 gun had a maximum rate of fire of 8-10 shells a minute. Theoretically, a Brooklyn-Class cruiser could fire a total of 120-150 6” rounds a minute at a target.

USS Brooklyn survived WW2 and was put into reserve in 1946, in 1951 she was transferred to Chile, where she was renamed O’Higgins. Serving for 40 years in the Chilean Navy, she was sold for scrap in 1992, but foundered and sank while under tow to shipbreakers in India. One of her 6”/47 turrets is preserved at the Chilean Navy base at Talcahuano.

LIFE Magazine Archives – J R Eyerman Photographer

*Machine Gun Cruisers typically refer to naval vessels equipped with multiple machine guns for anti-aircraft and anti-small craft defense. The Brooklyn-class cruisers, for example, were armed with several M2 Browning machine guns alongside their main artillery, enhancing their combat capabilities during World War II.

I find the installation and use of the .50 BMG M2 Machine guns to be particularly interesting:

The .50 Browning Machine Gun (BMG) round is one of the most widely used service ammunition. Also known as the .50 Browning and the 12.7x99mm NATO, it is currently listed as military ammunition for the U.S. and at least 30 other countries. However, civilian shooters also enjoy .50 caliber shooting – using this rifle round for long-range hunting and shooting competitions. Developed in the early 1900s by John Moses Browning, the .50 BMG is a scaled-up version of the .30-06.; No stranger to military and law enforcement use, .50 BMG ammo has been fired from WWII fighter aircraft and is still used today on helicopters and ground vehicles.

Once the DOJ and the SCOTUS gets off their collective asses and removes the infringements on ALL firearms and accessories, we might want to own one of those. The ammo, however, is quite expensive and could burn through your weekly allowance in one quick hurry when you go down to the range to have some fun.

10 Mar 2025 by Classics Firearms Military Nostalgia

2024 Cops Who Care
   Classic Car Run

Damsel and I attended the annual “Cops Who Care” Toyz for Totz Car Run and Show today. We were early, and the entire field had not yet shown up, but since we were both a little under the weather, we did not stick around too long. However, Between Damsel’s Camera and my Samsung phone, we managed a few good shots of some of the action.

First, who can remember 55¢ Big Boys and 30¢ shakes from Bob’s Chain in the 60s? Good times.

And how about this good lookin’ 1957 Ford Panel Truck?

And there were many other old classics, most notably this old red and yellow roadster …

… and a seldom seen REO roadster. Click on any image to enlarge.

Before leaving, we deposited a couple of unwrapped toys for the kids that benefit from the Car Run.

08 Dec 2024 by Arizona Charity Classics Nostalgia Photography Something Shiny

Classic ’58 Chevy Convertible

We may have posted a classic Chevy like this one years ago on the Minstrel site when we saw it in Torrance back then. Today, however, this classic rolled up into the parking lot while we were collecting mail from the PO Box. A very nice gent allowed as how he would be OK with Damsel taking these photos of his treasure.

Images: 1958 Classic Chevrolet Impala Convertible with Continental Kit in mint condition – credit Damsel – click on any image to view enlarged.

29 Aug 2024 by Arizona Classics Nostalgia Photography

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