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FGTfRTETW KXDTORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE
Sunday, November 27, 1955
Buried Treasure
Snuff -Box Canes Are
Quite Rare Nowadays
It had been acouple of years
since I had seen Sid and as I
lit a cigarette I offered him one.
"No thanks," he said. "I've
long since gotten over that dis
gusting and dangerous habit,
thank Heaven."
He selected an ebony stick
with a gold head on it from a
rack of canes.
. As he spoke, he gave the head
of the cane a twist, lifted it off
and glanced down delightedly at
the top of the cane.
"Aha," he exclaimed excited
ly, putting the gold head back
on. He walked over to the desk
some 15 feet away and an
nounced he would take the cane.
In another minute he had paid
for it and was coming back.
"This is my lucky day," he
said, pulling a small pouch from
his coat pocket, "I've been look
ing for a stick like this for
months, and to think I finally
got it for $20."
"What is it," I asked.
"Can't you guess," he said, giv
ing the head of the cane a turn
and doing something with the
pouch. "Look at it," he went on,
holding it up in front of me.
"Observe closely, please," he
continued. "Now, sniff deeply."
I sniffed. It was a good ten
seconds before I caught on, and
by then I was trying to suppress
an unsuppressible sneeze.
"It's a snuff-box cane," he said
when I had recovered sufficient
ly to hear him. "They're quite
rare nowadays, and for me to get
one like this is really something.
Why, I saw one the other day
go for S8 right while I was try
ing to make up my mind."
I examined the stick carefully.
There must have been a full
ounce of gold in the head of the
cane, and the tiny mark on the
under side of the band showed
it to be 16 carat.
UNUSED 1880 POST OFFICE SEAL WORTH AT LEAST $60
"I guess we can safely open
this now," said Jim, holding up
an impressing-looking envelope
and slitting open one end.
There were eight of us present
I and we watched curiously. The
contents consisted of a single en
velope which in turn contained
a picture and description of one
of Great' Uncle Charlie's inven
tions. He had mailed them to
himself by registered mail and
kept it unopened. Evidently he
had expected some kind of a
court contest over his gadget and
intended to use the letter as
proof of priority.
But though the contents were
virtually valueless, it occurred to
pie the envelope might not be.
And what gave me that thought
was not the postage stamps on
the inner envelope, which were
worth. $2 or $3 at the most, but
the registry stamp on the outer
one.
I had never seen one like it
before. It was a big thing, bluish
green in color, on soft, porous
paper, and it was affixed on the
back of the envelope over the
juncture of the flaps.
In the middle of the stamp was
a circle across which was super
imposed the word REGISTERED.
Around the circle was the
legend "Stamp Here Date And
Place Of Mailing." There was no
denomination. The purpose of
the stamp was simply to protect
the enclosed, registered letters
from being tampered with while
in transit.
On the front of the envelope
was Great Uncle Charlie's name
and box number. Evidently some
friend in the post office had de
cided to make the envelope extra
official and had put the letter
through in that way.
It was difficult to determine
the value of the piece. Post Of
fice Seals, as .they are known,
list at $60, unused, for the 1880
issue which ours was. Used ones
are unlisted, but we finally sold
the cover for $150.
1927 S BUFFALO NICKEL WORTH UP TO $80 EACH
Ned handed me a roll of
nickels that had been opened at
one end.
. "I found these in a drawer in
the office safe," he said, "and I
looked them up in a catalogue.
They're worth a dollar each..
Not bad, eh?"
I shook the top coin out. It
was a 1927 buffalo nickel. On
the reverse side, beneath the
words FIVE CENTS that appear
under the buffalo, I could make
out a tiny S, the San Francisco
mint mark. The coin was mint
clean.
"I guess my old man got this
roll from the bank which had
gotten it from'the mint. They are
all the same," said Ned.
I asked to see the catalogue he
had used for looking the coin
up. It was one of the cheap,
paper-covered ones put out by
some dealers. A check of the
standard catalogues showed a
decidedly different price.
One of them valued the 1927
nickel with the S mint mark at
from $3.50 for very fine condi
tion to $80 uncirculated. Another
quoted a spread of $4 to $85. .
Ned gasped when he saw the
figures. "Bur, these are all un
circulated. Let's see. That means
these are worth . .
"Don't try to figure it out," I
warned him "If anyone tossed
50 identical coins on the market
at once, the bottom would drop
out of the price. The thing for
you to do is to dispose of them
one at a time."
"But I can't go around ped
dling these things from dealer
to dealer," he said, " and I cer
tainly see no point in keeping
them. I'm not a collector."
I agreed that he might as well
get rid of them and suggested
he run an advertisement in one
of the numismatic publications
requesting offers for a single
coin. .
When I checked with him a
week ago, he still had plenty of
nickels left, but his total revenue
from sales was in excess of $500.
(Released by
McClure Newspaper Syndicate)
Two Appear In Court
OnAufo Theft Charges
Roy E. Armstrong, 21, Ever
Shady motel, and Ralph Aaron
Pearson, 31, Crater motel, ap
peared in district court yester
day on charges of larceny of a
motor vehicle.
Pearson waived preliminary
hearing and his case was con
tinued until Monday morning
for him to decide whether he
will obtain counsel, court rec
ords disclosed. Armstrong was
given until the same time to
determine whether he will ask
a preliminary hearing.
The auto involved belonged
to Primio Ciardi, 40 Quince st.,
according to state police. It was
taken from near Hawthorne park
about 6:15 p.m. Friday, they
said. The two men were ar
rested on Highway 99 south of
Phoenix about 7:15 p.m.
Census Shows 152 More
Pupils In District 6
Central Point The annual
census of school district 6 shows
an increase of 152 students over
last year's enrollment, Superin
tendent H. P. Jewett has an
nounced. Total enrollment is 2,
411, compared to 2,259 last year.
There are 1,706 students en
rolled in Central Point schools,
compared to 1,614 last year.
Gold Hill enrollment increased
from 431 last year to 483 this
Dr. Hardy C. Powers To Speak Here Dec. 4
Dr. Hardy C. Powers, who has
served for 12 years as one of five
superintendents in the Church
of the Nazarene, will speak to
year, and Sams Valley increased
from 154 to 172. The only de
cline was. at Table Rock, where
some 50 studentc are enrolled
this year compared to 60 last
year.
The age levels showing the
greatest increase are four, eight,
13 and 14 year olds.
the Medford congregation Sun
day, Dec. 4.
He will be accompanied by the
Rev. W. D. McGraw Jr., district
superintendent of the Oregon
Pacific district.
In connection with his 'South
ern Oregon visit, Dr. Powers
will receive charter members
into the membership of a sec
ond Nazarene church to be or
ganized soon under the joint
sponsorship of the Medford con
gregation and the Oregon-Pacific
district.
Air Force Cadets Name
Falcon Mascot 'Mach I'
Denver U.R) Air Force
academy cadets have renamed
their Falcon mascot "Mach I"
a scientific word for the speed
of sound.
When Mach I dies his succes
sor will" be dubbed Mach II
twice the speed of sound. The
third mascot will be Mach III.
and so on.
Mach I formerly held the un
scientific name
Fred.'
of "Fearless
to
Low Cost Diesel in Our New H.C.
Little Diesel Burning Stoves
MEDFORD FUEL CO.
Tel. 2-2111
Court & Mc Andrews
USE TRIBUNE WANT ADS!
Trk TT. T r9 I GIGANTIC
THE GRE
HAVE IVE
BE AMAZ
ON THE S
EST CLEARANCE OF WOMEN'S AND GIRLS READY TO WEAR WE
......... !
SEEN! WHEN YOU SEE THE TREMENDOUS SELECTIONS, YOU WILL
D AT the LOW, LOW CLEARANCE PRICES! Join the Thrifty Crowds
ALCONY, MONDAY MORNING AT 9:30 SHARP!
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ALL DRASTICALLY CUT FROM HIGHER PRICED STOCK
INTO 3 TREMENDOUS PRICE GROUPS!
THSE ITEMS MAY EVEN BE
PURHASED ON LAYAWAY
AT THESE FINAL
CLEARANCE PRICES!
'NORMALLY RED'
. Lillington, N.C.OJ.R) Coun
ty recorder's court solicitor
Neill Ross, defending himself at
at his trial for drunkeness, said j
his accusers were imsled by the
fact that his face is "normally
red."
Dead line Sunday Classified is at
noon Saturday: 10 a.m Monday for
Monday: other days 5:30 Drevious day
Cash for the Holidays
o
Your Home Owned Company
Offers Every Plan. Come In
Today. We Like To Say Yes.
Oregon Finance Co.
Gene Thomas, Manager
45 SOUTH CENTRAL AVE.
Ground Floor Craterian Theater Bldg.
1
S "C - 150 WOMEN'S BETTER HATS
TJT r 200
k 1 GROUP LADIES ALL WOOL
5 )H BOXY Q0()
g SUITS jjf
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Misses Sizes, Junior Sizes, Half Sizes
Choose from Wool Jersey, Satin Back Failles, Rayon Blends,
Rayon and Orion Tweeds, Rayon Gabardines, Rayon Jerseys
and Cotton Plaids.
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bin. ivu 11 ill mm untaatg run tvi.it i uuvhuiuii
O DRESSY STYLES
O CASUAL STYLES
O "AFTER-FIVE" STYLES O "AFTER DARK" STYLES
1 " '
'A DON T MISS THIS EV
60 WO
ONG W
mm BETTER
inter coats
Regardless of former price, out
they go at one low price
now only
FLEECES-TWEEDS-SUEDES
3 GROUPS OF GIRLS
MUCH BETTER SKIRTS
50 200 250
Wools, Corduroys, etc. 3-14
31 GIRLS ALL WOOL COATS
DRASTICALLY CUT!
NOW ONLY 12.00
130 GIRLS BETTER
DRESSES - REDUCED
2po 300 oo
ALL BETTER COTTONS WITH LOTS
OF DETAILS AND BETTER STYLING!
CUT TO THE BONE!
SIZES 3-14
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