penny for your thoughts?!....if you see a penny, do you still pick it up....??

[tlh828]

I stoop for money.

[digby]

I noticed a penny because of the wheat sheaves on it. Picked it up, looked it up online and it was worth a whole 15¢.

So I stopped at a hobby shop, found the penny folders (those blue booklets that kids put their vintage penny finds in). Found the 1940D slot and slipped it in. Still can't stop thinking about the happy kid* that brings his folder home and spies the Bonus Wheat Penny.


*No, I'm not entertaining the possibility that a store employee will clean it out, or that the folder will be bought by some rich old dude who doesn't need a 1940D, or 15¢.

[CJsNvrUrly]

Yes because it's free money.
I didn't vote in your poll because none of the explanations fit. The first one came the closest, but I didn't grow up during the Depression.
I won't pick 'em up if they look grimy, though.

[gabester]

prymsnap wrote:
If it's heads up: pick it up. Face down: flip it over and leave it there.

That's what I usually do...

digby wrote:
So I stopped at a hobby shop, found the penny folders (those blue booklets that kids put their vintage penny finds in). Found the 1940D slot and slipped it in. Still can't stop thinking about the happy kid* that brings his folder home and spies the Bonus Wheat Penny.

That's pretty awesome. Much better than just flipping it...

Did you know you can HEAR the difference between a pre-1984 copper penny and a 1983 or newer zinc one? (I overlapped those dates because 1983 was a transition year and both were produced.)

When dropped on a smooth surface in a relatively quiet environment, the copper ones have a distinct, metallic-ping resonance where as the zinc ones just plink on impact.

[Racer X]

Silver coins ring when dropped.

[ka jowct]

I didn't grow up during the depression, but everything else about the first answer fits me so I went with that. I don't see much point in passing up money, even tiny money.