Tony lippincott

[dead dog]

Who is TONY LIPPINCOTT
Vintage Scuba Double Hose Regulator Tony Lippincott Aqua Lung | eBay

 

[Luis H]

Someone that was so proud of his name that he ruined a good regulator by stamping his name all over it.

Since there is no label, the guy selling it probably thinks that is the brand name or the model.
I don't like when you find a good vintage regulator and someone stamped, engraved, or scratched their name or initials on it.

 

[Sam Miller III]

The seller of the regulator is a junk seller...It is apparent he did not realize Tony Lippencott was the previous owner's name and not a brand.

Orange County, Kalifornia the area that Dead Dog lives and I once lived, had only four dive shops during the double hose era. One shop which we both frequented had a small engraving company directly across the street. A number of the locals had their double hose regulators engraved with our names, initials etc. I still have one of the engraved cans packed away.

This maybe what Dead Dog thinks this regulator is...It is not...the regulator that is for sale is stamped, the ones we made were engraved.

<<< For you Clive Cussler fans..this is where he worked and learned to dive=Ron Merker and I were his instructors, Ron issued an LA Co card and I NAUI >>>

Should any one come across one of the engraved can, name or initials, let me know and I can possibly tell you who owned it.

SDM

 

[DaleC]

It is a bit of a fun mystery hunt to find out the details though.

I bought a depth gauge once that had a fellows name engraved on it. On a whim I googled the name and came up with a local who happened to own a marine sales business. I emailed him and asked if it was his - it was. He gave me the details of when/where it was purchased in about a 1/2 phone conversation about his times diving.

I'm still trying to find out who Foster "Buzz" Yoakum is though. His name is penned in a flourish across the page of my copy of Treasure Divers of Vigo Bay as though he were the author (which he was not).

 

[simonbeans]

Should any one come across one of the engraved can, name or initials, let me know and I can possibly tell you who owned it.

SDM

How about this one Doc?

Allan

 

[Sitkadiver]

Dr. Miller,

Were you there when he was given the Doxa watch? I mean theee Doxa that Dirk Pitt wore..?

Here's what I know of the story and it was a very special gift.

DOXA SUB 300T - CLIVE CUSSLER

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Weird, the "Tony" regulator is a DA Aqualung, which looks like the yolk is not original as it appears not to be finish--it is brass without the satin finish.

SeaRat

 

[Sam Miller III]

Dr. Miller,

Were you there when he was given the Doxa watch? I mean theee Doxa that Dirk Pitt wore..?

Here's what I know of the story and it was a very special gift.

DOXA SUB 300T - CLIVE CUSSLER[/
QUOTE]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was not present but was aware of the gift..

A few facts FYI

A) The article and the event is essentially true...a number of names and facts were deleted
1) Location=Aquatic Center,(AC) 309 N Harbor Blvd, Santa Ana California and AC in Newport Beach at4537 W. Coast Hwy
2) Owners, Dick Spencer, Allan (Omar)Wood and Ron Merker

B)Background
1) The Doxa was introduced in 1968 in three different faces,
a) Orange-"Professional model" #7268 $150.00
b) Silver-"Shark Hunter" model" #7269 $150.00
c) Black-"Sea Rambler" model" #7270 $150.00

At that time there were only two effective certifying agencies, LA Co and NAUI, the majority of the instructors were LA Co/ NAUI with one or two NAUI only. Tommy Thompson was the oldest in terms of instruction and I was one year behind him, so we were the two oldest instructors in Orange county (I am now the oldest NAUI instructor in all of California- and one of the oldest LA Co Instructors)

I had replaced Tommy on the LA Co Underwater Instructor's Association (LA Co UIA) on their Board of directors..one of my activities was to organize a monthly meeting of all LA & NAUI instructors which became known as "Fireside Chats" since the first meeting was at Frank English's Condo rec room around a fire place, The main purpose was to share experiences and get to know each other a little better and prepare prospective LA Co instructors for the demands the LA Co UICC, which was,is and should always be the most demanding civilian diving certification course in the world.

At one of the meetings Tommy Thompson displayed the new Doxa with an Orange face and as can be imagined an immediate hit since we were in Orange County and were LA Co under water instructors...Tommy returned to US Divers and soon created an offer for LA UW instructors residing in OC that we could not refuse..With in a short time the majority of the local instructors were sporting Orange faced Doxas.

Clive was working for Dick Spencer in the Santa Ana store who also wore an Orange faced Doxa. Clive certainly must had secretly admired the Orange faced Doxas,although I don't recall him ever mentioning it to me or admiring mine.

While employed at the AC Clive used his advertising back ground to create some cleaver pole advertisements as well as flat advertisements for AC .
Dick, Omar and Ron recognized this and in some small way wanted to repay Clive for his efforts..So he was presented with a Orange faced Doxa as a Thank you and a going away present.
Clive repaid Dick, Omar, Ron and I by including us in his first successful book. "Raise the Titanic." Those of you who have read it recall "Spence?" "Woodson" or Sam Merker ? - who was fat, short, black and a communist traitor who was shot--Not exactly a picture of Ron and I had expected....But for several years we had given Clive a very unique not to complementary nom d'plume and chastised him about wiriting the great American dive adventure novel.

I appeared in a number of early Dirk Pitt books, as Sam Quade, ( I was often called Samuel Q ???& I was the CDO & DSO of the DDS Beaver) Sam Triad (I am Sam 111), Adm. Sam Mittler,(I was a USAF Captain) and Doc Miller in Shara..In that book I was shot between the eyes with a 45 as I recall on page about 70! There are a number of other books I also "appeared in" but at this time can't recall their titles.

The Santa Ana Store has been replaced years ago by a automobile repair shop. The Newport is now owned by Egyptian born Hosam Elshenawi and operates under the banner of the Beach Cities chain of dive shops. The store 's name has been changed to Beach Cities Aquatic Center but it's location at 4537 W. Coast Hwy remains the same.Copyright Dr Samuel Miller, 2013-maynot be used with out written permission of the author

 

[captain]

I had informed the seller that Tony had stamped his name in it and greatly reduced the value, his reply was "dam".

 

[Sam Miller III]

Apears to be engraved

However I don't recall a Torgerson in the OC tribe.

Maybe Dead dog can recall the name?

SDM

---------- Post added January 21st, 2013 at 09:50 AM ----------

I had informed the seller that Tony had stamped his name in it and greatly reduced the value, his reply was "dam".[
/QUOTE]

As of 30 seconds ago price was still $85.00 with a BIN of $125.00.

sdm