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The gift of Soapy Smith's legacy
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In the 1870s, grifter and gambler Soapy Smith acquired his nickname from one of his favorite early con games. Standing on a
street corner, he hawked his marvelous cheap lye soap, which he proclaimed better than anyone's for cleaning, gentleness, curing disease and lasting indefinitely. Revealing a bonus to the gathering crowd, he placed money under some wrappers, supposedly mixing the seeded bars back into the pile.
"I'll take a chance on one of those," cried a man from the audience. "What do I have to lose?" Not surprisingly, since he was one of Soapy's shills (a member of the Soap Gang), his purchased bar contained a double sawbuck, which he waved triumphantly. Sales immediately picked up. As more confederates won higher amounts, the remaining soap was auctioned to the highest bidder.
This Christmas, one product being offered for sale is "Money Soap." The description for the $10.98 bar reads: Delightfully scented bar of soap has a surprise in the center--cold cash! Once the soap wears down, you capture your prize--guaranteed to be one of the following: a real $1, $5, $10, $20, or even a $50 bill! A unique gift AND a great incentive to get kids to wash their hands more often!
Please note this is a humorous novelty item and its sale involves no street-corner deception. Everybody knows the bill will be a one and that kids will immediately run the bar under hot water, wasting the soap and possibly clogging the drain, instead of learning proper hygiene.
Still, the concept pays homage to Soapy's memory.
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