Pennies found may bring good luck

I turned a profit on my walk yesterday. As I rounded a corner I spied two battered pennies on the ground. The rhyme, “Find a penny, pick it up and all the day you’ll have good luck,” ran through my mind. I picked them up and wondered if finding two pennies was twice as lucky as finding one. I put them in my pocket and smiled to myself. Less than a minute later, I looked down and there was another penny, in even worse shape than the other two. I picked it up and caressed its rough surface before adding it to my pocket.
Finding the pennies made me happy. Three cents won’t make much of a difference in my life. By themselves, they aren’t enough to buy anything. Penny candy doesn’t exist anymore. I don’t consider myself to be superstitious. I don’t believe that finding pennies will actually bring me luck. Yet, those small circles of copper and zinc put a smile on my face and a spring in my step.
The belief that pennies bring luck has been around for a very long time. The superstition may have begun before pennies were even invented. Some ancient peoples believed that metal was a gift from the gods given to us for protection against evil. This may have led to the belief that pennies are lucky but doesn’t explain why other coins don’t have their own superstitions.
I always thought that all found pennies brought good luck. Apparently, I am wrong. Some people think that only ones that are face up bring good luck. Face down ones bring bad luck.
While I was looking up trivia, I found that pennies used to be placed on the eyes of the dead. Since the coins were heavy, they kept the eyes closed so that the dead would not find someone to go with them. I had heard of the practice of placing coins on the eyes of the dead but didn’t know why.
Some people believe that pennies are messages from our loved ones in heaven. The message is often that the loved one is happy and safe and wants the finder to also be happy.
Pennies figure into many common sayings. Who hasn’t been offered a penny for their thoughts? How many parents have quoted Ben Franklin, “A penny saved, is a penny earned”? We have all put in our two cents worth. Penny wise and pound foolish is another common saying.
An old song says it “rains pennies from heaven,” but a quote by Margaret Thatcher contests that. She asserts, “Pennies do not come from heaven. They have to be earned here on earth.”
Whatever we believe, finding a penny makes us happy. Of course, finding paper money makes us even happier, but that is rare. We are more protective of money that has more value than that of the lowly penny.
Every so often people talk about wanting to abolish the one cent coin. They say it is useless. On its own it can’t buy anything. It is a hassle to count out the odd change. It costs more to produce than it’s worth.
I say that none of those reasons matter. Found pennies make us happy. That, alone, is reason enough to keep the penny around.
As much as I enjoy finding the only copper colored American coin, I also enjoy leaving pennies for other people to find. It is a cheap, easy and anonymous way to share a little bit of happiness. I don’t worry that someone who doesn’t need the money will find it. Everybody needs something that makes them smile.