Enola Gay Short Snorter Flies High at Sale
A short snorter signed by the crews of the Enola Gay and Bockscar just days after the atomic bombings of Japan sold for $37,551 at auction.
Courtesy of RR Auction.
Among the best sellers at RR Auction’s Fine Autographs and Artifacts Featuring WWII sale on June 10 was an Enola Gay and Bockscar crew-signed short snorter that sold for $37,551. Originally owned by Enola Gay tail gunner George R. “Bob” Caron, who collected the signatures in 1945, the short snorter is a series 1935A HAWAII overprint $1 silver certificate (serial P 35453390 C). The note is in very good condition, with overall wear and soiling, and was signed days after the Enola Gay bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The note’s face shows, “Aug. 6, 1945, Atomic Bomb $1 on Hiroshima, Japan” in ink, alongside the signatures by all 12 Enola Gay crewmen. The reverse reads, “Atomic Bomb #2 on Nagasaki, Aug. 8, 1945,” and includes the signatures of 12 of the 13 Bockscar crew.
At the sale, the note was paired with a copy of Caron’s 1982 letter of provenance. “(Lt. Jacob) Beser’s signature on both sides was added some years later as I must have forgotten to get his at the time,” explains Caron. “I understand (Capt. William S. ‘Deak’) Parson’s signature is rare as he died in 1950. (Sgt. Robert H.) Shumard died in 1965 and (SSgt. Edward K.) Buckley more recently. I understand others are rare as their whereabouts are unknown or don’t sign autographs.”
Information about the sale can be found at rrauction.com.
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