Author
Message
DrTachyon
Boot
Joined: 22 Apr 2006 Posts: 53 Location: Montgomery Village, Maryland
[Trailhead?] Strange letter and key So I received a letter from Toronto with a brass key (and accompanying tag) and two yellow 'stationary request forms' with a strange seal on it and a handwritten letter on the back of one of the forms (the other was wrapped around the key). I need to get a picture of the key, but the seal is pictured below. The cardboard tag on the key reads E 2270. 14 and on the other side are two 'bloody' fingerprints. I have been googling based on the seal in the picture below, looking for a website that features the image but to no avail.
The letter reads:
It isn't fair! They had no right to steal this from Andrew [my last name]. I don't know why he was refused the right to dig. I don't know why they kicked in his door over a hundred years ago. I don't know why this was suppressed. But I am going to try to make it right.
I can't get it for you but you should be able to get it released if you can get past the security on the website.
Good luck,
`A Friend.
Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 8:21 pm
Last edited by DrTachyon on Tue Jun 04, 2013 11:22 pm; edited 1 time in total
Amelić
Decorated
Joined: 01 Jun 2012 Posts: 231 Location: Southampton, United kingdom
Well... from first looks, the logo in the middle looks like it has Hebrew writing on it? or something simular.
My dad learnt it a long time ago so il ask him in the morning - but it looks like the first letter is a "S" or a "M"
also please give us pictures of everything asap, we cant really do much with only a logo ^^
Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 10:21 pm
DrTachyon
Boot
Joined: 22 Apr 2006 Posts: 53 Location: Montgomery Village, Maryland
The symbol is a combination of Oxford's three crowns and the torah in the Yale symbol. The elements themselves are common, but that seal is (I believe) brand new.
Anyway here are the pics
Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 10:37 pm
Amelić
Decorated
Joined: 01 Jun 2012 Posts: 231 Location: Southampton, United kingdom
Probably nothing, but searching for 1913, hebrew and digging brought up
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shechem
which was excavated in 1913.
just thinking out loud.
also the form looks like a archive form for artifacts.. for archaeology
p.s the lettering on the symbol is NOT the same as the yale one below:
[img]http://5.hidemyass.com/ip-1/encoded/Oi8vdXBsb2FkLndpa2ltZWRpYS5vcmcvd2lraXBlZGlhL2NvbW1vbnMvdGh1bWIvMC8wNy9ZYWxlX1VuaXZlcnNpdHlfU2hpZWxkXzEuc3ZnLzIyMHB4LVlhbGVfVW5pdmVyc2l0eV9TaGllbGRfMS5zdmcucG5n[/img]
The one on the letter ends with a "m" like symbol that is not on the yale one
edit 2: My friend said the first word on our symbol looks like "Lakes" and the second word doesn't even look like a word, possibly a mixture of languages.
edit 3: it could be a messed up attempt at אורים ותומים which means "Oracle"
*shrugs* grasping at straws as ive not slept yet
Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 10:42 pm
Adm_BlackCat
Unfettered
Joined: 18 May 2010 Posts: 666 Location: Spokane, WA
It looks like there's some faint writing on the top part of the form.
_________________
AKA @Yankee White
Posted: Tue May 21, 2013 6:38 am
JumboTron
Unfettered
Joined: 27 Jul 2010 Posts: 743 Location: ten miles north on the Dewsbury road
The faint writing could be a red-herring. DrTachyon's initial post said that a handwritten letter was on the back of one of the forms. I took that to mean literally written on the back of the form...
Any chance of seeing the letter please? You'd probably need to blank out your name.
Interesting that they referred to you by name. Have you checked wikipedia for people with the same name as yourself - maybe around 100 years ago?
Posted: Tue May 21, 2013 8:06 am
Amelić
Decorated
Joined: 01 Jun 2012 Posts: 231 Location: Southampton, United kingdom
Im a bit confused as to why no one else has spoken up to say they have received the same package... i very much doubt if its a trailhead (and that the OP is not the PM) that only one person would receive it.
Posted: Tue May 21, 2013 1:51 pm
DrTachyon
Boot
Joined: 22 Apr 2006 Posts: 53 Location: Montgomery Village, Maryland
That's why I posted it here. I was hoping someone else got a key as well. The letter is just pen handwritten on the back of the yellow paper. It's exactly as I typed it, no hidden content at all.
The only other clue is on the envelope - The upper left, where the return address would be is hand written N/LVS 5/15
Since the postmark of the letter is 5/13, I take 5/15 to mean 5 out of 15 as in perhaps 15 other clues were sent out in total.
Posted: Tue May 21, 2013 7:50 pm
DrTachyon
Boot
Joined: 22 Apr 2006 Posts: 53 Location: Montgomery Village, Maryland
Oh, and I wikipedia'd the heck out of things. no luck so far.
Posted: Tue May 21, 2013 7:51 pm
MrToasty
I Have 100 Cats and Smell of Wee
Joined: 03 Aug 2004 Posts: 4310 Location: Des Moines, IA
I can't say as I have seen a key like that before.
Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 12:34 am
vapor
Entrenched
Joined: 03 Jun 2008 Posts: 1188 Location: Dallas, TX ya'll
MrToasty wrote:
I can't say as I have seen a key like that before.
It looks like it could unlock a safe deposit box. Did a search for two-pronged keys and found some antiques, but nothing quite that modern. My first thought was skate key or some other tool. Closest thing I could find is a divot tool .
Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 12:40 am
MrToasty
I Have 100 Cats and Smell of Wee
Joined: 03 Aug 2004 Posts: 4310 Location: Des Moines, IA
Yeah, I tried looking up safe deposit keys with no luck. I have seen divot repair tools like that though.
Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 1:02 am
drizjr
Unfictologist
Joined: 28 Nov 2003 Posts: 1700
Shouldn't it be "stationery" with an E, unless it's a clue?
Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 3:04 am
Amelić
Decorated
Joined: 01 Jun 2012 Posts: 231 Location: Southampton, United kingdom
drizjr wrote:
Shouldn't it be "stationery" with an E, unless it's a clue?
No, stationary like.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stationary
Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 3:30 am
JumboTron
Unfettered
Joined: 27 Jul 2010 Posts: 743 Location: ten miles north on the Dewsbury road
Drawing a on this one...
The return address (N/LVS) is a bit odd. I assume that's an abbreviation for a place? North LVS...? New LVS...?
What about postage costs? Were stamps on the envelope, or was it franked mail?
Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 8:24 am
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