1962 Hagerstown Bi-Centennial Tokens

Souvenir Money

Hagerstown Bi-Centennial – Antietam South Mountain Centennial

Clara Barton, Angel of the Battle Field Founder of the American Red Cross

Historic Dunker Church, Battle of Antietam Sept 17, 1862

Gathland Civil War Correspondents Memorial Frederick County Md.

Good for 50 cents in trade at any cooperating business or redeemable at any Washington or Frederick County Maryland Bank on or before 2:00 P.M. April 5, 1962

These are soon to be lost to the eBay auctioneer. Thought they deserved a spot in the virtual scrapbook first. Click on the image tovisit the Flickr PhotoPage where you can see a higher resolution image.

High Water on the Potomac River

March 14, 2010

These pictures were taken at Dam #5. I have posted photos taken yesterday afternoon along the Potomac River and C & O Canal in a Flickr PhotoSet. Pictures are from Taylor's Landing, Conononheague Aqueduct and Dam No. 5.

You can see the full photoset here.

Note: Clicking on the photos will take you to their Flickr PhotoPage where you can see the full size images. Check them out

Old Silver Certificates

Money may not have gone farther back then but it did cover more area.

The top bill, a series 1899 Black Eagle Dollar is signed by John Burke Treasurer of the US and Houston B. Teehee , Register of the Treasury. This dates the bill between March 1915 and Nov 1919. It’s the dollar in use on the day of my mother’s birth and through World War I. To collectors this bill is known as a Friedberg Catalog # 233.

The lower bill is a 1923 series Silver Certificate signed by Frank White and Harley V. Speelman They signed bills through Nov 1927. This bill is Friedberg #237.

These and a few similar bills are from my mother’s estate. Most will soon be lost to the auctioneer at eBay.


You can see all the bills in more detail in a PhotoSet on my Flickr Photo Sharing site. Just click on the pictures above or to the left to check them out. Or follow this link

Note the links to name/date range above are to ronscurrency.com. That site is my source for dating the bills.

Thanks and kudus to Philip Driver at Philipdrivercurrency.com His site and friendly correspondence has been very helpful in learning the history and value of these bills. Check out his site if you would like to see or purchase rare and high quality similar old silver certificates.

While searching for info about my mother's bills I found two very good sites with well written currency grading definitions and guidelines.

The Currency Grading Tutorial found at Heritage Auction Galleries's site is an excelent reference. RonsCurrency.com's grading page is also very good.

The Cracked Quarter

This 1957 George Washington silver quarter is cracked. Check it out. Click on any of the pictures to see an enlarged detail view of the crack.


I found this quarter among change gathered on my paper route at age 13 or 14. It was already well circulated and worn but the crack seemed unusual. I set the quarter aside with a small coin collection. It’s one of the few things that survive from that collection.


I have always been intrigued by that crack. A digital camera with a macro setting and a little bit of software and now you can see why.


How can you crack a quarter after it is struck without bending it all out of shape and leaving tool marks? I don’t think you can. I think this quarter was cracked before it was struck. The silver blank that became this quarter was cracked before the die was struck. It should have never left the mint in Philadelphia.


You can see more pictures of this quarter on my Flickr photo sharing site. Click on the pic to check them out.

I was a White House Security Breach

I really was.

It was in the mid 80s (the picture is more recent). I was involved in installation and acceptance of a secure video teleconferencing link between the White House and the Pentagon. My colleagues and I did not hold adequate security clearances for free access to the work location in the basement of the White House. We needed to be escorted everywhere. Even to the toilet.

Getting to the worksite involved showing up at the gate, identifying ourselves to the Uniformed Secret Service who verified that we were on an access list and called for our escorts from the White House Communications Agency. Meanwhile we stepped through a magnetometer while our tools and briefcases etc. were x-rayed and scanned. The Uniformed Secret Service then provided us with a visitor badge on a chain to wear around our necks for the day. We waited at the secret service shack at the gate until our escorts arrived to take us down to the communication equipment rooms under the east wing..

At lunch time our escorts would return us to the gate. We held onto our badges while we walked the city in search of a restaurant. On return from lunch we displayed our badges at the gate and the secret service allowed us to step through the magnetometer. We then called for our escorts who would meet us again for return to work.

One day when a colleague and I returned from lunch and called for our escorts they told us that they were short handed and busy “handling traffic” at the moment and did we mind waiting a little while. It was a warm spring day and we didn’t mind waiting on the White House lawn by the gate.

Meanwhile a chatty uniformed secret service agent at the gate asked why our escort was delayed on such a fine day. When I told him he said well you guys know where your going don’t you? I’ll take you there. So we followed him from the gate into the east wing of the white house. We turn down the right corridor and get to the top of the stairwell leading down into the basement where the communications equipment rooms are located. There was a sign at the top of the stairwell indicating that the area was restricted to certain personnel which apparently did not include the uniformed secret service agent escorting us. The agent said “you guys know where you are going from here right?” and dumped us on our own into the bowls of the White House.

It was an eerie feeling pounding on the iron vault door of the Comms room trying to get the attention of the folks behind the door among the chattering equipment. I had visions of spending the rest of the day being grilled by the secret service.. That didn’t happen but a uniformed secret service agent got a good chewing out.

It was a breach. Was it good enough to make the list?