High school girl's purse lost in 1957 found in 2019 and wheat cents given to her kids

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by willieboyd2, Feb 18, 2020.

  1. willieboyd2

    willieboyd2 First Class Poster

    A student’s purse that went missing in 1957 was discovered in 2019 between a set of lockers and a wall during repairs and has turned into a long-lost time capsule from the 1950s.

    ABC News article:
    https://abcnews.go.com/US/student-lost-purse-1957-discovered-locker-62-years/story?id=69041942

    The former student passed away in 2013 so the purse was given to her five kids.

    Each of her five children kept one of the wheat pennies as a token of remembrance of their mom.

    A 1957 cent (not one of the purse cents):
    [​IMG]
    United States Cent 1957-D

    :)
     
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  3. Clawcoins

    Clawcoins Damaging Coins Daily

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  4. Islander80-83

    Islander80-83 Well-Known Member

  5. bradgator2

    bradgator2 Well-Known Member

    That is such a cool story.

    My neatest find was last year while helping clean out my grandmother’s garage after she passed away. I found a box of my mom’s high school stuff. After talking with her about, the only thing I kept was her actual sliderule, original case, and original directions. I watched some youtube videos on attempting to learn how to use it. I may have it professionally framed.
     
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  6. Conder101

    Conder101 Numismatist

    I have to wonder how many here are saying "Sliderule???".
     
  7. bradgator2

    bradgator2 Well-Known Member

    Ha. As a physicist, these things are folklore. I had never actually seen or held a real one before. There is a manufacture date of 1965 on it. It is absolutely amazing to me you can perform extreme math with it.

    My mom’s:

    [​IMG]
     
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  8. Conder101

    Conder101 Numismatist

    My father was a chemical engineer. In the early 90's he decided to get his Professional Engineer qualification (not sure why, he was retired by then). Shortly after the exam began the battery on his calculator died. No problem, he just pulled out his slide rule and soldiered on.

    He got his PE rating.
     
  9. Collecting Nut

    Collecting Nut Borderline Hoarder

    62 years missing and it was in a school. That school should do updates and remodels more often.
     
  10. White Ger. Shep. Lover

    White Ger. Shep. Lover Well-Known Member

    Neat story. Thanks for sharing, Willie! Judging from the contents of her purse, it certainly appears that she was a clean cut young lady. How pleased her family had to be, huddled all together checking out the contents of her purse from 59 years ago. First item they pull out is her pristine high school identification card, followed by pics of her parents, younger sister and even one of Maude, the family Bassett Hound. Then out pops her make-up kit and comb and then her high school team's 1960 football schedule. Then finally the goodies.......silver coins and wheat cents littering the bottom of her purse. Oh what a glorious event for the entire family! But think about it. For you ladies out there, what would they have found in your purse from your senior year in high school? And you guys, what would they have unraveled from your wallet from your high school days? A doobie tucked away in the inner recesses of your wallet? A folded up pic of Miss October 1977? A report card with hideous grades that you had snagged out of the mailbox before mom and pops got their hands on it? Maybe a couple tardy slips?
     
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  11. Conder101

    Conder101 Numismatist

    Couple dollars, periodic chart of the elements, Coin club membership card. Social Security card. That's about it.
     
  12. -jeffB

    -jeffB Greshams LEO Supporter

    About the same here, except I wasn't a member of any coin club, and I'd memorized enough of the periodic table by then. :rolleyes:
     
  13. White Ger. Shep. Lover

    White Ger. Shep. Lover Well-Known Member

    Both of you guys ( Jeff & Conder ) were much more mature and well adjusted than me at that age. A vivid memory for me that springs forth during my senior year, relating to misplaced purses and wallets, was when I accidentally left my wallet in my pants when tossing them in the laundry hamper. I recall my mother's exact words as she had it's contents spread out on the kitchen table......."Is this the sort of young man I'm raising"! On the table staring us right in the face were 3 one dollar bills, my driver's license .......and 9 condoms with round little holes punched out of the top of each one. A week earlier I had attended a high school holloween party at a friends house and had fashioned a condom necklace for the occasion. Now I know what you're thinking......("this guy must have been quite the Romeo").......unfortunately , no truth to that notion at all, as by the end of that school year, I still had 8 of them left.
     
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  14. serafino

    serafino Well-Known Member


    LOL, I'm sure your Dad was smiling from ear to ear and patting you on the back. :)
     
  15. -jeffB

    -jeffB Greshams LEO Supporter

    Not if he punched holes in them, and then used one...
     
  16. White Ger. Shep. Lover

    White Ger. Shep. Lover Well-Known Member

    Thank God he was doing a 3-5 year stretch at the time, Serafino.........because if he had found my wallet before mom, he would have left me both cashless and condomless.
     
  17. White Ger. Shep. Lover

    White Ger. Shep. Lover Well-Known Member

    Ha ha! Actually the holes were punched in the packagings only, Jeff.
     
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