Well, he had to spend a grand to get it, sure. This turned out to be a very intelligent decision, because mint versions of that are worth up to fifteen grand. It would have been one even if it hadn’t been actually an authentic* Emperor Norton promissory note. But it apparently was!
Kevin DeMattia, co-owner of the Emperor Norton’s Boozeland in the city’s gritty Tenderloin, bought the note from an Oregon man who contacted the Norton-themed bar via Facebook and offered to sell it.
“I decided to buy it sight unseen and sans authentication,” laughed DeMattia who collects Norton memorabilia to display in the bar.
Via Facebook.
If I had a thousand bucks to spare, I’d pay a grand for an excellent forgery. The authentic ones, as the article goes on to observe, are decidedly rare, and go for quite a bit. Not that DeMattia is selling his, of course. He’s making a copy, hanging that in the bar, and keeping the original safe.
Like you do.
Moe Lane
*’Authentic’ gets a little weird to define at this point, yes?