Ross Coulthart Shows Patch Claimed of "Reverse Engineering Program at Area 51"

So at some point the patch itself or photo of the patch that was provided to Coultart was in the possession of this ebay seller, who also likely posted the other listings all of which contain different photos of the same patch which makes it more likely that they had the actual patch.

Thank you for the explanation sir. Just to clarify, at some point it seems "lockheedskunk117" was listing the patch on eBay or soviet-awards.com or both?

He does a lot more buying then selling according to his reviews, but again mostly coins and cards.
 
One of the ebay auction photos matches exactly (based on the crinkles and folds in the background cloth and plastic sheath) the image used by Ross Coultart's presentation. The angle and colours/contrast look different because the presentation image is a photo of the photo being projected.

Attached to this post is a high res image demonstrating marks and folds showing that they are the same image.
 

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So at some point the patch itself or photo of the patch that was provided to Coultart was in the possession of this ebay seller
The words we are given suggest that Coultart only has a photo...

Apparently the guys son snuck into his office and snapped a picture of it.
And this is the picture?

The seller's selling a picture?

I'm also confused by how ebay listing has the whole "EG&G Reverse Engineering Patch" as per Coultart's words we've been provided.

Does anyone know which came first? I'm assuming that Coultart's words are newer than the ebay listing date quoted here but I don't know that for sure (just going on the age of reddit conversation about it).
 
After a bit of looking, "lockheedskunk117" purchased something from seller "Area 51":

1692029077973.png


Area 51's current listings of stickers and patches:

1692028967132.png

https://www.ebay.com/usr/area51rider

Most of Area 51's reviews are about private listings, but do include patches:

1692029545280.png

And he has a YouTube channel:

1692029636156.png

Not sure to see what someone listed that is now sold on eBay.
 
he works in the Lockheed Skunkworks from Burbank CA,
what makes you think that? maybe he just thinks the nighthawks are cool.

@NorCal Dave

No, the one mentioned in post# 65. That has the brown carpet behind the patch
its a blanket

He claims the patch is in Palmdale
was in

I'll keep looking.
look in "left for others" 6 months.
(if im following right he sold it possibly in feb 27? then it was resold march23rd? )

buyer.png
 
what makes you think that? maybe he just thinks the nighthawks are cool.

I didn't word that right. I'm not saying he works there, I meant the username works in various elements of Area 51 lore. But the Skunkworks is now located in Palmdale where the patch supposedly WAS.

After 1989, Lockheed reorganized its operations and relocated the Skunk Works to Site 10 at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, where it remains in operation today.
Content from External Source
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunk_Works

look in "left for others" 6 months.
(if im following right he sold it possibly in feb 27? then it was resold march23rd? )

Nice! I don't do eBay, so didn't look at that tab, just went through "lockeedskunk117" and "Area 51s" buy and sell reviews.
 
Shouldn't "this guy" be in trouble for allowing his son to be sneaking about taking photographs?

How does "this guy" know his son did this? If I was the son then I wouldn't tell my dad.

What was the son taking photos of? How could the son know what the patch is unless "this guy" has told his son what he's doing? Is "this guy" allowed to do that?

What did the son do with any of the photographs he took? Apart from tell "this guy"? What's the incentive here?

The son seems better at keeping secrets than "this guy".
 
nah. he's all over social media and he's into area 51. he wouldnt sell the patch if it came from area 51. and he doesnt seem at all like a guy scamming people with his wares.

Not suggesting anything nefarious. Your screen grab above (post #124) sure makes it look like seller 'lockheedskunk117" sold the patch to a buyer 9***1. "lockheedskunk117" who usually buys and sells coins and cards was selling an Area 51 related patch and had bought something from seller "Area 51" who specializes in Area 51/Groom Lake patches and stickers. Just looking for a possible connection.

Seller "Area 51" seems to sell more overtly area51/Groom Lake stuff almost for fun, while the supposed EG&G patch is much more cryptid.
 
Shouldn't "this guy" be in trouble for allowing his son to be sneaking about taking photographs?

How does "this guy" know his son did this? If I was the son then I wouldn't tell my dad.

What was the son taking photos of? How could the son know what the patch is unless "this guy" has told his son what he's doing? Is "this guy" allowed to do that?

What did the son do with any of the photographs he took? Apart from tell "this guy"? What's the incentive here?

The son seems better at keeping secrets than "this guy".
what? where are you getting that story from?

the alleged patch owner died last year. there was no "son" it was a great nephew. allegedly at age 50 the "owner" went to work at area 51 in 1997 and was allegedly told a story about reverse engineering.
He later saw a photograph on a wall of a data storage room.

He allegedly told the story of the story to his great nephew.
https://www.metabunk.org/threads/ro...ineering-program-at-area-51.13109/post-297770
 
Shouldn't "this guy" be in trouble for allowing his son to be sneaking about taking photographs?
Listen:

Source: https://youtu.be/0oVa3xU34Dk?t=470
starting at 7:52 Coulthart spins the tale, I don't have the time when the patch is shown

Coulthard's source S had a great-uncle GU. GU is dead (died in his sleep at 75). GU worked for EG&G at Groom Lake. GU met a senior engineer who talked about reverse engineering the "egg". GU also saw a photograph of it. S took a picture of GU's patch.
 
EG&G did give out appreciation patches ..although there are multiples of all these for sale. and looks like there is usually a letter or presentation package included.

Screenshot 2023-08-14 142042.png
ebay link

Screenshot 2023-08-14 142334.png
 
So, did Coulthart get punked?

This screen grab from @deirdre (post # 124) sure makes it look like the patch was sold by a "lockheedskunk117" to a buyer "9***1":

1692036316121.png

If that's the case, then it seems likely that this is the description of the patch when it was for sale:

Area 51 Groom Lake EG&G; Engineering UFO Military Super Rare Patch :
$900000.00
Do you want to own the ultimate Area 51 item? Then look no further!
This patch was given to the members of a small EG&G engineering group inside Area 51 in the year 2000. I was part of that group. 100% original and authentic. I have never seen this patch offered anywhere else before. Excellent condition. Been stored inside a plastic sleeve.
MAKE YOUR BEST OFFER! Keep in mind that I will not let this go for nothing. This isn't some reproduction. It was specifically designed and handed out to engineers INSIDE Area 51. Obviously I'm not really asking $900,000. I just wanted it to be seen more. Don't hesitate if you have questions.
UPS shipping fully insured and signature required is included with your purchase. Shipping within U.S only. No returns.
I have 100% positive response. Buy with complete confidence.
Content from External Source
https://web.archive.org/web/2023081...-Military-Super-Rare-Patch-_185790380709.html

IF there is any truth to this claim, then EE&G was owned by the Carlyle Group at that time and was considerably smaller than in the '80s:

From 1999 until 2001, EG&G was wholly owned by The Carlyle Group.[6] smaller than in the '80s:

In August 2002, the defense-and-services sector of the company was acquired by defense technical-services giant URS Corporation. URS' EG&G division is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and employs over 11,000 people. During its heyday in the 1980s, EG&G had about 35,000 employees.
Content from External Source
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EG&G

As noted above, "lockheedskunk117" mostly buys and sells collectable coins and cards so, this is a bit out of his wheelhouse but certainly possible. This story is at least plausible. He doesn't really say it was for a "reverse engineering" team, rather a "small EG&G engineering group inside Area 51" and we know EG&G had workers at Area 51. They could have been engineering the LAN or network system. I think he tacked the "reverse" part on just like the $900,000.00 price tag, to generate interest.

Did someone see this somewhere, copy the picture and concocted a convoluted story to go with it and passed that on to Coulthart? And he just ran with it?
 
He doesn't really say it was for a "reverse engineering" team, rather a "small EG&G engineering group inside Area 51" and we know EG&G had workers at Area 51.
That's what Coulthard said on his youtube podcast as well. The source's great-uncle worked for EG&G, but never saw the "egg" himself, so the patch wouldn't be for the reverse engineering team. It's just offered to corroborate the story. Maybe the great-uncle was an avid ebay seller before he recently died?
 
Did someone see this somewhere, copy the picture and concocted a convoluted story to go with it and passed that on to Coulthart? And he just ran with it?
you would think a so called "investigative journalist" would check the credentials of his sources before putting a story out, but we know he dint from the interview podcast Mendel just linked above. smh.
 
Lockheedskunk117 Has reached out to me. I'm going to chat with him in a bit. Any questions yall can think of?
He claims it was his great uncle that gave him the patch.
 
So far
Seller of the patch
Lockheedskunk117 says,
The patch was in uncles.
He sold it because he was strapped for cash.
He sold it with a MJ Autographed Chicago Bulls Ticket Stub
He regrets selling it
It was not sold to Ross Coulthart
It was sold to a eBay user from Nevada
Ross never had the patch, Lockheedskunk117 simply shared the image & Story with Ross
Ross called Lockheedskunk last night, Wanted to know why people think its a MAP Weather patch
He assured Ross it was the real deal, from his Uncle and not a MAP patch

He had to go to work.. Will talk to him later.
 
perhaps you can ask him for some actual proof of anything. this is metabunk after all, we specialize in looking at evidence ..not stories.
I'm on it. I want to emphasize these are just things the seller is saying. I have yet to receive any proof aside from him being the guy who listed and sold it.
 
and what proof do you have of that?
He reached out to me outside of eBay. I suggested he contact my eBay account from his eBay account.
This was to confirm I was actually speaking to account-holder who sold the patch in March 23
He did. As far as anything else though, nothing confirmed yet.
 
Lockheedskunk117 Has reached out to me. I'm going to chat with him in a bit. Any questions yall can think of?
He claims it was his great uncle that gave him the patch.
Yes, plase ask him what was his uncle's technical specialty (communication, sensors, IT, etc.) and what his degree was in. Also would be interesting to know when his uncle worked at A51, from (approximately) what year to what year.
 
So this guy is claiming he is Ross' source?

I mean by definition it is a MAP patch, it literally has words that spell that acronym on it, whether its' that project or not is unclear, but there's nothing that specifically ties it to A51/Groom Lake otr EG&G many patches are sold with "Area 51" "Groom Lake" in the lsiting whether its real or not.

What is the source of the other 3 different photos of the patch from the other auctions? Auctions by other people since he sold it, annoyingly I can't find these auctions in caches/search engines histories.

I don't know if anyone who has better ebay knowledge can track any history down on them?

185747391075 no details
185782594127 no details
185790380709 is unknown seller but Bing has it in search results as Ends Feb 24th but not in cache, possibly another auction by
Lockheedskunk117
185793097822 is the Coultart photo ebay item has ends Feb 27th listed by Lockheedskunk117
184961050008 older listing? has no photo but uses similar wording to all the others
 
So this guy is claiming he is Ross' source?

I mean by definition it is a MAP patch, it literally has words that spell that acronym on it, whether its' that project or not is unclear, but there's nothing that specifically ties it to A51/Groom Lake otr EG&G many patches are sold with "Area 51" "Groom Lake" in the lsiting whether its real or not.

What is the source of the other 3 different photos of the patch from the other auctions? Auctions by other people since he sold it, annoyingly I can't find these auctions in caches/search engines histories.

I don't know if anyone who has better ebay knowledge can track any history down on them?

185747391075 no details
185782594127 no details
185790380709 is unknown seller but Bing has it in search results as Ends Feb 24th but not in cache, possibly another auction by
Lockheedskunk117
185793097822 is the Coultart photo ebay item has ends Feb 27th listed by Lockheedskunk117
184961050008 older listing? has no photo but uses similar wording to all the others
So this guy is claiming he is Ross' source?
Yes the seller Lockheedskunk117 claims to be Ross source. He said the patch was his great Uncles.
I mean by definition it is a MAP patch
My thought as well.
What is the source of the other 3 different photos of the patch from the other auctions?
Ill ask if he doesn't ghost. Just for clarification, the sale of the patch in March was a "Buy it Now" listing. Not an auction.
Thank you for giving me some good questions to ask.
 
So this guy is claiming he is Ross' source?
Yes the seller Lockheedskunk117 claims to be Ross source. He said the patch was his great Uncles.

My thought as well.

Ill ask if he doesn't ghost. Just for clarification, the sale of the patch in March was a "Buy it Now" listing. Not an auction.
Thank you for giving me some good questions to ask
I guess if he acquired the patch like that then the other auctions must have been him and given he is the seller then he could show that?
 
Lockheedskunk117 Has reached out to me. I'm going to chat with him in a bit. Any questions yall can think of?
He claims it was his great uncle that gave him the patch.
If he could share a link to the obituary of the great-uncle that'd be awesome.
Maybe ask first what kind of guy his GU was, did he ever do practical jokes, and when did he die. Like, get an impression of the GU, what were the seller's memories of him, that sort of stuff.
 
I guess if he acquired the patch like that then the other auctions must have been him and given he is the seller then he could show that?
That's what it seems like.
When you make a ebay "Buy it now" listing, it has a expiration date. "Most" sellers click the option to "Automatically renew listing". In that case it would just remain listed until sold.
If you don't opt to "automatically renew" ,the listing will expire. You will have to list it again yourself or leave it off the market.
So if we are seeing the older listings "ended". Its probably the listing hitting the expiration date. It either renewed automatically, or the seller left it off the market and relisted later.
I assume the listing expired. And when he re-listed it the final time is when we see he added the MJ autograph.
 
I've got to run for now. If anyone wants something to do, try and find a eBay sold listing, prior to March 2023 for the "Mj autographed Chicago Bulls ticket stub"
Lockheedskunk117 Claims the MJ autograph he grouped with the patch for $550- he himself purchased on eBay for $400. I didn't get a chance to ask for the date of his purchase.
It could possible be in Lockheedskunk117's feedback left for sellers.
 
So if we are seeing the older listings "ended". Its probably the listing hitting the expiration date. It either renewed automatically, or the seller left it off the market and relisted later.
Given the photos change each auction it seems they relisted, for some reason with a different photo each time? Does ebay have some rule against using the same photo for a new listing?
 
He claims it was his great uncle that gave him the patch.

But that's not what he claimed in the description of the patch:

This patch was given to the members of a small EG&G engineering group inside Area 51 in the year 2000. I was part of that group. 100% original and authentic.
Content from External Source
At the very least this implies that he was there and that the patch was given to him. Maybe that was just more hyperbole to move the item but is a bit disingenuous.

The plot thickens. And a Big Ass winner badge to @jarlrmai for finding the cached page with the sellers user name.
 
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