Greenwood memorabilia

Three noteworthy bits of Greenwood memorabilia (Greewoodiana?) have sold on eBay in the last few months.

On Aug. 4, a dry-mount photo of Greenwood looking southwest sold for $225 US.

Rossland photographer William J. Carpenter took it in the late 1890s or early 1900s. The seller was in Tacoma.

An envelope from the British Columbia Copper Co. Ltd. smelter at Greenwood, postmarked 1900 and mailed to Sweden attracted 16 bids and netted $277.79 US on Oct. 2. The seller was in Stockholm.

Finally, a trade token from A.L. White & Co., with a US 1907 penny encased sold on Nov. 1 for $169.17 US. The seller was in Portland. The last time one of these tokens came up for auction in October 2012, it went for $207.50 US.

The aluminum token is shaped like a chamber pot and reads “A.L. White/New & Second/Greenwood BC” and on the back “Go way back and sit down/A pot full of money/Keep me and never be caught short.”

According to Ron Greene’s authoritative book, The Tokens of Greenwood and Phoenix, three other examples are known to exist with the 1907 cent, and one with a 1908 cent.

Artemus Leslie White, a native of Iowa, came to Greenwood in 1899 and was involved in numerous businesses, including the Pioneer, Arlington, and National hotels, and the Red Front furniture store. His second hand store was operating by early 1900 and was later known as the O.I.C. New & 2nd Hand.

In 1909, White opened a branch store at Princeton which his brother ran. He moved there himself in 1917 after closing out his Greenwood holdings and was in the furniture business for many years. He died in 1955 and was buried at Greenwood.