Mass. teacher finds 1792 document in classroom

news.yahoo.com...
Every once in a wile people will find something so out of place such as this teacher who found a Document from 1792 tucked away in a old book? how old and how did this book end up in a 2010 class room this stuff is better then bigfoot because its just as strange but we KNOW its real
O i jsut read why it was there they found the janitor asleep and after investigating realized the guy had been dead for 200 years

[edit on 8-6-2010 by xxcalbier]

I take it the janitor part is a joke? haha

Try going to estate sales when you get a chance, and buy up whole LOTS of books at a time. You'd be amazed at the stuff tucked away in the pages.

About 9 years ago, I hit an estate sale, bought up a big boxful of old books (c. late 1800s), which cost me about a hundred bucks. The books were all leather-bound with gilt covers and spines, in fabulous shape, and the subject matter — the Theosophical Movement — was just arcane enough that the seller didn't know what he had. So, $100 was a bargain for the lot.

First thing I did with the books was flip through the pages, locating old bookmarks, which can be anything — people back then used playing cards, locks of hair, old news clippings, pressed flowers and you-name-it.

I knew I was onto something when virtually all the bookmarks were 19th Century news clippings about Madame Helena Blavatsky, the controversial founder of Theosophy. Whomever had originally owned these books was, obviously, a member of the early Theosophical Movement.

Then... Jackpot. In the very back of one book was a twice-folded newsletter on slick stock, an 1892 publication called New England Notes (which was a short-lived newsletter dedicated to the Theosophical Movement). The entire contents of the newsletter dealt with the death of one of the other founders of Theosophy.

Intrigued, I Googled New England Notes but could find nothing, aside from a link to the modern Theosophical Society, which is based in Sydney, AU (I think). I contacted them, was referred to their library, and spoke to the keeper of their archives. After a little back-and-forth, confirming dates and publication info, I was informed that, apparently, I was in possession of the only known surviving copy of New England Notes.

And they wanted it. Bad. They meekly suggested that I donate this one-of-a-kind document to their library.

However, having not fallen off the turnip truck within the previous 24 hours, I made them an alternative offer — I would provide them with modern reproductions of the newsletter, in both BW and color output, with the stipulation that I be given credit for the find.

They somewhat reluctantly agreed.

So, I'm still in possession of the last surviving New England Notes, the Theosophical Society has copies of it in their archive, and — as I expected — I've been approached several times over the years by members of the Society, offering to buy the thing from me. The price keeps going up, by the way — not because I'm raising the price, but because they keep offering more and more for it.

Someday I'll let it go, but for now I'm just waiting for the price to level out.

— Doc Velocity






[edit on 6/8/2010 by Doc Velocity]

My mother is big into estate sales/auctions.

But hasn't come across anything like that. That's a pretty unique find though.

reply to post by Doc Velocity

Whaaaat! That is Nuts! A+ for you. You got a goldmine...per say. Any way you can upload all that info via web.? I personally live in N.E. so that would be extremely interesting