highplainsthr
Tenderfoot
I've been reading a book called "A Book About A Thousand Things, A treasury of odd and fascinating information.." by George Stimpson published in 1946 by Harper & Brothers Publishers. There is a story on page 426 about platinum being so plentiful in the Ural mountains in Russia that peasants made pots and pans with it. It was said that swindlers would plate platinum bricks with gold and pass them off as real gold bars. Could there still be fake gold bars out there that are actually platinum?
Also, the story states that the Russian government minted $1.3 million worth of one, three, six and twelve ruble coins made of platinum from 1828 to 1845. These coins contained about two percent of the metallic element iridium. What happened to these coins?
Stimpson bio from dust jacket: George Stimpson was born on an Iowa farm and began his journalistic career on an Indiana college and small town papers. He served a short hitch in the army , moved to Washington, D.C. afterwards and reported for a Washington daily while he was studying law. He was the originator of the first radio quiz program starting it in 1924 on station WRC in Washington. He was an editor of "The Pathfinder" for ten years and is a former President of the National Press Club.
Also, the story states that the Russian government minted $1.3 million worth of one, three, six and twelve ruble coins made of platinum from 1828 to 1845. These coins contained about two percent of the metallic element iridium. What happened to these coins?
Stimpson bio from dust jacket: George Stimpson was born on an Iowa farm and began his journalistic career on an Indiana college and small town papers. He served a short hitch in the army , moved to Washington, D.C. afterwards and reported for a Washington daily while he was studying law. He was the originator of the first radio quiz program starting it in 1924 on station WRC in Washington. He was an editor of "The Pathfinder" for ten years and is a former President of the National Press Club.
