17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Tuesday, January 28, 1913: Our teacher made such a wonderful proposition today. It was made to our class. The one who writes the best essay on a given subject is to receive a two dollar and a half gold piece. Margaret G. came home with me to stay till tomorrow. We had a dandy time this evening, although I am afraid our lessons suffered some. Rufus made candy. And so the evening went.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Grandma—I’m keeping my fingers crossed that you write the best essay and get the gold piece. I think you have a chance since you sound so hopeful.
I wish you’d told us the topic so that I could vicariously “help” you write the essay a hundred years later.
—
I’m not sure who Margaret G. was, but it sounds like the girls had a wonderful time. Rufus refers to Grandma’s sister Ruth.
A Hundred Years Ago 
I would like to have one of those quarter eagles today. The gold alone is worth about $250. I hope that she won.
Wow, it’s amazing how much gold has increased in value over the last hundred years.
I actually have one of those coins, minted in 1915, the year my grandmother was born.
Cool–they are beautiful coins.
I would have loved to know what her essay was about. Hope she wins the gold piece.
She often gave too few details in the diary entries. Too bad that she couldn’t know that we’d be reading it a hundred years later. (On second thought, it’s probably a good thing she didn’t know. She probably wouldn’t have been able to write nearly as naturally.)
I wonder what subject the teacher asked them to write an essay about. And, yes whoever won this piece if they still had it today, it’s value is worth more than its weigh in gold.
Gold sure has increased in value. It’s hard to picture how people used gold coins as money back then.
That is a great piece of gold!
It is a beautiful coin!
What a grand challenge your Grandma had to write an essay! I hope she won the gold piece. Her entry this day was so animated and full of joy – right down to Rufus making the candy! 🙂
You’re right, it is possible to sense her mood in many diary entries–and this definitely was a good day.
How exciting! Wish we could read her essay!
So do I. I wish it still existed.
Wow that seemed like a pretty generous prize. 2 1/2 dollars is an unusual amount. We actually have a two dollar coin now, it’s called a Toonie and the one dollar coin is called a Loonie since there’s a Loon on it…..we’re weird up here HA. I miss paper bills for $1 and $2. They took up less room and your wallet wasn’t so flippin heavy.
What great names–a Toonie and a Loonie. 🙂
In recent years, $1 coins haven’t really caught on here in the US.
Can’t wait to learn if your Grandma won!
I want one of those! 🙂