The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1903-03-20

A BIG FAKE .l.]|
Deal in Pennies as a Result Of a
Smart Advertisement

49,
Smart Advertisement
OF A WASHINGTON MERCHANT,
Who onered "1s Cents for 1902
Pennies" and by Which
nlany Spectators Wcro
Caught.
Recently 4 clothing store in Wash
ington advertised that it would pay at
noon Saturday, the 7th inst, ''18
cents for 1902" pennies, and because
Of this advertisement practically all
the pennies In tiie piedemOnt section
Of North Carolina and in Il good many
towns in upper South Carolina have
come into the possession uf a few
spectators. The fact that the ad-
vcrtisemcnt was not bonaiide pro-
position, but play on words, did not
become known until Wednesday,.whcn
it was discovered that, Thousand Of
1902 coppcrS had changed hands after
IA big premium had been paid
The following is the story us told
by the Charlotte Observer:
For IL week or ten days it has been
currently rlmored in this city that Il
Washington agency wanted the pen
| MES in question, and it was said that
the agency was acting for the govern
menu, which wished the pennies re-
called because it had been found that
In coming them Il large quantity OF
gold had been accidentally spilled into
the molten copper.
The abSurdity Of the rumor seemed
to impress no Spcculator, and for the
last four or live days pcnny-buying
has been going on here at u great
rate.
Early last week Mr.. Edwin B.
Gresham, of the firm of Gresham &
Company, the we'll known railroad
eating house concern, collected all the
1902 pennies lie could in banks and
other business places in Charlotte. lie
got the pennies at their real value and
before the report OF the prmium- Civ
ing had become widespread. a day
or So after his purchase Mr. Gresham
sold to Raggage Agent Sonncr Of the
Southern railway, $50 pennies for S33,
anti Sonner stated that the next day
he sold the pennies to bank in
Alexandria, Va, at l5 cents apiece.
Nlr. Gresham worked assiduonsl v
and collected many hundred other
pennies, but he was able to sell none
OF those ut profit. lie still has on
hand enough copper to make lifc-SiZed
statues OF both The mayor ard the re-
| COrder.
Mr.. Gresham was not the only man
who bought pennies in large uuanti-
ties. Tom Rowland, the popular
conductor on tlfc StatGSville road, de-
voted a large part OF his time to COP
per-grabbing and did not desist in his
speculative operation until Wedncs-
day.
Half Il dozen other Charlotte men,
men in near by South Carolina towns,
and residents Of Salisbury and other
places in this State, made wide search
for last years coppers.
The movements OF the spectators
had its natural effect, and for Il week
1902 pennies have been selling high;
Jumping from two and Il half and three
cents each to five, seven and ten cenus
apiece.
The knowledge that the advertise
mcnt was, inserted with intent to de-
cclvc did not reach here until WedDcS-
day. { was said that bags holding
over 5000 pennies belonging to specu-
latorS in this section, reached WASH
ington Saturday morning, and, keep
ing company with copper that came
from many other sources, were about
to be taken to the clothing store to lie
redeemed at the is cents vauati on,
when it was discovered that visit to
the store would provoke ridiculc and
allow no profit. 1t was declared that
the first man who entered the store
presented $50 pennies and demand
ed Is cents for each copper.
| You have misunderstood the adj
vcrtisement," was the reply.
But you said you would give l9
cents for 1902 pcnnies.''
Certainly: we are prepared now to
give IS cents for one thousand nine
teen hundred and two pennies"
Then the would he vendor under
stood the game that had been played
slouldcrcd his coppcrS and walked
AWAY. oGlicT men WHO came carrying
copper as Il prize were met with Il
similar reception. And the copper
that went To Washington from the
piedmont section was shipped back
home Mr.. Gresham said last night
that he had been told that the enter
priSing business men who worked the
advertisement had been arrested
t was reported in Charlotte Wed
neSday night that the mad scramble for
The 1902 pennies was Still maintained.
Pennies OF that date sold for cents
each in Moorcsville yesterday, it was
declared, and were still bringing a
fancy price in Salisbury and other
pciEhboring towns. The agitation over
copper has struck the rural districts
Of upper South Carolina and unless
runners convey the intelligence OF the
fake game into the various hamlcts
the fierce rush for one cent pieces ma y
last for a good many days.
Must Not Drink.
Mr. llammctt, Chief State Con