The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1914-09-25
FORD DIME STORY
INVEiGHLES MANY
"Pure Fake" is the '. ay Minneapolis
Branch Mana ser Puts
Whole Yarn

- ~ Al loAAE 'ioa hNA
experience with the Ford Dime"
story, for number of banks have
been approached by those who
wished to purchase dimes with
which they believed they might
secure one of these ears. But no.
body yet has seemed to get the
proper coins, and, inasmuch as the
story which has circulated all over
the country is a pure fake, none
are likely to buy Ford so cheaply.
Some practical joker started the
now famous -Four Dimes for Il
Ford yarn. 1t spread like wildfire
all over the United States and kept
batk clerks, street car conductors,
bartenders, newsbOys and frui t
vendors busy. SO frenzied was the
elusive dimes that the equilibrium
Of business was in some cases
b,lstled. Manager {. &. Hlldebrand
of the Ford branch in Minneapolis
de ,lares that absolutely nothing
about the story is correct.
No Ford cars can be bought
for less than the list price. " he
said Some bright joker started
something when his mind hit upon
this novelty. and as result there
have been thousands OF disappolnt-
ed coin hunters IN nearly every
large city.
The story Of the hoax originated
in Marquette, Mich, and consisted
in, the bare statement chat the Ford
Motor company would hand over
. rand new Ford ear to the tilst
person presenting four dimes bear
ing the mint initials +. o. Il ID.
respectively. There are but four
mintS turning ont dimes, New
Orleans (O), Denver (D), San
Francisco (S) and Philadelphia Ono
mark. The mint at Carson City
OC) has mluted no dimes since
1898, and there are but very few OF
them in circulation. There is no
mint using an f or an Il. The
search Is foolish and futile.
But il is far easier to start a ru-
NOR of this sort than it is to kill it.
once it gets "a good headway. Some
how or other the explanation Is
always a jump or two behind the
joke. What troubles this joke $50
called) has caused to banks all
over the country is almost jmposs
ible to estimate.
One good story comes from De>
MoineS, Iowa, where the paying
teller of one of the largest banks
was driven frantic by two boys who
came to his window and pur-
chased twenty dimes for Il two.
dollar bill. About two minutes later
they were back with two silver dol
lars, buying more dimes.
Still d few minutes later they
came the third time with two one
dollar bills, asking for more dimes
The teller became suspicious an,
wanted TO know what the trouble
was. And then the story came out,
In fact. the boys thought the tell
er was about the biggest fool they
had ever seen. With all the dime,
in his place. he never even knew
about the Ford story.
1t developed that the boys ha,
changed the dimes back again int
larger money, after giving them
careful once over but the eluSiv
+ and K would not turn mp
In New York city number q
peop.e seem to have gone quit
crazy over the story. Street car con
; ductOrS. in the midst OF rush q
passengers, will glance furtlvely Il
: both sides OF each dime tendere
for fare: bartenders look CAREFUL
| at each dime taken in before put
ing it into the cash register; iriend
I will offer to exchange an q for Il
: + having succeeded in finding tw
D'S. Snricl Oot thprinoS have brok "a