So I've got this penny...

AlmostAtheist

It's a 1947D, a wheat back, like this one:

alt

I'm looking at it and wondering where it's been. Who's had it, what they did with it. In 1947, you could get five pieces of candy for a penny.

Did an excited youngster find it -- shiny, new -- on the ground, dash to the candy store, and collect his treasure?

Was it handed back in change from the purchase of a wedding ring? Was it a happy marriage? Did they have children?

Was it ever stolen? Was he caught?

I wish my penny could talk. It's well worn. Some of Lincoln's features are worn down, and the detail on the wheat stalks have been worn away. This penny's seen the world, probably quite alot more of it than I have. And it's had nearly twice my life to see it in.

What mistakes did previous owners of this penny make that it could warn me to avoid? (Did anyone buy cigarettes with it?)

L. Ron Hubbard famously (but perhaps apocryphally) quipped in 1949, "Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion." Could this perhaps be one of the pennys paid to an author? How often was it dropped in the collection plate?

I like my penny. I keep it taped here in my cubicle, next to -- ironically enough -- our payday calendar. I wish it could talk to me.

Perhaps it does.

Dave

greendawn

You would be better off talking with a golden five dollar coin like the ones that Russell used to give out every year to each Bethel member as a Christmas present.

Oroborus21

You're weird Dave, very weird. :-)

by the way, I collect those when I come across them. I have like 20 of them. They are rare but can still be found. I always take a quick look at any pennies that come into my hands. Your's looks really shiny, mine are all pretty dull looking.

Did you know that the pennies made during the war years didn't have any copper (since Cu was used for war) and are all Zinc. You can feel the difference in weight.

-Eduardo

Oroborus21

Just on a tangential subject has anyone ever come across dollar bills that someone had written something on them? I have, including religious ones where someone wrote Jesus is Lord or a scripture.

If someone wanted to spread some things these days, you could write. www.Jehovahs-Witness.com and some short thing like "Learn the Truth about the Truth" or just use the URL in pen on the bill and you wouldn't believe how many hands it would circulate in before a bank took it out of service.

It would be funny if someone dropped a bunch into the donation boxes or at the assemblies. You never know who might see that message and respond.

By the way, I think writing or defacing money is illegal or probably illegal so I am NOT advocating it. Only pointing out that I have seen it done.

-Eduardo

prophecor

Sombody's got wayyyyyyyyyyyyy to much time on thier hands to think like that, Dave.

AlmostAtheist

I appreciate your candor, Eduardo! :-) Yes, I'm oddly struck by common things.

By the way, I think writing or defacing money is illegal or probably illegal so I am NOT advocating it. Only pointing out that I have seen it done.

I'll not dig about for a source on it at this point, but I'd bet my penny it's not illegal. I do believe it is a crime to deface with fraudulent intent, such as to make a dollar look like a ten-dollar bill. And I've also got vague rumblings in my head that you can get in trouble for advertising on money. But I don't believe writing alone will get you in trouble. Witness the http://WheresGeorge.com project. I've seen dollars stamped with WheresGeorge.com before.

Dave

sir82

Speaking of pennies, here is another little-known fact.

Since 1982, all pennies are made from zinc, with an extremely thin coating of copper over it. It is not too difficult to scrape it away, to verify it.

But, pennies dated 1981 & earlier (plus some date 1982) are 95% pure copper.

In recent times, the cost of copper has risen to a point there is about 1.5 cents worth of copper in each pre-1982 penny.

I.e., if you collected thousands of pre-1982 pennies, and sold them to a place that bought bulk copper, you would get about 1.5 times face value.