SAFES OF ROMANCE

Hokitika Guardian, 27 August 1932, Page 7

SAFES OF ROMANCE

LONDON’S DEPOSIT VAULTS,

MAN’S LUCKY PENNY

London’s' safe deposit vaults, in oni of which Queeji.Mary recently , s toreo her valuables, are often used for ; ode. treasures.

The oldest and most renowned, opened sixty-six years ago, is in Chancery Lane. Its gleaming gates have close a on '£1,000,000 ;in bearer bonds, all in one big parcel; on thirteen sacks bulging with money orders, on stuffed pax rots, .uncut diamonds and a first tout of Shakespeare.- ■*-'

On© of the strangest deposits than this .stronghold ever guarded was i torpedo, left there -while.-#ie inventoi negotiated ' with naval - {lowers. A l '* Egyptian mummy of great value als< lay in': the vaults for some years. ' One, of the vaults holds a brown suitcase that will one day' either. convict a man as a swindler, or establ'sh his innocence. Some months ago this suitcase was left by two men, ofi-e of Whom, had just made a payment of about £IOOO to the other on a quantity of platinum.. Th : s sum represented half of the 'total involved, and the suitcase—presumed to contain the platinum _/\va's jointly deposited until the payment of the balance next day.

The following morning the buyer turned up to claim the suitcase, but in accordance with the agreement he cannot get the bag until a year has elapsed without a sign of the second party. One day a man in shabby clothes hired a safe in one of London’s safe deposit /vaults and put a single penny in it. It was his lucky coin, and he was haunted by the fear of losing it. The penny stayed there thirty years, and year after year the men at the door saw the man growing better dressed, hi,-, manner more assured. When he died he left a fortune of £IOO.OOO. Then his heirs took the penny away.