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The Short Snorter Project

What is a Short Snorter?

Short snorters come to light at coins shops and coin shows where most dealers pay very
little for them as they are heavily worn and "not very collectible". A short snorter signed by a
famous person will add value to the bank note. Short snorters frequently sell on eBay and
other auction venues. Click here to check current eBay listings...
Depending upon your perspective, short snorters are next to worthless or simply priceless.
Whatever you decide, short snorters are truly "history in your hand."

George Grimm Short Snorter Signed by Joe Foss

Short snorter signed by WWII Marine Corps fighter ace and Congressional Medal of
Honor recipient Joe Foss. Series 1935A Silver Certificate with HAWAII overprint.
(Courtesy of George Grimm)

Examining a set of short snorters brought together on this web site from various sources,
we can actually follow some of the major meetings conducted during the height of WWII
where Allied heads of state and their military staffs met and planned their strategies to
defeat the Axis powers. The individual web pages arranged here have links to other web
sites containing information and historical documentation relating to short snorters.

1. General Hoyt Vandenberg Snorter - Signatures collected by General Hoyt Vandenberg in
June 1942 flight over the mid-Atlantic.

2. Harry Hopkins Snorter - (Featured on PBS's "History Detectives")
Signatures collected by the Presidential Aide at the July 25, 1942, London Conference where
the decision was made to launch Operation Torch, the Invasion of North Africa. Snorter also
contains signatures collected during F.D.R.'s 1943 trip to the Casablanca Conference.

3. D. Ray Comish Snorter - Signatures collected by the Pan American Flight Engineer aboard
the Dixie Clipper flight carrying F.D.R. and his staff to the Casablanca Conference in January
1943.

4. Avere ll Harriman Snorter - Signatures collected at the January 1943 Casablanca
Conference where the decision was made by the Allied powers to demand unconditional
surrender from the Axis countries of Germany, Italy, and Japan.

5. General George S. Patton Snorter - Signatures collected at the Casablanca Conference.

6. Snorter signed by F ranklin D . R oosevelt and several key advisors and aides en route to the
Tehran Conference of Allied powers via Cairo, Egypt, November 22, 1943.

7. Yalta Snorter from the conference held February 4 - 11, 1945, attended by the Big Three
(Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin) and convened near Yalta, on the Crimean Peninsula.

Presidents to Privates and Prime Ministers to Pilots...

Many People Have Asked, "What is a Short Snorter Worth?"

.... and a President's Wife Played the Game Very Well!

The Eleanor Roosevelt Short Snorter
Eleanor Roosevelt carried this short snorter on her trips during World War II. These bills
were in the wallet she used during the last years of her life.
(Photo courtesy of T he Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.)

Eleanor Roosevelt Signing Short Snorter in 1944

Eleanor Roosevelt signing short snorters for the troops on March 27, 1944, during her
visit to the Panama Canal Zone. Photo by Signal Corps - US Army.
(Photo courtesy of T he Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.)

Coca-Cola ad published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, June, 1944.
The fine print reads, "When short-snorters (trans-ocean flyers) meet and compare their
autographed dollar bills, the invitation Have a "Coke" is fairly sure to follow. In three short
words people strike the spark of comradeship. From the family fireside to far-flung fronts,
Coca-Cola stands for the pause that refreshes - has become a symbol of those who see
things in a friendly light." (Copyright 1943, The Coca-Cola Company)

Photo of Jinx Falkenburg Signing a Short Snorter

1944 Coca-Cola Advertisement with Short Snorter

A group of service men and women hold up a long short snorter for the camera.

WWII War Correspondent Ernie Pyle With Troops

The Australasian Coin
& Banknote Magazine
November 2007

The Australasian Coin
& Banknote Magazine
October 2007

The Australasian Coin
& Banknote Magazine
April 2008

A Collection of Short Snorter Articles Written by Dr. Kerry Rodgers

What About Non-Currency Short Snorters for Special Events?

Operation Crossroads 5 Beacons Short Snorter

Souvenir short snorters were issued by different groups to
commemorate special events. Readers have sent in a few
and we would like to expand on this special area due to the
significance of the events. Send an email to Lorne Bohn if
you have information to share about these snorters ...

CLICK HERE

Click on a cover below to download and read a great article about short snorters.

Sponsor Links

Sponsor Links Available... Please Send Me An Email!

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina Flying Boat

A short snorter is a banknote upon which signatures were exchanged between those
traveling together or meeting up at different events. The tradition was started by bush pilots
in Alaska in the 1920's and subsequently spread through the growth of commercial and
military aviation. If you signed a short snorter and that person could not produce it upon
request, they owed you a dollar or a drink (a “short snort”, aviation and alcohol do not mix!).

FEATURED
SNORTERS

The Australasian Coin
& Banknote Magazine
September 2008

Lt. George J. Grimm stands on the wing of his PB2Y Coronado in Tokyo Bay.

Marshall Windmiller group photo of signal team at Camp Crowder, MO.

A 501 (c) (3) charitable organization. Contributions are tax deductible! Click here for more information.

Did You See the May 2009 Issue of The Numismatist?

Click to read
Numismatist
"News & Notes"
which includes
the return of the
Henry Heyser Jr.
short snorter!

Click to read
Paul McIlvaine's
article
"Short Snorters
of World War II"
and view his
collection!

Click to read
Joseph R. Lasser's
article
"My Short Snorter"
and view his short
snorter up close!

Reproduced courtesy of The Numismatist, official publication of the
American Numismatic Association (www.money.org)

Click to read
Barbara J. Gregory's
Editor's Desk
column
"Portable Memorials"

Support The Short Snorter Project

The Short Snorter Project is a tax exempt organization under section 501
(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Short Snorter Project is classified
as a public charity. Contributions to The Short Snorter Project are tax
deductible. Click here to view more information and how you can support!

NEWS & EVENTS:

March 21, 2009
Exhibit at the Heritage Flight Museum, Will be going back later this year!

March 13-15, 2009
Exhibit at the American Numismatic Association Mid-Winter Convention in Portland, Oregon.
3rd place in the "People's Choice" award voting!

January 17, 2009
Exhibit at the Boeing Employee's Coin Club Annual Coin Show.
1st place in the "People's Choice" award voting!