None of the men who remained faithful to Joseph ever publicly discussed the true financial situation of the Kirtland bank. But several apostates at different times related an identical anecdote which suggests something of the quality of the bank's assets. Lining the shelves of the ban vault, they said, were many boxes, each marked $1,000. Actually these boxes were filled with "and, lead, old iron, stone, and combustibles," but each had a top layer of bright fifty-cent silver coins. Anyone suspicious of the bank's stability was allowed to lift and count the boxes. "The effect of those boxes was like magic;" said C. G. Webb. "they created general confidence in the solidity of the bank and that beautiful paper money went like the hot cakes. For about a month it was the best money in the country."*