June 1, 2026
#543
Gentle reader,
As the United States of America heads to it's Semiquincentennial in one month and three days from this writing, I noticed on my housekeys ring the Snap-On™ Tools Bicentennial key chain fob they were giving away. Then, I realized that it had been on that same ring for fifty years, I thought, "Wow, where has the time gone?"
That was me, in 1973 at my first job at a Mobil™ Gas Station in Denver, Colorado. I was SO skinny back then. This was before I had bought my first car. I rode my 3-speed bicycle which I'd had for a few years back and forth to work.
In searching for 1970's pictures of a Mobil™ gas station, I came across this one a seller was selling on eBay. It's a little older, based upon the 1958 Chevrolet being filled up. I seem to recall ours having round pumps...
Yes, that's better. Note the price of 55.9 cents per gallon. It was selling for 34.9 cents when I began working there. Yes, that is CENTS not DOLLARs per gallon.
If you compare the two of them, fifty years of rubbing against keys and the ring, clearly shows on my original fob, thus, my desire to find one in nicer condition.
I bought a total of TWO Snap-On™ tools during my 44 year career working on first automobiles and trucks then on Washington, D.C.'s Metro subway cars. Regardless, that earned me a bronze key fob.
I had great difficulty lighting the fobs so that details could be seen. Below, I will show you the various ways I tried to get the best images.
I tried swapping them left to right and upside down, then flipping them in Photoshop™.
Note the background color changing with every image.
Note the way the angle of view changes with these below.
See? None of the backgrounds are beige, which the folder is.
In each case they were resting on a manila folder.
AS you can see by comparing each sets of photos, that none are shadow free for best clarity. Plus, you, the reader, have no idea their size.
"Ah!", I thought, "I'll scan them!"
But, the scanner cut of edges here and there. Sigh.
Ah, but they are shadow-free and much easier to see just where time and keys rubbing on them has worn details away. In each case of these two scanned images, the new-to-me fob is on the left. Look at the fob's wrenches, the Snap-on™ logo is clearly seen on the left one. Also, look at the patriot's face and both hands. Each is worn away on the right one. Even the stripes on the rolled up sleeves are gone from the worn one. The left shoe's buckle on the right one's toe is worn away as well.
One thing I noticed when editing all these images is that white dot on the old fob. I looked at it closely in my hand. It seems to be a tiny piece of white Styrofoam. I removed it.
Yes, this article is different than my usual fare. But, since I have two of them, that comprises a collection.
Thanks for taking the time to read this article. Looking around the house, there are still collections, mostly Nancy's, which I can share with you. Feel free to leave a comment below or via Facebook.
Scott Robb
June 1, 2026
#543
