HEIGHT = 7 1/4 inches
WIDTH = 5 inches
VALUE = $350 - $500

MARKING:
120   (As seen in View "B")

the Story :
The earliest mention of the story appeared on a stained glass window in the Church of Hamelin, Germany c. 1300. In 1284, Hamelin was suffering from a rat infestation. A Piper, dressed in colorful red clothing, claimied to be a rat-catcher. ("Pied" means clothing with two or more patches of colors.) The Piper promised to lure the rats away with his magic pipe. The mayor, in turn, promised to pay him for the removal of the rats. When the citizens refused to pay for his service, the Pied Piper retaliated. He used the magical powers of his pipe on the children of Hamelin. The Piper lead 130 children away, as he had the rats, into a cave where they were never seen again.