Gentle Friends,
About a week or ten days after returning from the Chicago show, a collector/dealer friend of mine called me. He knew I had a long standing interest in a particular Hocker set which he had in his private collection. He informed me he needed display room and he wanted to sell the item. In short, he made me a price I could not pass up.
The item arrived at my doorstep yesterday afternoon and I am thrilled to add it to my collection. It is the William Hocker set of Bushnell's Turtle, set #192. If you are not familiar with the Turtle, let me provide you with a short history of it.
Bushnell's Turtle was the first American submarine. It was designed and built by David Bushnell in 1776. It was a one man vessel that was powered by a pedal operated propeller. It was armed with a keg of powder that was to be attached to an enemy ship and detonated via a time fuse.
On September 7, 1776, Sergeant Ezra Lee, the volunteer pilot, attempted to attack the British ship, the HMS Eagle. Unfortunately, the boring device, which was operated inside the Turtle, failed to penetrate the ship's hull and the charge could not be attached to the enemy ship.
The Hocker model is egg shaped like the original Turtle and it opens in order to display Sgt. Lee inside. If you look closely, you will see that the Turtle rests on an octopus base. It is a very clever and interesting set and I am most pleased to have it in my collection.
I hope you enjoy the attached photos. And,...I hope all of you have an outstanding weekend!
Warmest personal regards,
Pat
About a week or ten days after returning from the Chicago show, a collector/dealer friend of mine called me. He knew I had a long standing interest in a particular Hocker set which he had in his private collection. He informed me he needed display room and he wanted to sell the item. In short, he made me a price I could not pass up.
The item arrived at my doorstep yesterday afternoon and I am thrilled to add it to my collection. It is the William Hocker set of Bushnell's Turtle, set #192. If you are not familiar with the Turtle, let me provide you with a short history of it.
Bushnell's Turtle was the first American submarine. It was designed and built by David Bushnell in 1776. It was a one man vessel that was powered by a pedal operated propeller. It was armed with a keg of powder that was to be attached to an enemy ship and detonated via a time fuse.
On September 7, 1776, Sergeant Ezra Lee, the volunteer pilot, attempted to attack the British ship, the HMS Eagle. Unfortunately, the boring device, which was operated inside the Turtle, failed to penetrate the ship's hull and the charge could not be attached to the enemy ship.
The Hocker model is egg shaped like the original Turtle and it opens in order to display Sgt. Lee inside. If you look closely, you will see that the Turtle rests on an octopus base. It is a very clever and interesting set and I am most pleased to have it in my collection.
I hope you enjoy the attached photos. And,...I hope all of you have an outstanding weekend!
Warmest personal regards,
Pat
