Amidst the harshness of the Great Depression, circa 1935, Travis embarked on a desperate quest in the arid expanse of the desert, searching for brass shell casings. The few pennies earned from recycling these finds would be a lifeline for his struggling mother, Clara.
A gentle rain the night before had left the sandy desert floor dotted with tiny dimples. Travis relished these moments; the rain washed the dust off the brass, making it a strong juxtaposition to the sand. In one of these dimples, a greenish-blue object with a hint of brass caught his eye.
Excitement surged through him as he brushed the earth away. The blue-grey stain over the cylindrical shape revealed striations of golden brass beneath. Hand-digging for about three feet, Travis uncovered what appeared to be an artillery shell, its oxidized brass unmistakable.
Standing to stretch, he admired the cottonwoods lining a nearby arroyo, their leaves shimmering like coins in the sunlight. The desert, with its hidden treasures, seemed to promise a reprieve from the relentless struggle. With renewed vigor, he dug six inches more, finally uncovering the tarnished brass cylinder — a tank artillery shell casing marked 37-85 RIA (Rock Island Arsenal) and the American broad arrow, denoting government property.
As he continued his quest, and lowered his arm, a sudden plop and ring caught his attention. There, in a small pile of sand, lay three pristine gold coins, each bearing the date 1899. Quivering with anticipation, Travis examined the coins closely, his heart racing with the hope that they might be genuine gold. He ended his search for metals and headed home.
As he handed his mom the three $2.50 gold coins, time seemed to freeze. Clara gasped, her hands trembling as she took the shimmering coins. The room filled with an almost palpable energy. Her eyes welled up with tears, overwhelmed by a wave of disbelief and gratitude. The golden gleam of the coins under the dim light symbolized not just a temporary reprieve from their financial struggles, but also a glimmer of hope for a more secure future. Those coins wound up being worth $58 each in 2023 dollars.
Excitedly, she decided to take the coins to the town's only jeweler to verify their worth. The jeweler, an elderly man with a sharp eye for detail, examined the coins meticulously. He nodded approvingly and confirmed their authenticity, adding that they were indeed pure gold and quite valuable.
Relieved and overjoyed, Clara walked back home with a lighter heart. She began planning how to use this unexpected windfall—paying off debts, buying enough food for the winter, and maybe even saving a bit for the future. As she entered her modest home, she carefully placed the coins in a small, hidden drawer for safekeeping.
A loud knock on the door startled them. It was the jeweler, holding a small envelope in his hand. Clara's heart skipped a beat. The original owner, a reclusive millionaire, had passed away without any heirs. The state had been searching for the lost fortune for years. According to the law, since Clara found them and reported them, she was entitled to a substantial reward for her honesty — worth far more than the coins' value. All she had to do was fill out a claim form and submit it at the county seat. She had been flabbergasted to suddenly have $7.50 face value (worth $174 in today's money.) But now, she would enjoy the equivalent of today's $1740!
In the end, Clara received a reward ten times greater than the gold coins' worth. What started as a desperate daily regimen of worry had been transformed to a day of hope.
Little did Travis know, the gold coins were part of a hidden treasure trove, buried by a robber who never returned to his hoard. This unexpected windfall would change the course of their lives, providing not just financial relief but also the promise of a brighter future. From that day on, Travis would remember the cottonwoods with their green coinage-like leaves wavering in the breeze. He would never view a brass shell casing the same way.
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