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The E-Sylum: Volume 20, Number 16, April 16, 2017, Article 22

OKLAHOMA COUNTERFEITER GAS STATION

From the Atlas Obscura blog is this article on a tiny old Route 66 gas station with a connection to counterfeiting. -Editor

Oklahoma counterfeiter gas station On the way to or from the neon-lit Pop’s 66 Soda Ranch along the old Route 66, there is a skeleton of a stone building on the north side of the road, just east of Arcadia. It’s not exactly clear how old the building is, but judging by its construction and original purpose, it was probably built around 1920. It was a filling station—the kind that once lined what is affectionately called the Mother Road. But this one harbors a secret: In its heyday, this tiny gas station was home to a small-time Oklahoma counterfeiter.

At least that’s the local backstory of the ramshackle old station, one that the building itself tells, printed on the plaque out front. The exact sources of the story are a little hazy, but the gist is that in the early 1930s, the height of the Great Depression, times were hard for small businesses, especially in rural farming communities like Arcadia. So when a man stopped by for a fill-up and offered the owner a set of currency plates, the owner saw dollar signs—or rather, 10-dollar signs.

Oklahoma counterfeiter gas station2 They started printing $10 bills in the back of the station, passing them off to unsuspecting customers and even spending a few around town. The scheme didn’t last, and when the owner was caught trying to pass a bill the jig was up. The plates were found, and the gas station eventually closed.

Some research in old newspapers of the day might reveal information to validate the tale.

Highlights of a numismatic tour of the U.S. would of course include the U.S. Mints and the headquarters of the National Numismatic Collection, the American Numismatic Association and American Numismatic Society. But there are plenty of places with a more tenuous connection that are neverthless fun to seek out and explore. -Editor

To read the complete article, see:
Old Route 66 Filling Station (www.atlasobscura.com/places/old-route-66-filling-station)

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Wayne Homren, Editor

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The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

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