FREE: "Short Snorter" Note - WWII Militaria Item

The listing, "Short Snorter" Note - WWII Militaria Item has ended.

A "Short Snorter" is a $1 bill with the signatures of the men a soldier served with, or places a soldier passed through, or even the bars he drank in! And it wasn't just men! I have one signed by women!

The tradition goes like this: when entering a bar, the soldier and his pals would take out their notes. The one with the fewest signatures had to buy the 1st round for everyone in his group! The highest-ranking NCO in the bar would then sign the note to add to the name count.

This note belonged to Franklin T. Bigelow, a Lt. Colonel from San Francisco. It's dated October 14, 1943, and has 3 signatures, the last being Stanley G. Nichols, Cmdr., USN. It's nearly impossible to read most names, but occasionally you can make out one or two.

I’ve owned 2 VERY unusual Short Snorters: the first, in a group of notes I bought on eBay, had the signature of a very distant relative of mine!

The second was also in a group of notes I bought on eBay. The seller wrote one had some female names on it. When I got it, I saw "Irene Dunne". She was a famous film star during the late 1930s - early 1940s! I also found "Myrna Loy", another famous movie star from the 1930s-40s!

When I looked at the reverse, there were just two names: "Edward" and "Wallis Simpson". As it turned out, they were the signatures of Edward VIII, King of England, and Wallis Simpson Windsor! Edward abdicated the throne to marry Wallis!

I believe that note belonged to a high-ranking officer in the Army's Morale, Welfare and Recreation unit. He likely got the signatures of the Hollywood stars while working a War Bond drive; both actresses took part in those during the war. I believe he met the Windsors in Paris shortly after the war, while on duty entertaining soldiers stuck in Europe on occupation duty.

If you have a father or grandfather who served in the military, ask them about "Short Snorters". They'll probably have some stories to tell!