Valentine used a commemorative gavel that was made for the second Utah Legislature in 1897.

The gavel is mahogany with ornate silver work and features sego lilies, a beehive and the names of all the legislators who participated in the second Legislature. Valentine says he felt a "sense of history" using the gavel, and it made him contemplate the Senate president who had used it for the same purpose so many years ago.

After being used in 1897, the gavel was almost lost to history. It surfaced at a garage sale in Las Vegas and then was auctioned off on eBay. Valentine's friend Ron Fox, a lobbyist, bought the gavel and let Valentine use it to open the session. He then sold it to Anthony Christensen of Anthony's Fine Art and Antiques. Christensen plans to restore the gavel (one of the sego lilies needs to be welded back on) and speculates that it will eventually be sold to a private collector who may donate it to the state. But that won't happen for some time. "I'm going to enjoy it for a while," Christensen said. - Katie Drake