Abstract

"Rest in Fraud: Caskets and the Promise of Eternal Preservation"

Rahima Schwenkbeck, College of Southern Nevada (rahimaschwenkbeck@gmail.com)

By 1901, the average American’s life expectancy finally reached 50 years, but death remained an ever-present part of life. Hucksters, scam artists, and fraudsters exploited this reality through numerous schemes aimed at grieving families. One recurring scam involved caskets that promised to prevent decomposition.

Between 1900 and the 1920s, several companies emerged claiming to offer glass caskets that would hermetically seal and preserve the deceased for eternity. These caskets, weighing hundreds of pounds, were impractical for actual burial and, unsurprisingly, ineffective at halting decay. However, the fraud wasn't just in the claims of the coffins, it was in the sales of stock certificates. Companies like the Crystal Glass Casket Company sold stock certificates based on exaggerated claims, ultimately leaving investors with worthless shares.

Such scams were not limited to glass caskets. Earlier in the 19th century, caskets lined with iron, lead, and zinc were marketed with similar promises of preservation. Another popular product was the so-called “safety coffin,” designed to signal if someone buried was still alive, reflecting societal fears of premature burial.

More mundane frauds also flourished. In some cases, undertakers sold families high-end coffins for funerals but later transferred the bodies into simple pine boxes after services concluded, allowing the fine caskets to be reused and sold again.