Some history rediscovered

As we have been sorting through the 20 years of accumulated “stuff”, we have rediscovered some fun things.  One of the most interesting is an 1877 trade dollar and the story that goes along with it.  

This particular coin was found during World War I in October 1918 by Brett’s grandfather, Abe Schoenberg (a.k.a. “Pops”), in Baulny, France where he was serving in Headquarters Company, 319th Field Artillery, 82nd Division, U.S. Army.   I will use Pops’ own words, as published in the May 1931 edition of The American Legion Monthly, to give you the story of its discovery.

“I was engaged in clearing an entrance to one of those underground passages which the ousted enemy had evacuated.  While moving debris, I was attracted by the clink of my shovel against metal.  Upon examination, I found a mud-covered coin which proved to be real money -- no less than a U. S. trade dollar bearing the date 1877.  It was in perfect condition.

“As we were the first to take position in this newly-acquired territory, it may be assumed that a German had dropped the coin and that at some time or other he had been in the States.  I slipped the coin into my belt as a souvenir of Baulny.”

That was not the end of the story however.  Abe continues:

“Several months later I was sitting with Dr. Troyansky of the medical detachment of the 319th, telling him about my find at Baulny and as I told him the story, I got out the coin and threw it on the marble-topped table.  Imagine my surprise when I saw the coin open up on one side.  I wondered if it were the result of the Burgundy wine we were imbibing at the time. But, sure enough, the coin proved to be a locket, containing a picture of some woman.  Not only that, but the picture was covered by a thin glass set in a frame -- all fitting snuggly between the thickness of one trade dollar.

“The entire coin is an example of the highest workmanship.  The cover hinges out from the body perfectly and when closed hides it purpose as a photograph holder even after the closest inspection.”

A similar article appeared in the Jan. & April 1930 edition of The All-American which was the magazine of the Eighty-Second Division Association.  Pops published these articles because he was trying to find the rightful owner of the coin.  The documentation passed includes copies of the articles mentioned above as well as correspondence with John J. Noll, the associate editor of The American Legion Monthly, and with several individuals who had lost similar coins.   After sharing copies of the image inside the coin, none of them turned out to be the rightful owner.  And so the coin eventually passed down to Brett. 

Also included in the documentation is a copy of an article written by Robert K. Botsford which gives some of the history of trade dollar lockets.  The article was submitted to The American Legion Monthly in May 1931, but it is not clear if it was ever published.  Here is an excerpt:

“Most any person who examines this coin can see nothing extraordinary about it.  The bankers examine it closely and pronounce it genuine but state that it is lighter in weight than the usual silver dollar of the United States,  And this is true as the entire center of the coin has been removed and the second one fit into the first so nicely and precisely that it is next to impossible to see how the dollar can swing open to reveal the picture inside. 

“It is necessary to know the history of the Trade Dollar of the United States to understand why such a curious piece as this is not a violation of the coinage laws which prohibit the mutilation of national currency.  The Trade Dollar was not intended for circulation in this country but was to be exported to China.  It was designed to compete with the Spanish and Mexican dollar that was freely circulated in China in the 1870 to 1880 period.  These coins were first coined in the United States in 1873 and during each year until 1883. In 1884 the Trade Dollar was repudiated. A law enacted by Congress calling all these coins in for redemption.  A certain period was designated to get these coins into the treasury and after that none were redeemed.  Thus a Trade Dollar today has no legal status and while it was made by the United States, can not be passed as legal tender.  It is also a noteworthy fact that the Trade Dollar is heavier than the Standard Dollar and is made of finer grain of silver.”

As I was going through all the documentation, I was also struck by how much easier it is to share information in the age of the Internet than it was in the 1930s.  It took Brett’s grandfather several months of exchanging letters and publishing articles to accomplish what we can now do in less than a minute with one post to Facebook.