After a 2,246 mile journey, I can officially say I have joined the small group of fortunate members owning a Custom kettle.
CURBSIDE CUSTOM (background story)
This 18" Custom was found by member CustomKettle. It had been left at the curb for free in his community in Indiana. A you can see, he literally threw it in the bed of his truck and brought it home.
Arriving home he did some research to determine a value for the kettle. This led him to the WKC, where he joined the Forum and posted a thread asking for input on the kettle's value. In it, he said he could not post pictures of the kettle. I reached out to him via PM, and after he emailed me the photos I posted them for him. One thing led to another and here we are today. Prior to shipping the Custom to me, he cooked a massive prime rib on it. When it arrived today, it smelled fabulous unpacking it.
Thank you
@CustomKettle. I look forward to creating my own memories and photos of cooking on this little piece of Weber history.
It will be making an appearance at the June 24th, WKC Northern California picnic.
*Here is a great article on possible origins of the Custom kettle by
@56MPG http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/custom-chromoveil/msg234846/#msg234846