There it Was!

It was sitting in a dark blue bin in the back room of the store. I saw it out of the corner of my eye as I walked by the double doors. It looked real, from what I could see. It had the correct logo, the correct color, and the correct shape. But it couldn’t be! In this store? In this day of the internet?

How could someone toss it away? Like a used toaster or a nightstand with all the stains on scratches from years of use. Or one of the many couches with urine-stained upholstery and rips in the cushions from rowdy cats and dogs. And no case! Did they not check the internet to see if it had any worth at all?

I walked by the door glancing through the tiny dirty windows to the back room. I had to be sly. I couldn’t tip my hand. I had to ask the right person to get a better look. I'm at this store two or three times a week. They know me; they like me. They even call me with questions about products I have may knowledge of. But not this time.

Had it been dropped off today? Or last night? Or did someone in the store already call dibs on it? Employees were not allowed to buy items unless they were on the floor for more than three weeks. So was someone trying to bury it and convince Jessie, the manager, to let them fudge the rules? Damn, I wish “No Neck” Tony was here. He’s the guy who calls me when something comes in, and he needs help with pricing and authenticity. But he wasn’t here, Jan, the assistant manager was. As she came around the corner near men's pants, I was peering through the back doors, “Something catch your eye?” Yea, she caught me. “Well, yes,” I said, waiting for her next move. “let me do a store walkthrough, and if it’s not too busy, I’ll take you back” she could see my excitement at the prospect of getting a closer look at what she had in her back room. She was a lovely five-foot ten-inch strawberry blonde girl next door. Early thirty’s a fantastic body, and she smelled great! She’s back in college for her Master's degree in music education from ASU.

I watched her walk away in her schoolgirl plaid pleated skirt, white knee-high stockings, and white oxford shirt. She was gone for what seemed an hour, but in truth, it had only been fifteen minutes. She walked past me brushing her chest against mine. My mind started to race. Was she coming on to me? Was she teasing? She went to the doors; Jan looked left then to the right and led me to the back room. Before I could make it to the object of my desire, Jan backed up against the wall and kissed me hard on the mouth. It took me by surprise, but she tasted great! A cross between strawberry lip gloss and clove cigarettes. Her body felt firm against mine, then in a flash, she pushed me away and said, “you have 15 minutes to look at whatever you want.”

I stood stunned and tried to regain my senses. I watched her walk through the doors and back into the store. I pushed five or six bins to the side to get to the blue bin I was coveting. And there it was. At first glance, I was pleased to see that my suspicions were indeed confirmed. I picked it and held it in my hands. as I looked it over, my adrenaline coursed through my body. My eyes started to water, and I began to shake. Was I indeed holding the holy grail? The object of my affection for all these years? I’d come close to buying one in Chicago in June of 1982, but I came up $50,000 short! The weight was just about right; at least it felt right, having held so many in my hands that had been cloned all the way down to the 6.5 pounds.

But this felt different, like the real deal. The hardware looked dead on. The jack plate was proper. And the smell! Yea, I know some people think I’m weird, but there is a smell, and even a taste to this magnificent piece of wood! It all looked great on the outside, but I needed to get inside to make sure. Jan was in the doorway staring at me with a slight grin on her face. “So is that what you’ve been looking for?” My mind was racing, “I think it is,” I said, holding my breath. “Well, what’s it worth?” “I won’t know without opening it up to look inside.” “Well, we don’t have the tools you need so. Why don’t you take it home?” My heart jumped into my mouth! “Yes,” I said, and I was out the door and down the street.

Once in my car my I calmed down as I drove through the city and toward my home in the suburbs. As I made my way through my garage door, I calmed down enough to catch my breath.

I walked through the kitchen, past my roommate watching Sports Center, and ran to the basement. I shut and then locked the basement door. I went to my bench and turned on the blacklight, and shut off the main lights.

I looked it over to see if it was ever broken and reglued. The glued shows up under the blacklight; if it has been broken and repaired, it would greatly reduce the value.

Once I got it apart, I checked the pockets and the wiring. Check and check, all period correct and in great shape. Inside the pockets were the quality check signatures in penciled and the date of the final quality check, 6/17/1959.

I took about twenty photos and sent them to one of the nation's experts. It was after five, so I wasn't expecting an answer until the morning. As I was putting it together, my phone rang. A very excited voice on the other end was yelling at the top of his voice. "MY GOD, MAN, WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND!" He confirmed it was THE REAL THING!

A near mint cherry sunburst 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard, worth $450,000.00. No case found in a thrift shop! The next day I played it for about six hours, slept with it for two weeks, and then sold it.

I went back to the thrift store, gave them a check for $10,000, and then paid for the rest of Jan's education...We were married on June 17th, and we now have a beautiful home and twin boys, Lester and Paul.