no
Does the wordplay have to do with ketchup = catch up? no
is the exact number of tomatoes 101? no
102? no
103? no
…
999? under 500, answered earlier
Would having the right number of tomatoes actually help Mr. D in the way he imagines? Or does he misunderstand something? he misunderstands something.
Do I really have to list all of the numbers from 101 to 500?
104?
105?
106?
…
insert all numbers in between
…
499?
Ok, 116 tomatoes.
Its the fact that’s 911 upside down relevant?
Did he read a message the wrong way up?
No to both.
Coming in here having read everything and taking my shots.
Is he spelling a word or number with the tomatoes?
Is he celebrating anything?
Are birthdays involved in any way?
Have we heard of this event?
Is a foreign language involved at all?
I thought the wordplay was supposed to be obvious once we knew the number but I got nothing. Is the word play based on:
“one hundred sixteen”?
“one hundred and sixteen”?
“one one six”?
“one sixteen”?
Are the numerals read as letters as in 116 = IIG or IIb
Hmmm … if it were just 16 it could be lb as in pounds. Is 116 = 1 lb as the wordplay?
Nothing obvious about that to me.
ETA: Nothing obvious to me about 58, either (presuming each of the people who are going to eat them gets an equal share). Except, possibly, that that’s a whole lot of standard size tomatoes for one person to eat, even as sauce; unless they’re going to be preserved. I can’t remember whether that question’s been asked.
Did he love someone “a bushel and a peck?”
If 114, maybe something about Heinz 57 sauce.
Did his spouse ask him to pick up “one beefsteak tomato” (or something?) from the store and they mumbled or he wasn’t listening well, so he heard “one-sixteen tomatoes” and just got all the tomatoes the store had, which was 93?
Was it a translation error of some sort?
Is the riddle and everyone involved speaking and understanding English?
@Rebo (can you come in and update our questions with answers?)
Coming in here having read everything and taking my shots.
Is he spelling a word or number with the tomatoes? He is not.
Is he celebrating anything? No
Are birthdays involved in any way? No
Have we heard of this event? No event
Is a foreign language involved at all? No
[/quote]
When the solution is revesled it will be obvious!
Ding ding ding! He has a list from his wife that says “tomatoes 1lb”. The store only had 93 tomatoes, and he is worried she will be upset he didn’t get 116. We have to assume this is in the age before cell phones. 
Something unique happened to the group of Shipp, Galloway, Gibson, Nolan, Mayes, Padgett, Handman, Justice & Williams. What was it?
All are people?
Each name is a separate one individual?
Do or did they play sports?
Have we heard of this group?
Musical group?