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The E-Sylum: Volume 02, Number 47, November 21, 1999, Article 5QUICK QUIZ ANSWER #2What famous 1930's crime was solved by tracing serial numbers? Bonus: an item of numismatic ephemera which led to the arrest of the suspect was sold in what recent auction? Tom Delorey, Bill Swoger, and Bob Cochran all correctly answered the question, although no one collected the bonus. Bob Cochran summed it up best:"I believe the second question has to do with a listing of the Gold Certificates used to pay the Lindbergh baby kidnap ransom. "The note that "nailed" Bruno Hauptman was a $10 Gold Certificate. He passed it at a gas station, and the clerk was so intrigued by the "funny-looking bill" that he wrote the license plate of Hauptman's car in the margin on the back. The police were watching for notes from the ransom to hit the banks, and when they noticed the numbers in the margin one of the officers had a hunch that it might be a license number - and the rest is history. This took place in (I believe) 1934, about 2 years after the ransom had been paid. An article in "American History" magazine about 2 years ago about the first "Trial of the Century" recapped the Hauptman trial, and contained illustrations of some evidence in the New Jersey State Police Museum - including a color photo of the back of the $10 Gold Certificate with Hauptman's license plate number written in the margin." Here's an interesting web site about the crime and trial: http://www.lindberghtrial.com/html/front.htmlThe bonus answer? Lot 1660 of the June 19, 1999 R. M. Smythe sale at the Memphis International Paper Money show was a copy of "The Official List of U.S. $5-$10-$20 Notes Paid by Colonel Lindbergh to the Kidnappers of His Son" The 57-page pamphlet lists the "serial numbers of all the small size notes comprising the Lindbergh ransom money." The lot was estimated at $250-$300, but brought $1660. Wayne Homren, EditorContent presented in The E-Sylum is not necessarily researched or independently fact-checked, and views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society. This is a static archive page documenting the originally published content. Links were active at the time of publication but may no longer work. Check subsequent issues for corrections and commentary. The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. For more information please see our web site at http://www.coinbooks.org/ There is a membership application available on the web site. To join, print the application and return it with your check to the address printed on the application. Visit the Membership page. Those wishing to become new E-Sylum subscribers (or wishing to Unsubscribe) can go to the following web page link. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: E-Sylum Editor Copyright © 1998 - 2024 The Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS) |
