The Man Who Stashed $200 Million In Silver Dollars

Upon the death of 77-year-old Lavere Redfield in 1974, the IRS seized his  estate.  During their search a false wall was discovered  and knocked down, revealing a cache of over four hundred 1,000 coin bags, or 400,000 silver dollars – which weighed a staggering 11 tons! (A regular bank vault couldn’t hold them all.) The estate was valued around $200 million, and to this day remains one of  the largest private silver dollar collections ever found, known as the “Redfield Hoard”.   

Because of the vast number of coins, the exact inventory of the Redfield Hoard of silver dollars was unknown.  Amazingly, over 350,000 of the silver dollars were uncirculated, still in mint condition.  At auction, there were so many coins the lot could not be properly examined by potential bidders. The whole collection went  to the top bidder for a mere $7.3 million…

LaVere Redfield was born into poverty in Utah, in 1897. In his early twenties he made a meager living, digging potatoes in Idaho. From there he went on to manage a  department store.  

After careful saving, he began making investments.  During the depression, in 1929 he moved to Los Angeles, learned about the stock market  and became a stock broker, later gaining a reputation for gleaning the true value of stocks. He would buy blocks  of  stocks that no one else wanted – earning him the nickname “the junk man”.  His  investments paid off handsomely; some of his stocks  became extremely valuable. 

Upon acquiring an impressive amount of capital in 1935, (still the Depression era) from trading oil and mining stocks and real estate, he moved to Reno. There  he purchased  land and a large stone house, and began his hobby of collecting silver dollars.  Periodically he would go to the bank and buy bags of 1,000 silver dollars. At the time, US silver dollars could be bought  for $1 and sold by most banks.  And as all the casinos in Reno used silver dollars, the banks kept a ready supply on hand.

Redfield didn’t trust banks for saving his money, preferring to store the silver dollars at home. He would collect them in his pickup truck and stash them in the basement, probably dropping  the bags down the old coal chute.  Many of the coins were mint condition, uncirculated.  Others were badly marked,  from rubbing against each other during transit. Before long  word got out about his love of  silver dollars, and he was robbed a few times. Probably due to the robberies he began purchasing coins from banks further afield.  Occasionally he would sell a few bags of silver dollars, when he felt the timing was right.  

He gained a reputation as an eccentric during this period, partly due to his mistrust of banks, but also due to his choice of clothing – worn old jeans and cheap shirts – continuing  to drive an old dilapidated pickup truck,  known to be a notoriously poor tipper in the casinos, and often spending afternoons at the library watching free movies!  

Story has it that he once paid for land at a tax auction with $65,000 in cash – carried in a shopping bag! He also opted to spend some time in jail, to avoid paying fines.

In 1960 Redfield was indicted, for non payment of  $335,000 in income taxes. Rather than spend money on an attorney, he defended himself, was found guilty and served eighteen months of a five-year sentence.

Estimates reveal that at one time he had a  cache of  over 600,000
silver dollars.  When his house was burglarized in 1963, reportedly
approximately 100,000 silver dollars were taken, which probably encouraged him to build the false wall, to hide his stash.  

  Where are the Redfield silver dollars now? 

Almost four decades later, they might be anywhere. Every now and then a silver dollar turns up in a special holder with Redfield’s name on it – the only way they can be distinguished from other old US silver dollars.  The exciting thing is, that it is still possible, when purchasing old silver dollars, that you might be holding one of the original silver dollars lovingly collected by LaVere Redfield!

If you are interested in acquiring silver dollars for your own collection, visit: http://numisone.com/jotibryant

Is Your Swiss Army Knife an Original or Genuine?

The name Swiss Army knife may be familiar to just about anyone anywhere in the world, but do the names Victorinox or Wenger ring a bell for anyone? Probably not. The name Swiss Army knife, contrary to popular belief, is not a brand name. It is rather the name given to a particular style of knife. The actual brand names are either Victorinox or Wenger. It may seem strange that two companies make the same knife, but the explanation is rather quite simple.

The original maker of the Swiss Army knife was a company founded by Karl Elsener in 1891. Although I am not sure of the original name, the company was renamed Victoria in 1909 in honor of his mother who had just passed away. The company began using stainless steel to make the knife in 1921. Combining Victoria and a shortened form of the French word for stainless steel (acier inoxydable), the company was changed to Victorinox.

Victorinox was the leading seller of the Swiss Army Knife (called Offiziersmesser at that time) until about 1893 when another company, Paul Boechat & Cie (later renamed Wenger), began selling a knife similar to the Offiziersmesser. (Offiziersmesser is German for officer’s knife.)

In 1908 the Swiss government split the contract for the Swiss Army knife between the two companies. Many feel this was to promote competition, thus reducing prices. Via an agreement between the two companies, Victorinox would brand their knife “the Original Swiss Army Knife”, and Wenger would brand theirs “the Genuine Swiss Army knife.”

In 2005 Victorinox acquired Wenger, thus becoming once again the sole supplier of Swiss Army knives. Victorinox plans to continue producing both brands of knives, continuing to use the two different slogans.

In 2006 Wenger produced a new Swiss Army knife called the Giant to celebrate its 100th year of production of the Swiss Army knife. The Giant has 85 devices and 110 functions. The Giant retails for as much as $1,200 in some stores. Many other companies produce knives similar to the Swiss Army knife: however, the color red for multi-function knives, the cross-and-shield emblem, and the words SWISS ARMY are registered trademarks of Victorinox AG and its related companies.

Panning for Gold in GA

By: Hubert Crowell

I have estimated that when I am working the streams in North Georgia for gold, I can earn about $0.50 an hour at the current price of gold. I understand completely how hard it was for prospectors to make a living looking for gold. However, there is something exciting about finding that shiny speck of metal in the ground. The gold of North Georgia has a deep golden color and is the purest found anywhere. The thrill of that gold appearing in the bottom of a pan of black sand can be addictive. Don’t expect to get rich looking for gold, but you can easily collect some color for you home collection and maybe even a bragging nugget or two.

You may have heard the story about the man in Africa who went off looking for diamonds only to return home after many years to find a large diamond in his own back yard. My wife kept telling to check out the creek behind the house for gold, but I kept looking in the gold fields more to the north and even tried to find some out west. My best success was from buying dirt from a mine in Dahlonega which resulted in paying about what the gold was worth after panning it out.

Most of the gold in Georgia can be found along a line from Clayton in the northeast to Buchanan near the Alabama line. Along this line is Dahlonega, Canton, Allatoona, and Acworth. The gold belt is not well defined and spread out in places. We live just north of Marietta along a ridge that divides the waters of the Chattahoochee and the Etowah rivers. I like to think of it as our little continental divide. Behind our home we have a stream that flows toward the Etowah. The rock formations here are turned up on edge and at about midpoint along the back of our lot is a quartz vein that is being cut away by the stream.

I started panning for gold on the corner of the lot at the down stream end and planned to work my way up the stream and clean out all the gold I could find. On one of our trips to Colorado for a caving convention, my friend and I left a week early to pan for gold and bought a small 2 inch dredge. I set up the dredge in the creek and worked the sand all the way down to bed rock. The gold was very rough and beautiful. Nothing large just small pickers and flakes. I did fill a small locket with gold for a neckless that my wife wears and a small amount for a display case.

I have not yet worked the creek up to the quartz vein where I suspect the gold is coming from. It has not moved far in the water or the edges would be more rounded off. I guess I am saving the rest of the creek for the future.

We used to have gold panning parties when family or out of town friends would visit. They could not believe they could find real gold right there in our own back yard.

Subdivisions have taken over some of the old mines in the area. Sixes Mine in south Cherokee County produced $200,000 worth of gold in 1849 and now is part of Lake Altoona and a large subdivision. The Hadaway Mine near Acworth is also believed to have produced a sizeable amount. Ore samples from the Kemp property showed $2.50 to $7.50 worth of gold per ton of ore.

I will never get rich form panning gold, but it is nice to know that you can find gold in your own back yard. So when I get bored again I will drag out the dredge and dredge up sand for a few hours adding a few more specks of gold to my collection.

The Classic Arcade Games at Punk Arcade

Games have been evolving into highly sophisticated multiplayer games that involve many players interacting with one another online. Game plays have evolved beyond 2D to be 3 dimensional. So why is it that there are still a plethora of classic games on the Internet?

Classic games will never go away for good, just like retro music or contemporary clothing. The primary reason is because such games still have entertainment value. Of course, when it comes to technology and game play, these old games cannot be compared to the modern games. However, they have their fair share of fans because many years ago, they are the best during their time.

Do you remember when you walk into an arcade and immediately become surrounded by many 2 dimensional games? Games like Pinball, Space Invaders, Grad Prix, Pac Man, etc.

By the very mention of these games, hopefully that triggered some happy memories. Did you visit the arcade with your family and friends? Did you have a good time at the arcade? I’m sure you did. Perhaps that’s why it’s always nice to be able to play these games again because they trigger some hidden away memory.

Sometimes, it’s not the game play that matters the most. It’s the experience that counts. These games all have something in common. They are simplistic, which means that anyone can learn them in a few minutes and start playing. They have a simple scoring system that keeps track of the high scores. And above all, they provide hours and hours of fun and entertainment.

Arcade Games don’t have to be complicated to be enjoyable. As long as they continue to entertain, they can be considered as good games. And they are simply the best back in the 70s and 80s.

If you are thinking of having a similar experience, there is no way you can walk into a modern arcade and find those Arcade games still available. You can, however, attempt to locate these games on the Internet.

Game developers have recognized the popularity of these games and have brought them back to life online. You no longer have to slot in any coins to have access to these games. They are abundantly available on the Internet, and you can play without having to pay a single cent.

Usually, classic games don’t take long to complete (unless you are a real expert). A game typically takes up about 5 to 10 minutes and it’s over. They are very useful if you are looking for a distraction from work and would like to take a quick break. You don’t have to worry about the game overrunning and eating into your work time because you can stop the game at any time.

Classic games online does not require any complicated downloads. They are available in streaming Flash format. If you are using a modern browser, you have nothing to worry about. All you have to do is to enter the URL and you can start playing from your browser immediately. Remember not to get too excited and let out a loud shout, for that will alert your boss about your activities on the computer!

Building Ship Models – Developing Skills Through Craft

Crafting Wood model ships

If you think that wood model ships are basically just exquisitely detailed versions of real ships, think again. You don’t really think that when a ship is destroyed in a film or movie that the film producers actually destroy a full size ship do you? Well, not all the time. Enter one fascinating need for wood model ships.

Wood model ship building is alive and well among hobbyist and architectural professionals alike. Many model ship builders enjoy the great engineering aspect of building scale models. The process involves careful planning and a great attention to detail. From an engineering stand point the importance of building scale model ships to test designs before actually building full scale prototypes is essential to the end result. The skills learned by building wood model ships have allowed many craftsmen to become well rewarded experts within the field.

Those with a fascination of the wooden ship building process throughout history can experience some of what a ship builder may have had going through their minds four hundred years ago. A person can experience first hand the evolution of why the hull is shaped the way it is. They can learn why the wood planks need to line up exactly as they do in order to not leak, and gain insight into the overall design from the wooden mast to the beauty of the sail. Each phase builds upon the other and you learn not only about ship engineering, you learn skills such as patience and attention to detail as well. All of this is part of the process of building of wood model ships.

Occasionally, a hobbyist or an amateur builder of wood model ships will become so exceptionally skilled at their craft that they are offered the opportunity to turn pro. And if you are a beginner at building wood model ships, or you are just now thinking about buying your first kit, keep this in mind: every professional model builder was once a beginner. Professional model builders can earn surprisingly good pay for the skills they developed building wood model ships. Often the professional will be called upon to create incredibly life like, scaled down versions of a real wooden ship for movie and film producers.

There are numerous opportunities for those who build wood model ships to interact with one another. For example: trade shows, model building groups or clubs, and even online discussion groups and blogs which are devoted to wood model ships. Go on and share some of your experiences and tips with others who enjoy building wood model ships! You will definitely learn new ideas and approaches to building your own wood model ships. This is also a very convenient way to get quick and well informed answers to questions you may have while working on a ship project of your own.

Wood model ships are extremely well suited for gifts or collectible purposes as well. An eye catching wood model ship can quickly become the center of attention in an entire room, and will never fail to infuse a sense of wonder into those who gaze upon the details of the exquisite workmanship, and the fine hand carved woods.

It can take many years of practice to hone one’s skills as a skilled wood model ship builder, and the majority of people who start with their first kit remain fascinated every step of the way. The planning and attention to detail which is practiced during each phase of the model ship building process can be applied to life in general as well. Someday you may just be able to figure you’re way out of a sticky situation by using the wit and patience you developed while building your wood model ships.