A little penny lore-slightly OT

laurentyvan

In reading a book entitled 'Wartime' by Paul Fussell, in his chapter 'Rumors Of War', he relates the following:

"Some rumors developed out of jokes or puzzles but became no less gripping for that. For example, the one holding that if you sent Ford Motor Company a 1943 copper penny, the company would send you a brand new Ford. The catch was that pennies dated 1943 were made not of copper but of steel with a zinc surface. The rumor of the free Ford, which began with this joke, soon spread widely in a serious form.
Many members of the Marine Corps believed that free Ford cars would be given the first 100 marines to set foot on the Japanese main islands."

I can see thousands of soldiers searching in vain for that 1943 copper penny, and of course, many would-be collectors still do to this day.

AuldFartte

Interesting stuff.

pharmer

Color me skeptical of Paul Fussell's claim that the marines, who were trying their best to stay alive, would be motivated my such a "rumor." Might sound good in his book, but did he interview any said marines? Also, was the Ford offer a joke? Even back then, it would be a good find. Can't see how it would morph into an offer for being first on Japanese soil, since most of the islands they were taking were Japanese soil.

laurentyvan

Color me skeptical of Paul Fussell's claim that the marines, who were trying their best to stay alive, would be motivated my such a "rumor."

This is actually quite a remarkable book-great insights on how, as a society, we adjust reality to compensate for what Fussell calls "unmediated actuality".

I quote: "In the prevailing atmosphere of uncertainty for all and mortal danger for some, rumor sustains hope and suggests magical outcomes.

Remember, rumors and dirty jokes are two of the essential ingrediants of "folk Narrative". The thing about a delicious rumor is that people want to believe it's true. Just look at how rumors infect (affect) the discourse on the US world coin forum.