Hurricane Sandy and an 1909 Argentine Bayonet

[Aragorn243]

I spotted a bargain priced 1909 Argentine Bayonet on ebay yesterday. Pretty early in the day as I came home early so I wouldn't get cut off from home by downed trees or wires as Sandy was approaching rapidly.

My thoughts were I better put a bid in on this before I lose power due to the storm. But the day went on, the winds didn't get all that high and things are going smoothly. I checked in periodically and no one was bidding on this. The evening wore on and I was watching a movie with the family and checking ebay periodically.

The lights flickered three times, never went out, just that little flicker you can just sense. But it was almost time. The eye wall of the hurricane coincided with the end time of the auction.

5 minutes left, still trying to watch the movie, the adrenaline is starting to flow. 1 minute left, I give up on the movie. Confirm I'm still signed in. Open the bid window. 15 seconds, 14, 13, 12, my finger on the enter key, 11, 10, ready to push at 6, 9 - BRIGHT FLASH AND EVERYTHING GOES BLACK AND SILENT.

I am not kidding.

10:30 at night, I had just drank a can of Mountain Dew, I was on an extreme auction high and I didn't even get to bid, it's pitch black and there's nothing to do but go to bed and lie there, wide awake, thinking if only I'd pushed the enter key at 10.

There is an excellent ending to this story however. I got up in the morning, power restored. I checked the auction and there were no bidders. I contacted the seller, explained what happened and he put it up on a buy it now auction, told me when and what the auction number was. He put it in the mail by 8:30 this morning. Awesome guy.

It isn't perfect, some surface rust on the handle but the blade is shiny in cosmoline, the numbers match and it has a unmolested crest, something I've been after for a couple of years.

Photos when it arrives.

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