I lived in Regina Saskatchewan from 1958 to 1965 (ages 9—16). Home was the RCMP’s Depot Division, we just called it the RCMP Barracks. Depot Division has been training RCMP recruits since 1885. My father was in charge of the Crime Lab, that day’s version of today’s CSI. As a kid I spent many days exploring ‘the pasture’ that was on the outskirts of the barracks. Accompanied by a friend or two and my trusty bow and arrow we whiled away many summer and the occasional winter days. One sunny day, while on a new adventure, I noticed something shiny in the dirt. It was the 1883 quarter pictured above. It was shinier in the 1960s.

I recently rediscovered the 1883 coin in my sock drawer. I don’t imagine it’s worth anything other than the memories its discovery triggered, but to put my quarter in perspective:

• it was minted two years before the first RCMP recruits were trained
• and 1883 was a year before Mark Twain published The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

In my first post about My Sock Drawer I referenced my unbelievably low 1972 $113/mo mortgage payment. 1972 was a time when the dollar had more value than it does today. The gal/guy who lost this quarter, lost it another 89 years before 1972 when the dollar had an even greater value. I’ve always imagined an RCMP recruit hauling hay for the horses with a hole in his pocket. Imagine how he felt when he reached in his pocket for his 25 cents.