Short Snorter

I have a chance to buy via the LCD a Short Snorter on a 1935 dollar bill. He is asking $35.
Not a bad deal but out to I tell if it is old or recently made. Most of the signatures are not legible, i.e. it is hard to tell what the cursive says.

A short snorter is a banknote inscribed by people traveling together on an aircraft. The tradition was started by Alaskan bush flyers in the 1920s and spread through the military and commercial aviation. During World War II short snorters were signed by flight crews and conveyed good luck to soldiers crossing the Atlantic. Friends would take the local currency and sign each other's bills creating a "keepsake of your buddy's signatures".

 

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If you cant pin the bill down to a specific time, person or group.

Hard pass as they aren't worth more then face value.
at that point just make one yourself.

 

Post a pic, if you can ?

 

I've actually gotten a WWII shortsnorter SC from 1935 that someone removed from the others, peeled the tape off and turned into the bank.

 

Nice

 

If the signatures are illegible, it is not worth much more than face value. Short snorters are not scarce and this would be too much to pay for a generic one with unknown signatures.

 

Thanks, Good advice. However, I am still tempted. (LOL)

 

Thanks for all the thoughts/replies. If I buy it, I will post a picture of it. Be fun to collect but I do not see many of them.

 

I bought it. I hope someone can help me read some of the signatures and tell me what language some of the writing is in.

 

More pictures.

 

Humor.

 

Some names so far.
Chuck Knoles
Boston or Borton Tabuchina Aim (?)

Phil And Wendy
Carino Jackson
J H Roberts

GemLinda
SON
Molly StorckYA
Emma Tiffan

Can any one tell what language the top line is in?

This could be a research/scientist ShortSnorter

 

1935E was issued from 1953-57.

There is a reference on it to APO 227. This was at Kaiserslautern, Germany in the 1950s.

 

Thank very much. I'll keep working on it. Can you tell what the very top line says and what language?

 

Update to some names and what I know so far.
Names
Chuck Knoles
Horton maybe instead of Boston or Borton Tabuchin or Tabachin AIM

Phil And Wendy
Carino Jackson
J H Roberts

GemLinda
SUSAN
SON
Molly Storck
Emma Tiffan
Ike Mussiverte

the top line on the reverse
pWiBmex Crinw'(similar to a backward ?) SFC Charles R Grand Mrs Green /Boopsie

Charles Grand

Christel Guddat
WiBnex E
1935E was issued from 1953-57.

There is a reference on it to APO 227. This was at Kaiserslautern, Germany in the 1950s.


Can any one tell what language the top line is in?

 

First time I ever heard of a short snorter was on the History Channel, Pawn Stars. A customer walked in with a WWII short snorter signed by Clark Gable.
I found the back story to be very interesting.

I thought I remember them saying that the crew each signed the SS. If they were ever out in a pub and another crew member showed up and asked to see another crew members SS and they couldn't display it right there, they'd have to buy a round for the other crew members present, with their SS to claim the shot. That could be an old wives tale for all I know.

 

The top names on the face I believe are Herman and Maria Leonhard.

 

Thanks Lettow!

 

It appears to be a mix of US service members and Germans.

Ancestry has a departure in 1955 to Germany for Emma Tiffin and her children. They return in 1956 from Frankfurt with her husband.

The only entries for Christel Guddat are in Berlin telephone books from the 70s and 80s.

These may not be the same people but Tiffin seems likely.

 

Looks like Swahili to me! j/k