Collector feels he's a custodian of nation's past

The glass display cases tell a story that is both fascinating and abhorent to behold.

The cases line the walls of a two-room shop that stands behind Glen Mattox's home in Post Falls.

Each case contains authentic weapons and uniforms that were used during a specific American war.

A stroll through Mattox's Antique Gun Shoppe, 2640 E. Ponderosa Blvd., is a confrontation with an inescapable truth:

History is often shaped through the spilling of blood.

Flintlocks from the Revolutionary War. Bolt-action repeating rifles from the Spanish-American War. Bows, arrows and six-guns from the Wild West.

Civil War sabers. World War I bayonets.

They are all there: World War II. Korea. Vietnam. Desert Storm.

Mattox's collection sobered me when I paid him a visit a few weeks ago. Today I'm haunted with a question. After the events of the last bloody week, what will Mattox's next glass-enclosed shrine store?

From the president to the lowliest pedestrian on the street, everyone has that "W" word on their lips.

In the time it took those twin World Trade Center towers to crumble, the nation rediscovered patriotism.

Old Glory is being flown from cars, porches and Old Navy T- shirts. Ribbons adorn lapels.

We are rallying with a fervor that hasn't been seen since the World War II generation of my parents. And though the cause is as just as it gets, the prospect of what may lurk ahead should chill every soul.

"Unfortunately, I think there probably will be another case," says Mattox. "It's scary. I was telling my wife that today. We're going into a real uncertain time right now."

Mattox, 57, is one of the nation's most respected dealers of antique weaponry.

He caught the bug as a kid growing up in North Idaho, never dreaming it would bring him a career and a measure of wealth as an adult.

While his peers traded baseball cards, Mattox read history books. His first venture into what would become a lifelong obsession happened when, at age 13, he paid 10 bucks for an old pistol.

It was a combination of interests, he says. "I like history and I realized that the security of a nation lies in the strength of its military."

There was no stopping after that.

The desire for more and better fuels the heart of all collectors. Like everything else, however, some are just more driven than others. Mattox is world-class.

Over the last 40-some years, he has had his hands on thousands upon thousands of military items: rifles, handguns, Civil War cannons, holsters, boots, uniforms, swords, daggers, horse blankets and items too unique to fit into any category.

Consider a battle log that came from Georgia's battle of Lookout Mountain during the Civil War. Or the .45-caliber Spanish-American War Gatling gun he recently sold.

Mattox considers it crass to discuss the prices these items fetch. But judges at the Seattle Gun Show called the 2,000-pound antique "a national treasure."

Apart from his most treasured pieces, in the glass cases, Mattox's inventory is in constant flux. He scours America for these treasures and sells them to affluent collectors all over the world. Some of the rarest pieces wind up in museums.

According to Mattox, an investment in quality antique military items is more secure and appreciates far faster than stocks and bonds. He points to a Spanish-American War rifle in fair condition. "I used to sell these for 20 bucks," he says. "This is $900 today."

Another comparison boggles the mind. Mattox once sold an 1866 ivory-stocked Winchester that belonged to Mexico's Emperor Maximilian for a fraction of the $1 million it would bring today.

But money is only a part of it. The hardware and uniforms that occupy space in his glass cases aren't for sale at any price. His Desert Storm exhibit, for example, features uniforms worn by his daughter, Tonya, and her husband, Milton.

Mattox considers himself a custodian of the past. The weapons that were once carried by soldiers long gone are physical reminders of the blood and sacrifices that brought America to this point in time.

What will the next case hold?

Mattox shudders to think of the possibilities. But there is conflict coming. You can feel the forces churning.

"Terrorism is open to all borders," he says. "This isn't just an American situation. It's a global thing."

Copyright 2001 Cowles Publishing Company
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.