QUIZ ANSWER: THE HARTE-TWAIN NUMISMATIC CONNECTION

Joe Boling was the only reader to hazard a guess on my question about the numismatic location connecting authors Bret Harte and Mark Twain. He writes:

Not correct, but good try. Mark Twain's story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" was published in 1865. It was based on a tale he'd heard while living in the gold fields of California.

The numismatic connection has to do with Harte's day job - he was secretary to the Superintendent of the U.S. Mint in San Francisco. Samuel Clemens (a.k.a. Mark Twain) worked as a reporter for the San Francisco Morning Call, whose offices happened to be housed in the same building as the branch mint. In 1864 the newspaper's editor introduced Samuel Clemens to Harte, who "was the best-known of a group of young writers in San Francisco who often congregated at his Mint office."

The quoted passage is from a book by James Edward Caron titled " Mark Twain: Unsanctified Newspaper Reporter". See the link below to read the page in Google Books: Mark Twain: Unsanctified Newspaper Reporter .

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: HOLABIRD-KAGIN AMERICANA WESTERN STATES TOKEN AUCTION MARCH 2012 (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n13a16.html)

Wayne Homren, Editor

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