A few years ago, I was in a used store, and I came across 2 Megos in a display case. It was a Dr McCoy without belt or weapons, and a Klingon wearing an ape shirt without belt or weapons. They were $10 each and since I didn't have them, I bought them right away. McCoy still had his badge minus the foil, and his joints were fairly tight although I could tell that he had been played with. The Klingon was in equally good shape, and also had fairly tight joints although obviously played with.
Once I got them home, I decided to check them for any damage beneath the surface: you know, cracked wrists, elbows, knees etc, so I removed their clothes. I was surprised to find that someone who had owned the Dr McCoy before was named Michael. The name was clearly written across Dr McCoy's back in a permanent black pen. It seemed to be a child's handwriting.
At first I thought, "I'm gonna have to replace this torso or find some way to clean that off." But as I looked at the name, I couldn't help but wonder who Michael was. Had he and I gone to school together? Since I had found the figures in a used store in Reno, I wondered if they had truly been in the Reno area since the 70's. Did Michael grow up in Reno just as I had? Was he a Star Trek fan or simply a kid that liked Megos? Was the Klingon his as well? If so, why hadn't he written his name on the Klingon's back? Did the two toys happen to come from two different places in the world to end up together in a used store in Reno? And how did Michael play with his Megos? True to the characters? Or like I used to, using all of my different toys together in one big universe? The more I wondered about Michael, the more I found it difficult to consider removing the name. Sure the Mego was mine now, but there was a history there.
The name remains. I can't bring myself to remove it. Maybe it wasn't even marked by a child but just by someone with bad handwriting who felt like marking his property. I won't take the chance. If the toy has come all this way through time from the 1970's to the 21st century, from a kid named Michael to a collector like me, then the name as far as I'm concerned is a part of my Dr McCoy forever. It's almost like Michael has entrusted me with a favorite toy. Will I ever really know? No. That's almost impossible. Unless I miraculously meet Michael some day. And if I do, I'll make sure his Dr McCoy gets back to him.
It's an odd story, but it's true. I'll never remove that name. I just can't erase the history that's tied up with the toy. It's more valuable to me with the name than without it.
Lame? Maybe. But the name stays.
Once I got them home, I decided to check them for any damage beneath the surface: you know, cracked wrists, elbows, knees etc, so I removed their clothes. I was surprised to find that someone who had owned the Dr McCoy before was named Michael. The name was clearly written across Dr McCoy's back in a permanent black pen. It seemed to be a child's handwriting.
At first I thought, "I'm gonna have to replace this torso or find some way to clean that off." But as I looked at the name, I couldn't help but wonder who Michael was. Had he and I gone to school together? Since I had found the figures in a used store in Reno, I wondered if they had truly been in the Reno area since the 70's. Did Michael grow up in Reno just as I had? Was he a Star Trek fan or simply a kid that liked Megos? Was the Klingon his as well? If so, why hadn't he written his name on the Klingon's back? Did the two toys happen to come from two different places in the world to end up together in a used store in Reno? And how did Michael play with his Megos? True to the characters? Or like I used to, using all of my different toys together in one big universe? The more I wondered about Michael, the more I found it difficult to consider removing the name. Sure the Mego was mine now, but there was a history there.
The name remains. I can't bring myself to remove it. Maybe it wasn't even marked by a child but just by someone with bad handwriting who felt like marking his property. I won't take the chance. If the toy has come all this way through time from the 1970's to the 21st century, from a kid named Michael to a collector like me, then the name as far as I'm concerned is a part of my Dr McCoy forever. It's almost like Michael has entrusted me with a favorite toy. Will I ever really know? No. That's almost impossible. Unless I miraculously meet Michael some day. And if I do, I'll make sure his Dr McCoy gets back to him.
It's an odd story, but it's true. I'll never remove that name. I just can't erase the history that's tied up with the toy. It's more valuable to me with the name than without it.
Lame? Maybe. But the name stays.
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