In looking for a contemporary account of the story of H. Alvin Sharpe throwing a handful of his prototype lightweight Mardi Gras doubloons at the Captain of Rex, Pete Smith found a newspaper account from 1966. Julia Casey was able to locate an earlier story from the New Orleans Times-Picayune January 31,1965. Thanks. -Editor

H. Alvin Sharpe stood before the Captain of Rex on a fateful day in 1959.

"Throw it at me," said the Captain of Rex, whose identity, in keeping with Mardi Gras tradition, must remain secret.

Sharpe sailed a light aluminum coin at the Captain. The coin struck him, but didn't hurt.

"I'll buy that even if I have to go into my own pocket," said the Captain of Rex. "That is what we've been looking for."

Earlier this week, the Captain of Rex was talking about the doubloon which has revolutionized Mardi Gras. "We'd been thinking about changing mementos," said the Captain.

"We wanted something the crowd could keep better than beads or throws. So the Sharpe idea was the answer to our search."

"Have you seen the book Carnival Panorama which was published in 1966?"

I confessed to being unsure - I may have had the book in my library at one point, but I'm unable to locate it now. Dave kindly offered to bring his copy to our Nummis Nova dinner next week. Meanwhile, John Byars passed along a Google Books version of Leonard V. Huber's 1977 Mardi Gras: A Pictorial History of Carnival in New Orleans which takes the story back to Sharpe's December 5, 1959 letter. -Editor

The Huber book states that a meeting was arranged and Sharpe "... presented his design and demonstrated how a light aluminum medallion could be thrown from the floats without injuring anyone. Impressed with the idea, the Rex captain immediately arranged to underwrite the first issue of the Rex doubloon. Alvin Sharpe went speedily to work to engrave the dies, strike off 83,000 doubloons, 80,000 in natural aluminum finish and 3,000 in gold anodized finish, and deliver them to the Rex den several weeks before Mardi Gras, which fell on March 1. Instant favor with the crowd was won. The traditional cry, "Hey mister, throw me something," became "Hey mister, throw me a doubloon!"

So there are different accounts of exactly how the doubloons' safety was demonstrated. Did Sharpe throw a handful, one or none? But safety was indeed demonstrated and the decision made. Thanks, everyone. -Editor