STEAM VALVES

A rather interesting discovery was made today by a plumber on the job site I am working at. He was removing an old, old brass steam valve, and noticed as he was cutting it off the pipe, that there was a swastika on the casting.

Once he had it removed, he brought the valve down from his ladder, with help, to inspect it, and sure enough, he found the valve to have been made in Germany, although I never did find out what year was stamped on the body of the valve.

This, of course, started an interesting discussion, one day after our presidential elections. We talked about the value of the valve, to collectors, war buffs, and possibly even museums. Some said it was worth thousands of dollars, not only because of the swastika stamped into the cast brass body of the valve, but also because it was a valve for a steam main, a six inch steam main. Those types of valves new are worth over a thousand dollars, and this one was in working condition, full brass, with the swastika.

One fellow said it had to be worth at least twenty-thousand dollars. When I was asked how much it was worth, I said what I believed. I told them I wouldn’t pay a dime for it. I of course, got a lot of looks of the type, “you must be crazy!!” When I was asked why I said that, I said anything that was cut out of an old steam system to be thrown away obviously meant it was worthless, regardless of what sort of markings were on it. It wasn’t fit to be in the remodeled building, therefore, it was worthless. I still got those looks.

Brothers and sister in Christ, when the Lord cuts off the old steam valves in our lives, the ones with the swastika stamped on them, throw them away, they are worthless. Why would we hang on to something that isn’t fit for the new body God is building?