Item Description
Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a tremendous piece of WWII history, a “Snorter” roll of 34 foreign banknotes, with roughly 23 of these having been signed, brought back by Staff Sergeant Dominick James Bizzoco, of the 348th Fighter Group, 5th Air Force. A short snorter is a banknote inscribed by people traveling together on an aircraft. One note, a Russian 1 Mark note, is signed by Bob Hope, the famous comedian who performed U.S.O. shows overseas during the war. This is a very unique piece that comes with a packet of research on each of the bills, including the country, denomination, serial number, dates, color, and signatures.
Dominick Jame Bizzoco was born on February 20th, 1920, in New York City. When he enlisted in the Army Air Forces, he was living in Miami, Florida. He went overseas with the 348th Fighter Group, 5th Air Force, and was stationed in the South Pacific during the war, which is where he put together this roll of Snorters and received the signatures. Bizzoco returned home and worked in aircraft communications for many years before passing away on August 2nd, 1998, at the age of 78.
The bills are overall in poor condition, having been held together for so many years. As the research packet shows, there were originally more bills at the end of this roll, but they broke off some time ago and are lost. Some bills have tears that have been repaired with more tape. The research sheets contain a great deal of information about these notes, making this a truly remarkable set.
According to a November 2002 article in The Numismatist, "About 100 years ago, a “short snort” was a slang expression for less than a full shot of liquor. Pouring short snorts guaranteed barkeepers a little extra profit in each bottle. Also, drinking only a short snort allowed the imbiber to honestly point to his moderation. Years before federal aviation regulations, pilots discovered that alcohol and airplanes do not mix, and fly-boys who drank heavily did not live long. Soon, pilots jokingly were calling each other “short snorter.”
This is a really phenomenal set of snorters taped together, and will add some color and flair to any WWII collection.
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
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