Brian, great story! Proves that we never know where we will find something that we are looking for.
I have found that the search many times is the best part. I used to love going with my wife to antique malls helping her find old advertising recipe boxes. After she had found the majority of the ones she was looking for, the fun diminished dramatically. We build special shelves to display them in our kitchen and that extended the enjoyment, but it soon became apparent that the search was the most fun.
Another thing I enjoyed about your story was the social interaction that can take place at a train show. Usually you can sense who you can trust and who you can't after a few minutes. And some of the nicest people you will ever meet are train guys in my opinion. I never used to enjoy negotiating, but have come to enjoy it in my later years. Maybe watching American Pickers was part of the reason? Since I have found that if you make it light-hearted and easy going, it can be fun for both parties. I like to ask "what is your I can't afford not to buy it price?" At the local monthly train shows everybody expects to negotiate. I've often heard comments like "I feel I have to negotiate even thought it's a fair price."
Again, great story and you found some great items.
Art
