By By Adam Prestridge
Late one night last week, while surfing the Internet for some research needed for a story, curiosity got the best of me.
While online, I decided to visit ebay(r) and search Atmore, Alabama. I was surprised when items for sell began popping up on the computer screen. There weren't many, but the fact that two things popped up took me back.
The first item for sale was an Atmore Police Department patch. Conch Creations out of Boca Raton, Fla. described the patch as an "Atmore Alabama Police Department collectible law enforcement patch. Large 4 1/8 x 4 1/4". Six colors."
There are collectors of many kinds throughout the world from the most common baseball card collectors to postage stamp collectors and, believe it or not, police department patch collectors are very common too. I've met several police patch collectors over the years and most are current or retired law enforcement agents keeping in touch with their fellow comrades. Often, you can pinpoint a patch collector because after acquiring enough to fill a frame, they have them mounted and framed and usually hang them up in their office or, in the case of a retiree, in their den above their favorite chair.
Another item listed was an Atmore, Escambia County Alabama 2006 aerial CD map. I'm not quite sure what exactly was being offered, but I believe it was a disc for your computer that allows users to search and print out aerial photographs of cities across the U.S.
I became equally curious about Atmore's surrounding towns and began searching them on ebay(r) as well. I first searched Poarch Band of Creek Indians and the first and only thing to pop up was a Poarch Volunteer Fire Department patch. The patch was described as a "colorful BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) DPS public safety Native American Indian Poarch Creek Volunteer Fire Department AL Indian Tribe DPS Tribal Reservation Police style Department of the Interior federal agency law enforcement insignia emblem with in the design. Patch is shoulder size in new condition."
Again, not only are there police patch collectors, but also fire department, EMA and other various rescue workers that collect patches.
I went on to search Canoe, Huxford, Freemanville and Perdido in Alabama and McDavid, Fla. and Bratt, Fla. and the only results produced was the same aerial CD map for Huxford, Perdido and McDavid, Fla.
Even though there was not an abundance of "collectibles" on ebay(r) promoting Atmore and the surrounding areas, it did turn out to be an interesting 20 minutes. Since Atmore's centennial recently passed, it may be a good idea for residents to consider auctioning off memorabilia. I bet a lot of people across the U.S.; especially train collectors, would be interested in the city's centennial postcard with a cancellation stamp on it. Not only would it be great for the collectors, but also a different angle to promote the city.
Just a thought.
Adam Prestridge is publisher of The Atmore Advance. He can be reached at 368-2123.