Typical Send-a-Dime money chain letter, this posted May 8, 1935 in Beaumont, Texas. Archive item 1935.
4.1 THE ORIGIN OF MONEY CHAIN LETTERS (1922 - 1935) Introduction. Transitions to Prosperity Club - texts. Table 4 - From Good Luck to Prosperity to Prosperity Club. Good Luck for Men. Good Luck for Women. Easy version. The Miracle letter. Prosperity. Prosperity Club. Introduction. In the spring of 1935 a chain letter craze developed that was to sweep the world. This was the advent of money chain letters. Post Office officials first became aware of the existence of the craze when "floods of send-a-dime chain letters threatened to swamp the Denver mails" (Denver Post, April 19). The name "Send-a-Dime" has stuck, even though this name never appeared on the letter, and most were titled "Prosperity Club." Despite immediate threats of prosecution, on April 28 alone the Denver Post Office handled an estimated 165,000 chain letters (DP-9a). The craze rapidly spread to other cities - on May 8 the "chain letter splurge" had increased the St. Louis daily mail average from 450,000 to 800,000 letters (DP-19). Probably more letters were passed hand-to-hand then mailed (NYT-39). The world wide distribution of money chain letters, just in 1935, probably far surpassed a billion letters.
87