Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-12-12
HOUSEWIFE HAS
MUCH TROUBLE
Getting Rid Of Columbia
Half Dollars on Island.

Captain Berry. of the Barren Is
land lighter Starlight, paid to Albert
R. Cunning, of No. $50 Henderson
avenue, West New Brighton, a sum
of money in which were included six
teen silver half dollars of the Column
bian issue authorized by congress for
the Worlds air in Chicago in 1892.
But Mrs. Cunning judges from her
experience that the souvenirs are not
as valuable as they were at the time
of their issue, when a typewriter firm
paid $4,000 to the fair managers
for the first of these coins to be
struck perfect" by the die.
For a while they commanded a
premium of two cents, then they
passed at their face value only, and
hundreds of thousands of them have
found their way back into the treas
| ury.
Mr.. Cunning empties his pockets
of silver every evening and turns it
over to his wife; SO she got eight
dollars in silver, and it looked good
to her. She gave two of the pieces
to her son on his birthday, and he
put them in his bank. But she had
a hard time getting rid of the re-
naming fourteen, although they are
legal tender to the amount of $40.
The milkman wouldn't look at them
twice. She tried to get him to take
two in payment of his weekly bill.
He had never heard of the Columbian
half dollars.
"Furrin money amt no good in
New York. said the milkman, "IH
have to insist upon United States
coins"
Mrs. Cunning tried to explain, but
the milkman said he'd been stuck
too often that way"
Next Mrs. Cunning tried the Col
umbians on the newsdealer.
Nix on Columbus said the news
man. 81 never did think much of
the Panama Canal no way, nor the
| Republic of Columbia neither. I'll
thank you, Mrs. Cunning, for United
] States money"
! Off came another paper dollar
from the housewives diminishing
roll.
When Mrs. Cunning told her hus-
band about it he said the milkman
and the newsman had ossified nod
! dies and didn't know history. He
could pass the coins easily enough.
Just give him the change.
Mrs. Cunning lowed she'd try
again next day on the scrubwoman.
ed hurt. Why would anybody try to
work off such junk on IAN honest,
hard-working woman"
So another paper dollar was peel
ed off the at~tenuated roll.
The next day after that the butch
er called with his bill. But he too
was wise"
Canadian and other kinds of for
eign coin pass current in street cars
and shops in Utica and some other
upstate towns" he said, "but they
amt no good on Staten Island. Yon
might pass 'em in Buffalo, but !
can't put them over my counter"
But a guileless victim was ON the
way in the person Of the grocer's
boy. He was in a hurry and didn't
scrutinize the coin. He accepted 81
in the souvenir money and receipted
the bill and went away.
But since then Mrs. Cunning
hasn't been easy in her mind. Sup
pose the boss made the boy take
them in payment of his wages. And
maybe the boys mother is poor and
needs money on the rent. Mrs. Gun
ming has made her husband solemnlv
promise not to accept any more Of
the picture silver with the head Of
Christopher Columbus on the OBJ
verse.
However, he says. he knows where
he can get rid of them if he ever is
stuck with more. Anything that
looks like money, good or bad, is
I1aoo1 topdor with tho harknapar