April 9

Today we have a newspaper clipping from the April 9, 1965 edition of the San Francisco Examiner.

From the April 9, 1965 edition of the San Francisco Examiner

From the April 9, 1965 edition of the San Francisco Examiner

A Widow’s $1,000 SS Jackpot

Mrs. V. Cohen, 1408 8th Ave., wins $1,000 in the Examiner’s Social Security Game. A 78 year old widow, Mrs. Cohen is a long time player in the game and her first win is the top prize.

“When I saw my social security number at the head of the list all I could think is ‘this must be crazy.’ I’m dreaming. I’ve often thought how wonderful it would be to win the big prize but I honestly never thought it could happen to me.”

Well, it happened to Mrs. Cohen and it could happen to you when you join in this simple, easy-to-play game. All you do is write out your social security number on a postcard or put it in a letter and mail it to: The Examiner, P.O. Box 3634 Rincon Annex, San Francisco 19.

Once your entry is received at this address, you are in the game. Step number two is to check The Examiner each day to see if your number appears.

Daily, Monday through Friday, The Examiner publishes 30 winning social security numbers with a total cash value of $2,000. This is the way the cash divides: 1st prize, $1,000. 2nd prize, $200. 3rd prize, $100. 4th prize, $50. twenty-six additional prizes pay off $25 each.

Any person holding a social security number can play. It doesn’t matter where you live, how old you are, or whether or not you subscribe to The Examiner.

However, the point of the game is for you to find your own social security number. No person associated with the Social Security Game either phones, writes or contacts winners.


How nice to see some happy news for a change! Helene’s nephew Robert Zerzawy mentioned this article in his letter in the March 23 post. Times have certainly changed – imagine a newspaper publishing your Social Security Number these days. $1,000 in 1965 would be worth about $8,300 in 2021. It must have felt like a fortune.