Contest

I recently came across a document that recorded an April 8, 1951, sheriff's sale of a 1/2 acre parcel of land in Portsmouth village, just across Ocracoke Inlet. I am wondering if any of our readers can guess how much the bidder paid for the land. If you think you know (or have an educated guess), send us an email at info@villagecraftsmen.com (put "Sheriff's Sale" in the subject line) and fill in the blank in this sentence in the body of the email: "The purchase price of the land was $ ________."

The entry that comes closest to the actual amount will win one 5" hand-crafted pottery bowl by Sunset Hill Stoneware (retail value, $24.00). The bowl includes a "medallion" depicting the Ocracoke Lighthouse, created by Philip Howard, owner of Village Craftsmen.

Entries dated after 12 noon, April 15, 2016, will not be accepted. Winner will be announced on this blog April 18, 2016. A copy of the 1951 deed will be posted.

Please, one entry per email address (in case of multiple entries from the same email address, only the earliest dated email will be considered). The bowl will be shipped to any address in the United States of America chosen by the winner.

In case of a tie, one winner will be chosen at random from the winning entries.

Of course, employees of Village Craftsmen, and their immediate families, are not eligible to win.

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is about the 1977 recording of traditional Outer Banks folk music. You can read the article here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news032116.htm.