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| I received an e-mail from Phil Spruit
on July 14 regarding a trophy that Bob Foley noticed was for sale on Ebay
and who put a note about on the Message Board. Once I looked through
the download, I couldn’t believe my eyes. A trophy that my
boat the Gun Shy (Miss Peg in its first configuration) had
won for being National Champion in 1960. The trophy was a hand carved
mahogany model of the boat with a plaque stating records set, owners, and
designer/builder. What a find!!!
After joining E-bay, I sent an e-mail to the seller requesting information about her purchase and an offer to buy outright. She had bought the trophy at an art show in New York about 1 year ago. The purchase was based on the design of the piece without consideration for any historical significance. buyout price seemed very high even to someone who had already decided that it was a must have!! Possibly a little investigation was in order. I called Ennie Argence, the driver of the Gun Shy. When asked if he had ever seen anything like this, his reply was “I’m sitting here looking at mine”. Evidently there was at least two made. I believe one was made for the driver and this one was made for the owners. The only difference between the two that I can tell is that his name was inscribed on his trophy. I was too excited at the time to ask where they had come from. It was a 10 day auction and several bids had been offered and the price was going up. One bidder seemed the most interested, countering on every bid. I e-mailed him, asking if the trophy held any significance to him and explaining my interest in it. Nick (didn’t get last name) was buying memorabilia for a racing theme restraunt in Tacoma, Washington.  He
is also a big Ted Jones fan. Nick had his heart in the right place; thinking
the trophy and the boat belonged together, and he graciously backed off.
Bidding on closing night was a real nail biter. I logged on for the last half hour before closing, but there was no last minute bidding. What a relief!!!! I made contact with seller on Tuesday, and received my prize on Thursday. It was perfect. The plaque on the base of the trophy reads as follows: GUN-SHY US-1 266 Hydro 1960 National Champion World Kilo Record 123.5 MPH 5-Mile Course Record 80.5 MPH Owners: Claude Barracliff and Bill Jeffries. Designer: Ted Jones Builder: Ron Jones. ©2001 Jack Hines |