1974 Richard Nixon "Army One" Artifacts
GUEST:
Well, I started off as a helicopter mechanic, and I worked my way through the military. I became a helicopter pilot and flight instructor. I went to the White House in 1973 and served under President Nixon and President Ford and left there in 1976 after our unit was disbanded. There was different memorabilia on the aircraft itself.
APPRAISER:
Some of the cigarettes that you see here came off the aircraft Army One.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And this is a candy tray that, again, was carried on the aircraft.
GUEST:
We had different assortments of items that the president's guests that flew with us, they would usually present them with something like that prior to...
APPRAISER:
So that would be a gift.
GUEST:
Yes, it would be a gift from the president.
APPRAISER:
This document you see over here was when President Nixon attended the Egypt peace accords in 1974. And this was a picture from that.
GUEST:
And it was given to me after the trip.
APPRAISER:
So you got to go to the Egypt-America peace accord, which was June 12-14, 1974.
GUEST:
That's correct. Maybe two months before Nixon resigned.
APPRAISER:
Exactly right. He was embroiled in a lot of heat from Watergate at the time.
GUEST:
Absolutely.
APPRAISER:
And he went to this event, and you accompanied him to the event.
GUEST:
Not to the event, but we provided air support for him while he was in the country.
APPRAISER:
So let me ask you about the piece I'm most curious about. It's this pen over here that has Richard Nixon's signature, and it says "The White House."
GUEST:
That's correct.
APPRAISER:
Where did you get this?
GUEST:
That was given to me by President Nixon after the accord was over with.
APPRAISER:
And what did he tell you?
GUEST:
Well, he told me at that time that one of the documents had been signed.
APPRAISER:
With that pen?
GUEST:
With that pen.
APPRAISER:
You have things like the cigarette packs, which it's hard to picture that on the presidential planes they would be offering everybody different cigarettes.
GUEST:
I know it, yes.
APPRAISER:
These covers and this piece of paper designate that they were used on Army One.
GUEST:
Correct.
APPRAISER:
And explain Army One.
GUEST:
Army One is the call sign for the helicopter fleet whenever the president was on board.
APPRAISER:
Army One at that time was flown by the Army. And in 1976 that unit was disbanded, and the Marine Corps took over the unit, which is now Marine One. And let's talk a little bit about this badge here, because very few people get this badge.
GUEST:
That's correct.
APPRAISER:
And why did you get that badge?
APPRAISER:
That's for a minimum of one year's service to the White House.
The photographs were issued by the president's office, by the White House.
GUEST:
That's correct.
APPRAISER:
And issued to you. Not a lot of value, maybe in the $25 to $50 each. Right. The cigarette packs sell in the retail market, $200 a pack.
GUEST:
Wow. Pretty amazing. Very good.
APPRAISER:
This item over here, value-wise on something like that would be around $200.
GUEST:
Okay, very good.
APPRAISER:
The documents from the event, like this document right here would probably sell in the hundreds of dollars, $200.
GUEST:
Wow. No kidding? Just for this little doc...
APPRAISER:
because they didn't make many. They were just for the important people. The badge is probably in the $500 to $1,000 range.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
But really what it comes down to is this pen. If this pen, as you said, was... signed a document in Egypt, it would probably have a value of around $2,000.
GUEST:
Wow, no kidding?
APPRAISER:
Yeah. Your whole collection is somewhere between $3,000 and $4,000.
GUEST:
No kidding?
APPRAISER:
Wow, thank you so much. That is excellent.
GUEST:
Thanks for coming.
APPRAISER:
Thank you very much.
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