Silver coins have alluded me thus far this week, in fact, haven't even dug a wheat cent. Non the less, a couple of goodies and curios have found their into my pouch. Walked into the woods yesterday off of a trail and upon working my way around some brush spotted a rolled up sleeping bag, left there apparently for the next rendezvous. The only day I remembered my camera was yesterday so no shots of "fresh from the ground." Of the group shot thus far for the week, most notable are the HACK FOR HIRE 1918 MEMPHIS badge, the Cub Scout buckle, butterfly pin and the 1938 Great Britain One Penny. I've so far been unable to find much on the Hack For Hire badge. The butterfly pin has no markings, but does test at least 90 % silver and weighs 16.0 grams. Dug several tokens and one is a no cash value Coca Cola model. The spoon was fairly deep and marked sterling plated. Most of the plating is among the dirt. F 75 LTD with 11" coil. Remember you yanks, spring is coming to your area.......sometime! HH jim tn
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For you snow bound guys, although not much.:fisher:
- Thread starter jim tn
- Start date
Thats another NICE chunk of silver and some more great finds! 
I'm sitting here with my Fisher Research Labs ball hat on, and reading last years posts! Oh what a desperate situation this is!
Keep those finds and posts coming, Jimmy...its about all we have to look forward to!
Mud
I'm sitting here with my Fisher Research Labs ball hat on, and reading last years posts! Oh what a desperate situation this is! Keep those finds and posts coming, Jimmy...its about all we have to look forward to!Mud
rick in mi
Well-known member
Nice finds jim!! Those GB pennies are cool I found one last year next to my last silver coin of the season.Jeeeezzz Mud am wearing my hat to but it aint making the ground thaw any quicker!!!!!.....hh rick in mi.
All I found yesterday was a gold wedding band and a bunch of ole nasty dirty clad coins.
Hi Jim,
This appears to be a taxi cab driver's (or hack's) badge. This was all that I could find on this, but they don't mention anything about Memphis, so I shot an email off to some of the historical people in Tennessee, mainly Memphis.
http://www.nycitycab.com/HackLicense.aspx
If this is indeed a taxi cab driver's badge, now it got in to the woods in beyond me! Perhaps there is an old road that went through that area???
Please keep us posted if you find anything out, now my curiousity is getting to me, and I'm a like dog with a bone, I don't let go easy! LOL
I'll let you know as soon as I hear back on anything!
HH all,
Pony
This appears to be a taxi cab driver's (or hack's) badge. This was all that I could find on this, but they don't mention anything about Memphis, so I shot an email off to some of the historical people in Tennessee, mainly Memphis.
http://www.nycitycab.com/HackLicense.aspx
If this is indeed a taxi cab driver's badge, now it got in to the woods in beyond me! Perhaps there is an old road that went through that area???
Please keep us posted if you find anything out, now my curiousity is getting to me, and I'm a like dog with a bone, I don't let go easy! LOL
I'll let you know as soon as I hear back on anything!
HH all,
Pony
Here's what I found out on the "Hack for Hire" badge.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/industry/10-cars-that-were-ahead-of-their-time-ford-model-t-depot-hack#slide-2
I'll be sending a gentleman's phone number to you from the Memphis historical society, and he asked that you give him a call regarding the item! Sounds like you found a real gem there, Jim!!!
I'll let you post the discovery, I didn't want to give too much away here!
Very nice, and unique, find Jim!!!
HH
Pony
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/industry/10-cars-that-were-ahead-of-their-time-ford-model-t-depot-hack#slide-2
I'll be sending a gentleman's phone number to you from the Memphis historical society, and he asked that you give him a call regarding the item! Sounds like you found a real gem there, Jim!!!
I'll let you post the discovery, I didn't want to give too much away here!
Very nice, and unique, find Jim!!!
HH
Pony
"Guys, I'm still working on info on the badge. To be specific, it would be neat to find who it was actually registered to. I don't think Dave of the historic Memphis site has that exact info, but said he would send me a picture of a "hack" (car and driver) form that period. A hack in essence is a cab driver. They delivered passengers and luggage from one point to another, like a train depot, ect. One reference I did run into was "hacks" would carry people from downtown Memphis out to ******** park to partake of various functions......like strolls in the woods, or picnic's around rainbow lake. Anyway, they were registered and I found registration # 7 for year 1918. As and if I learn more, so will you. I'll also take a better picture of just the badge and post it. Thanks again stilpony. HH jim tn
George "Machine Gun" Kelly is probably considered one of the most famous "gangsters" from the prohibition era. "Machine Gun" was born George Kelly Barnes on July 18, 1895, to a wealthy family living in Memphis, Tennessee. [size=large]Kelly's early years as a child were essentially uneventful and his family raised him in a traditional household. His first sign of trouble began when he enrolled into Mississippi State University to study agriculture in 1917.[/size] From the beginning, Kelly was considered a poor student with his highest grade (a C plus) awarded for good physical hygiene. He was constantly in trouble with the faculty and spent much of his academic career attempting to work off the demerits he had earned.
George "Machine Gun" Kelly
It was during this time that Kelly met a young woman by the name of Geneva Ramsey. Kelly quickly fell in love with Geneva and made an abrupt decision to quit school and marry. Kelly fathered two children with Geneva, and to make ends meet, took a job as a cab driver in Memphis. He worked long hours with little reward for his time. Kelly and Geneva were struggling financially, as the job was failing to provide enough money to support their family. Distressed and broke, Kelly left his job with the cab company to seek other avenues to make ends meet. The strain proved to be overwhelming and at 19 years old, he found himself without steady work and separated from his wife. It was about this time when Kelly took up with a small time gangster and started a new venture as a bootlegger. Kelly began to enjoy the financial rewards of his new trade along with the notoriety.
Along with the new success also came the quandaries of working in the underground. After being arrested on several occasions for illegal trafficking, Kelly decided to leave Memphis along with a new girlfriend and head west. He adopted the new alias of George R. Kelly to help preserve the respect and name of his upstanding family back home. Kelly's luck continued to saw tooth with great monetary scores and several unfortunate predicaments. By 1927, Kelly had already started to earn his reputation in the underground world as a seasoned gangster, having weathered several arrests and serving various jail sentences. In 1928 he was caught smuggling liquor into an Indian Reservation and was sentenced to three years at Leavenworth Penitentiary.
After serving-out another long sentence at the State Penitentiary in New Mexico in 1929 for another similar conviction, Kelly gravitated to Oklahoma City where he hooked up with a small time bootlegger named Steve Anderson. Kelly soon fell for Anderson's attractive mistress Kathryn Thorne, a seasoned criminal in her own right. Thorne had come from a family of outlaws and had been arrested for various charges ranging from robbery to prostitution. Thorne was twice divorced and her second husband had been a bootlegger who had later been found shot to death under suspicious circumstances. The official determination of death was suicide, but many people (including one of the investigators) had long suspected that Kathryn was involved since only days before, she had made comments to a gas station attendant that she was going over to "kill that god-damned Charlie Thorne." Kelly and Kathryn became inseparable and married in Minneapolis in September of 1930.
Up until his relationship with Thorne, Kelly had been a relatively small time criminal. Kathryn's influence soon became obvious, as Kelly's crime sprees would launch him to the prestigious status of "Public Enemy Number One." Kathryn purchased a machine gun for Kelly and pressured her husband to practice. It was said her purpose was premeditated. She was a master at marketing her husband to the underground circles and public. She was known to take the spent gun cartridges and pass them around to acquaintances at many of the underground drinking clubs, introducing them as souvenirs from her husband "Machine Gun" Kelly.
Many historians (and fellow inmates of Kelly) believe that Kathryn was the creator of the "Machine Gun Kelly" image and became known as the mastermind behind several of the successful small bank robberies Kelly pulled off throughout Texas & Mississippi. In August of 1933, the FBI published Wanted Posters describing Kelly as an "Expert Machine Gunner" and created a public frenzy that would later place Kelly into the history books.
In July of 1933, Kathryn and Kelly plotted a scheme to kidnap wealthy oil tycoon & businessman Charles Urschel. Kelly, carrying his trademark Tommy Gun, and two other men carrying pistols entered the Urschel's mansion in Oklahoma City. The Urschels were playing a game of bridge with friends when Kelly stormed in threatening to "blow everyone's head off." Kelly's new hostages were non-cooperative and he was unable to determine which man was Urschel. The two men were forced into a sedan, covered with a tarp and searched for identification. Once they found the ID on Urschel's friend, a man by the name of Walter Jarret, they robbed him of $51 and left him on the side of a deserted road. Urschel was taken into hiding on a rural ranch in Texas and the Kelly Gang made demands for a $200,000 ransom.
The Urschel's family friend E.E. Kirkpatrick made drop arrangements and delivered the ransom in denominations of $20 bills. The money was delivered near the LaSalle Hotel in Kansas City on July 30th, ending the eight-day ordeal. The following day Urschel was released near Norman, Oklahoma, and casually walked into a restaurant to call for a cab. Urschel was sharp, and though blindfolded throughout the ordeal, made sure that his fingerprints were spread everywhere, counted his footsteps to various areas when blind folded, and audible sounds of his surroundings were mentally cataloged, all of which would later become useful in the FBI's investigation.
After splitting the ransom money with their accomplices, Kathryn and "Machine Gun" started state hopping trying to stay two steps ahead of law officials. From the several clues that Urschel was able to provide, the FBI raided the ranch and made an arrest of one of the other conspirators. The bills that had been used for payment in the ransom, had traceable serial records and the Center Bureau of Investigation (now the FBI) started a nationwide search for whom they now suspected was George R. Kelly.
Machine Gun Kelly being led by United States Marshals to prison following his conviction.
George and Kathryn bounced around different states with Chicago becoming their main hub. Both dyed their hair to conceal their identities and enjoyed a lavish lifestyle. After several weeks in hiding, the couple finally made their way back to Memphis to stay with longtime friend John Tichenor. On the morning of September 26, 1933, Memphis police, along with FBI Agents, surrounded the Tichenor house and then made a violent forced entry. It was said at that moment, that Kelly coined the phrase: "G-Men, please don't shoot." Kelly was found badly hung over from the prior evening's drinking binge (still in his pajamas) and Kathryn was in bed still asleep. The couple was quickly flown to Oklahoma where they stood trial and both received life sentences. Eventually all of the accomplices were apprehended, and out of all of those involved, six were issued life sentences.
Willie Radkay and Machine Gun Kelly sitting in Alcatraz Recreation Yard.
Willie Radkay visiting Alcatraz in 2003.
George "Machine Gun" Kelly
It was during this time that Kelly met a young woman by the name of Geneva Ramsey. Kelly quickly fell in love with Geneva and made an abrupt decision to quit school and marry. Kelly fathered two children with Geneva, and to make ends meet, took a job as a cab driver in Memphis. He worked long hours with little reward for his time. Kelly and Geneva were struggling financially, as the job was failing to provide enough money to support their family. Distressed and broke, Kelly left his job with the cab company to seek other avenues to make ends meet. The strain proved to be overwhelming and at 19 years old, he found himself without steady work and separated from his wife. It was about this time when Kelly took up with a small time gangster and started a new venture as a bootlegger. Kelly began to enjoy the financial rewards of his new trade along with the notoriety.
Along with the new success also came the quandaries of working in the underground. After being arrested on several occasions for illegal trafficking, Kelly decided to leave Memphis along with a new girlfriend and head west. He adopted the new alias of George R. Kelly to help preserve the respect and name of his upstanding family back home. Kelly's luck continued to saw tooth with great monetary scores and several unfortunate predicaments. By 1927, Kelly had already started to earn his reputation in the underground world as a seasoned gangster, having weathered several arrests and serving various jail sentences. In 1928 he was caught smuggling liquor into an Indian Reservation and was sentenced to three years at Leavenworth Penitentiary.
After serving-out another long sentence at the State Penitentiary in New Mexico in 1929 for another similar conviction, Kelly gravitated to Oklahoma City where he hooked up with a small time bootlegger named Steve Anderson. Kelly soon fell for Anderson's attractive mistress Kathryn Thorne, a seasoned criminal in her own right. Thorne had come from a family of outlaws and had been arrested for various charges ranging from robbery to prostitution. Thorne was twice divorced and her second husband had been a bootlegger who had later been found shot to death under suspicious circumstances. The official determination of death was suicide, but many people (including one of the investigators) had long suspected that Kathryn was involved since only days before, she had made comments to a gas station attendant that she was going over to "kill that god-damned Charlie Thorne." Kelly and Kathryn became inseparable and married in Minneapolis in September of 1930.
Up until his relationship with Thorne, Kelly had been a relatively small time criminal. Kathryn's influence soon became obvious, as Kelly's crime sprees would launch him to the prestigious status of "Public Enemy Number One." Kathryn purchased a machine gun for Kelly and pressured her husband to practice. It was said her purpose was premeditated. She was a master at marketing her husband to the underground circles and public. She was known to take the spent gun cartridges and pass them around to acquaintances at many of the underground drinking clubs, introducing them as souvenirs from her husband "Machine Gun" Kelly.
Many historians (and fellow inmates of Kelly) believe that Kathryn was the creator of the "Machine Gun Kelly" image and became known as the mastermind behind several of the successful small bank robberies Kelly pulled off throughout Texas & Mississippi. In August of 1933, the FBI published Wanted Posters describing Kelly as an "Expert Machine Gunner" and created a public frenzy that would later place Kelly into the history books.
In July of 1933, Kathryn and Kelly plotted a scheme to kidnap wealthy oil tycoon & businessman Charles Urschel. Kelly, carrying his trademark Tommy Gun, and two other men carrying pistols entered the Urschel's mansion in Oklahoma City. The Urschels were playing a game of bridge with friends when Kelly stormed in threatening to "blow everyone's head off." Kelly's new hostages were non-cooperative and he was unable to determine which man was Urschel. The two men were forced into a sedan, covered with a tarp and searched for identification. Once they found the ID on Urschel's friend, a man by the name of Walter Jarret, they robbed him of $51 and left him on the side of a deserted road. Urschel was taken into hiding on a rural ranch in Texas and the Kelly Gang made demands for a $200,000 ransom.
The Urschel's family friend E.E. Kirkpatrick made drop arrangements and delivered the ransom in denominations of $20 bills. The money was delivered near the LaSalle Hotel in Kansas City on July 30th, ending the eight-day ordeal. The following day Urschel was released near Norman, Oklahoma, and casually walked into a restaurant to call for a cab. Urschel was sharp, and though blindfolded throughout the ordeal, made sure that his fingerprints were spread everywhere, counted his footsteps to various areas when blind folded, and audible sounds of his surroundings were mentally cataloged, all of which would later become useful in the FBI's investigation.
After splitting the ransom money with their accomplices, Kathryn and "Machine Gun" started state hopping trying to stay two steps ahead of law officials. From the several clues that Urschel was able to provide, the FBI raided the ranch and made an arrest of one of the other conspirators. The bills that had been used for payment in the ransom, had traceable serial records and the Center Bureau of Investigation (now the FBI) started a nationwide search for whom they now suspected was George R. Kelly.
Machine Gun Kelly being led by United States Marshals to prison following his conviction.
George and Kathryn bounced around different states with Chicago becoming their main hub. Both dyed their hair to conceal their identities and enjoyed a lavish lifestyle. After several weeks in hiding, the couple finally made their way back to Memphis to stay with longtime friend John Tichenor. On the morning of September 26, 1933, Memphis police, along with FBI Agents, surrounded the Tichenor house and then made a violent forced entry. It was said at that moment, that Kelly coined the phrase: "G-Men, please don't shoot." Kelly was found badly hung over from the prior evening's drinking binge (still in his pajamas) and Kathryn was in bed still asleep. The couple was quickly flown to Oklahoma where they stood trial and both received life sentences. Eventually all of the accomplices were apprehended, and out of all of those involved, six were issued life sentences.
Willie Radkay and Machine Gun Kelly sitting in Alcatraz Recreation Yard.
Willie Radkay visiting Alcatraz in 2003.
Related link for you Jimbo
Stinking badges
Stinking badges
Falls into the right time frame, and locationally, thats exactly where MGK would have lost it, tossed it, gambled it! Based upon the history of that park and what you are finding there..there was all sorts of naughtiness going on in those trees. Yep, that would sure be the find of the year!
Mud
Mud
Just started googling Memphis area History.. Hacks etc.... been working off and on since you posted that Badge.. Ran on the MGK post and it fit..Shady woods area, Moonshine, hanging out with elements in the park or area of woods it all sorta fit for a better than maybe odds... I would think who ever lost it at the least knew and ran around with MGK..I say it's his LOL.... MGK's Hahahahaha too... It's a plausible fit at least............makes that badge more valuable in my eyes... What do you think ???? I doubt more than one cab company existed in 1918 ......... Now I have to find out what the name was and who actually had #7.............LOL