"scads" (money) antedating 1853ff

[Stephen Goranson]

OED scad 7. colloq. (orig. U.S.). [Origin unknown.] a. A dollar. Usu. pl. in
sense ?money?. 1858, from Hutching's Illustrated California Mag. Aug. 85/2
Why he seed Bill and lifted him two scads.

Also from California:

The Alta California, (San Francisco, CA) Wednesday, February 16, 1853; page 2,
col C. Sacramento News The Excitement at Sacramento Category: Editorial. [On a
mining company sale for $110,000] It was well known that the property
was under offer for such a price until the 1st of February, through a special
agent...who went to England a few months since, and is reported to have returned
by one of the late arrivals with the "scads."

The Daily Register, (Raleigh, NC) Wednesday, April 05, 1854; Issue 28; page 3,
col A. Our California Correspondence Identical. Category: News....still if you
have chance to give an unlimited order for them at the restaurants, without
having plenty of "scads" in pocket, you will feel rather anti aguish when 'tis
time to "shell out."

The Alta California, (San Francisco, CA) [Friday], [September 05,
1856]; page 8. col C. Brief Glances. Category: News. [faced with the option to
serve on a chain-gang or pay $25] _Boots_ ...concluded to render the service,
and retain the scads.

Daily Evening Bulletin, (San Francisco, CA) Monday, November 10, 1856;
Issue 30; page 2, col B. Mining on the American [River]. Category: News. A few
companies...have not realized the large amount of _scads_ they anticipated....

Daily Evening Bulletin, (San Francisco, CA) Saturday, April 11, 1857; Issue 4;
page 3, col B. The Ruins of San Francisco. Category: News. ...exhibiting his
"scads" ($50 pieces)....

Daily Evening Bulletin, (San Francisco, CA) Saturday, March 27, 1858;
Issue 144; page 1, col A. Forty-niner Taken Down. Category: News. "I say,
stranger--ef them doctors charged a feller sixteen scads fur feelin his pulse,
how much did they ax fur bleedin of him in both arms?"

Stephen Goranson
http://www.duke.edu/~goranson

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