I thought this article was interesting as I was looking for genealogy information in a 1913 newspaper. I couldn't find out what happened to the old guy or the settlement but I would think that in 1913 the conductor would of heard or at least seen a 2 & 3 cents coins. They were only 50 years old at the time.
usinflationcalculator.com says that $1,000 in 1913 is the equivilant of $25,935.25 today. I wonder if he won his case.
And Numismedia FMV indicates that $1000 FV of 2- and 3-cent pieces would today be worth $500K and up, potentially way up...
