Blackie Story

Item #2025

Collector Society Artwork Series

(October, 1988) This Woodspirit lives on Rattlesnake Mountain (and shares the same name as my caretaker, Lonfred Black). He is known as Blackie because he gets all of his firewood and acorns from the black oak tree that grows on the highest point of Rattlesnake Mountain (approximately 4000 feet). Because the hawks like to circle this mountain, he has camouflaged his visible red hat with a black oak leaf, but was still spotted by two small snails who are hitching a ride on his basket. The coin from Romania shows a farmer planting, with the sun rising over the mountains. Blackie loves this tree so much that he is on his way to the foot of the mountain to plant its offspring. He is happy to give the snails a ride —he knows that otherwise they would not make it to the valley below before the first snowfall.

Dr. Thomas F. Clark