Found! In a junk shop!

[+slippeddisk]

I was in a junk shop in Winchester, VA and found a Horizontal Control Mark sealed in clear plastic with green felt on the bottom. It looks like a paper weight, does anyone know who would have made such an thing and for what. It does not look like a homemade job. The disk is highly polished and is marked ALDA. It looks like it may be 30 or 40 years old. I say that because the green felt on the bottom looks about that vintage. Any thoughts?

[Z15]

Maybe someone who worked for USC&GS. Could also have been some momento they gave to employee on some crew or something like that. ALDA might have been someone's name

 

I met a NGS state advisor years back that had a disk made into a belt bucket but I don't recall if he did it or it was some kind of employee award.

Edited November 6, 2006 by Z15

[+slippeddisk]

Maybe someone who worked for USC&GS. Could also have been some momento they gave to employee on some crew or something like that. ALDA might have been someone's name

 

Z15,

 

I have been doing a little research and have found that there is a town named Alda in Nebraska. I got the zip code and and did a search and found LH1152. Now I'm in the dark more than before!

Edited November 6, 2006 by slippeddisk

[ArtMan]

It would be nice if you could add a photo of this interesting artifact.

 

There is a triangulation station called ALDA (LH1152), which is located in Nebraska. However, my guess is that you have either another ALDA station marker, which was destroyed (in the sense that it was removed from its location) and then mounted as a souvenir paperweight, or it may have been originally manufactured as a specialty item without any actual geodetic or surveying purpose.

 

Could it possibly be a souvenir made for the star of M*A*S*H? :-)

 

Manufacturers like industry-leader Berntsen International will happily make up a marker for Alan Alda, you, or anyone else. I believe some benchmarkers have done just that. One model (C25DB) will cost you $52.68, plus shipping I think.

 

Does this ALDA marker look brand new, or does it bear evidence of use?

 

Good find.

 

-ArtMan-

 

PS - I get out Winchester way from time to time. Where was this junk shop?

[+BuckBrooke]

slippeddisk,

What is the exact stamping on the disk? For example, does the disk have around the edge US Coast & Geodetic Survey Horizontal Control Mark

and in the middle

ALDA

 

What other marks are on it? A triangle w/ dot, several crosses, etc.? Do you have a picture?

[+slippeddisk]

slippeddisk,

What is the exact stamping on the disk? For example, does the disk have around the edge US Coast & Geodetic Survey Horizontal Control Mark

and in the middle

ALDA

 

What other marks are on it? A triangle w/ dot, several crosses, etc.? Do you have a picture?

I'll try for a picture but I'm not to good at this stuff. But around the outer edge of the disk is says: FOR INFORMATION OR TO REPORT DAMAGE WRITE THE DIRECTOR NATIONAL GEODETIC SURVEY WASHINGTON, DC In the middle a triangle with dot . Above that the word ALDA.

 

It dose not look like the disk was used for anything but what it is now. It shows no ware has is the color of polished brass or gold.

[+slippeddisk]

slippeddisk,

What is the exact stamping on the disk? For example, does the disk have around the edge US Coast & Geodetic Survey Horizontal Control Mark

and in the middle

ALDA

 

What other marks are on it? A triangle w/ dot, several crosses, etc.? Do you have a picture?

I'll try for a picture but I'm not to good at this stuff. But around the outer edge of the disk is says: FOR INFORMATION OR TO REPORT DAMAGE WRITE THE DIRECTOR NATIONAL GEODETIC SURVEY WASHINGTON, DC In the middle a triangle with dot . Above that the word ALDA.

 

It dose not look like the disk was used for anything but what it is now. It shows no ware has is the color of polished brass or gold.

[+Shorelander]

That looks very very shiny. Yeah, it doesn't look like that's been out in the elements, so we can rule out it being LH1152 (it's the lack of scratches that gets me). Plus, that looks to be one of the newer-style disks, and the older one was set in 1950?

[ArtMan]

Also, the ALDA lettering, while possibly misaligned, looks similar to the other characters on the disk, suggesting it was done at the factory, rather than stamped in the field, as is usually the case with the designation.

 

-ArtMan-

[+Renegade Knight]

Some things like that might be a team gift for doing a long benchmarking job.

[+slippeddisk]

ArtMan

 

I think you are right about the lettering of ALDA, although it was made to look like it was stamped in the field it clearly was not. My guess is it was some kind of presentation gift to someone. Never the less a nice item for $5.00. I'll be keeping my eyes open in the junk shopes I vist! Thank you all for your thoughts.

 

slippeddisk

[+Shorelander]

Wow, $5? That's a steal!

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

I will give you $20.00!!

[+Klemmer]

$30!!

[+Ernmark]

Slippeddisk - don't sell - that disk makes a great avatar !!

 

That's the shinist disk I ever saw - if I were a numismatist, I'd grade it an "MS-67"! ....hmmm a whole new way to classify a disk ..recovered in good condition, full "mint lustre". (or is that full "factory lustre"?!)

Edited November 8, 2006 by Ernmark

[ArtMan]

Or acrylic dip?

[Papa-Bear-NYC]

That's the shinist disk I ever saw - if I were a numismatist, I'd grade it an "MS-67"! ....hmmm a whole new way to classify a disk ..recovered in good condition, full "mint lustre". (or is that full "factory lustre"?!)

Yeah, I agree with Artman, that is not raw metal, it looks like something painted on or dipped. I've got plenty of proof coins and they don't have that shellacked look.

Edited November 8, 2006 by Papa-Bear-NYC

[+Black Dog Trackers]

I believe this is a never-used disk that was punched as a memoir, possibly a retirement gift or something. The stamping of the 'designation' is a different font from the factory markings (note the shape of the D). Brass can be buffed to mirrorlike polish without much trouble, but without any obvious dings, I doubt this particular disk has ever been actually used in the field.

 

Without a protective applied coating, brass will tend to lose a bright mirror polish. There are lots of synthetic coatings that could be used.

 

I don't know about the color balance of the photography and the color of the alloy of the disk, but it looks like it could be that whatever coating was used might've darkened some with age.

[+slippeddisk]

Well it's my best find to date! Just to bad I can't log it.