July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
New pennies will depict Lincoln's life
By Diana Dolecki-
Pennies are changing again. The humble little coin that nobody wants is getting a makeover. Four new designs are coming out this year depicting different stages of Abraham Lincoln's life.
This is supposed to be in recognition of the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth and the 100th anniversary of the first Lincoln penny. I don't understand why this is in the news now. His birthday is in February, the same day as mine.
Nevertheless, the news story sparked an interest in finding out the history of the penny. You probably know that pennies are no longer pure copper like they were in 1793 when the first 11,178 copper cents entered circulation in this country. The new pennies are only 2.5-percent copper. The rest is zinc. They weigh 2.6 grams and have a diameter of 0.75-inch.
The Mint will also issue a penny designed for collectors. This one will have the new Lincoln designs but will be 95-percent copper and five-percent tin and zinc, the same as the original 1909 Lincoln penny. Somehow I don't foresee receiving this one in a handful of change.
Have you noticed the trend in some places of not giving pennies back as change? Cashiers will take the coin from the "take a penny, leave a penny" tray instead. This plays havoc with the people who only spend paper money. If one is planning on receiving 99 cents to add to the change jar then it is a disappointment to be given nothing.
I wonder how many of the 30 million pennies minted every day end up on the ground, waiting for someone to pick them up? I have always considered it to be good luck to find a penny and I always take the time to pick one up. Do you?
I have also been known to toss a few pennies on the ground for others to find in hopes that will brighten someone's day. I figure that if a body doesn't need the extra penny then they probably won't be looking down.
The Mint no longer uses horse-drawn machinery to produce coins. Now it is all done by highly automated and precise machines, much to the relief of the horses. This gives a more consistent product and produces fewer errors.
Apparently the ancients have never heard of the phrase, "You can't take it with you," as coins and copper money were found in tombs dating back to the Shang Dynasty. That was in the 11th century B.C. I wonder what parts of our present civilization will last that long? The average penny only lasts 25 years.
If, by chance, you happen to have a 1793 penny with the word, "Liberty," misspelled, then you have something worth far more than one cent. In fact, there are only four known to exist and are said to be worth $275,000 each.
The 1943 real copper penny is worth about $80,000. This is because most 1943 pennies were zinc-coated steel. The first 11 pennies in that batch were made with the copper that was already in the machine.
Isn't it interesting that the mistakes are worth more than the perfect pennies? Perfect pennies are minted, spent, lost and saved everyday. They are worth exactly what they say on the obverse - one cent.
It is the odd ones, the mistakes, and the ones that don't conform that are valued.
Now we come to the whole point of this blather about pennies. Our society tells us to conform. Wear the right clothes, say the proper things, be exactly the "correct" weight or suffer the consequences. We teach our children that conformity is not only good, but also ideal.
If we are less than perfect then we should strive to be perfect or else we are worthless. But think about it ... who do we remember? Is it the tattooed twenty-something who looks exactly like every other tattooed twenty-something? Or is it Stephen Hawking, with his twisted body and brilliant mind?
We may not know the name of the guy down the block, but we do know the guy who aspired to be president then achieved that goal. We remember the misfits, the geniuses, the ones with talent, and the ones who do not conform. Some of them generate our pity, some our admiration, some our scorn. But we remember them.
Like pennies, the most memorable among us are the ones who do not fit the mold. So next time you don't measure up to some arbitrary ideal, give yourself a break. You are worth more than you think.
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This is supposed to be in recognition of the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth and the 100th anniversary of the first Lincoln penny. I don't understand why this is in the news now. His birthday is in February, the same day as mine.
Nevertheless, the news story sparked an interest in finding out the history of the penny. You probably know that pennies are no longer pure copper like they were in 1793 when the first 11,178 copper cents entered circulation in this country. The new pennies are only 2.5-percent copper. The rest is zinc. They weigh 2.6 grams and have a diameter of 0.75-inch.
The Mint will also issue a penny designed for collectors. This one will have the new Lincoln designs but will be 95-percent copper and five-percent tin and zinc, the same as the original 1909 Lincoln penny. Somehow I don't foresee receiving this one in a handful of change.
Have you noticed the trend in some places of not giving pennies back as change? Cashiers will take the coin from the "take a penny, leave a penny" tray instead. This plays havoc with the people who only spend paper money. If one is planning on receiving 99 cents to add to the change jar then it is a disappointment to be given nothing.
I wonder how many of the 30 million pennies minted every day end up on the ground, waiting for someone to pick them up? I have always considered it to be good luck to find a penny and I always take the time to pick one up. Do you?
I have also been known to toss a few pennies on the ground for others to find in hopes that will brighten someone's day. I figure that if a body doesn't need the extra penny then they probably won't be looking down.
The Mint no longer uses horse-drawn machinery to produce coins. Now it is all done by highly automated and precise machines, much to the relief of the horses. This gives a more consistent product and produces fewer errors.
Apparently the ancients have never heard of the phrase, "You can't take it with you," as coins and copper money were found in tombs dating back to the Shang Dynasty. That was in the 11th century B.C. I wonder what parts of our present civilization will last that long? The average penny only lasts 25 years.
If, by chance, you happen to have a 1793 penny with the word, "Liberty," misspelled, then you have something worth far more than one cent. In fact, there are only four known to exist and are said to be worth $275,000 each.
The 1943 real copper penny is worth about $80,000. This is because most 1943 pennies were zinc-coated steel. The first 11 pennies in that batch were made with the copper that was already in the machine.
Isn't it interesting that the mistakes are worth more than the perfect pennies? Perfect pennies are minted, spent, lost and saved everyday. They are worth exactly what they say on the obverse - one cent.
It is the odd ones, the mistakes, and the ones that don't conform that are valued.
Now we come to the whole point of this blather about pennies. Our society tells us to conform. Wear the right clothes, say the proper things, be exactly the "correct" weight or suffer the consequences. We teach our children that conformity is not only good, but also ideal.
If we are less than perfect then we should strive to be perfect or else we are worthless. But think about it ... who do we remember? Is it the tattooed twenty-something who looks exactly like every other tattooed twenty-something? Or is it Stephen Hawking, with his twisted body and brilliant mind?
We may not know the name of the guy down the block, but we do know the guy who aspired to be president then achieved that goal. We remember the misfits, the geniuses, the ones with talent, and the ones who do not conform. Some of them generate our pity, some our admiration, some our scorn. But we remember them.
Like pennies, the most memorable among us are the ones who do not fit the mold. So next time you don't measure up to some arbitrary ideal, give yourself a break. You are worth more than you think.
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