See a penny, pick it up....

Kristie, not even 5 pennies in a neat little pile, on a clean piece of sidewalk???

Thank you for sharing that with us, Jim.

It is sad that we're so wasteful. I know I'm guilty of it to some extent. That last paragraph does make one think...

One thing that really drives me crazy when I visit my family in Texas is that they don't recycle - anything! I live in Oregon where recycling is just a way of life. When they visit me they laugh that I wash my "trash" and try not to buy overpackaged items. And this from a mother who saved every mayonaise jar, pickle jar, whatever jar for years and years and years because it just seemed so wasteful to throw them away.

You never know when you'll need a little good luck, Kristie!

As I remember a few years ago either Dear Abby or Ann Landers had a feature "Pennies from Heaven"--very uplifting or very gooey, depending on the orientation of the reader.

According to that superstition, found pennies were from God--or alternatively, from a recently departed dear one communicating satisfaction with the World Beyond.

Not only is it good luck to pick up a penny - it's bad luck not to pick a penny up. That's mrs. hamburger's view. You've got to pick them up - spit on them - and then put them in your pocket (or if you're mrs. hamburger, give them to hamburger to put in his pocket). hamburger keeps a handkerchief in his pocket to receive the spit upon offerings.

I find a penny in my pocket, I immediately look for a likely spot to toss it on the ground. I hate them penny's! The only reason we have them is to keep a bunch of government mint workers occupied and congressmen/women debate time to argue about whose likeness should be on them. I think Reagan should be on the penny.

I remember those letters, Noddy. A lot of them were very sweet. But then, I like reminders and often find them in unexpected places, too.

eBeth - I will trade two Mr. Bs for one Mr. Hamburger.

Those damn mint workers too damn busy sucking off the government teat to do any other worthwhile damn thing. Next thing you know they'll start paying people to print postage stamps!

I think St. Jude would be a good penny figure.

Maybe if they are in a really neat litlle pile.... :wink:
I do sometimes pick them up, but not ususally. If I am in a particularly good mood I will pick one up, just for luck. :wink:

after the war, there was quite a shortage of coinage in germany. people were hoarding coinage because the metal (particular real copper pennies) was worth more than the stated value. so stores had to use postage stamps to give small change. when the 1948 currency reform came in, small coins were used for some time at full(new) value; so if you had a pocket full of pennies you had some real value. (btw. that is probably why we have trouble bypassing the poor lost penny on the ground - have found some older canadian pennies and added to the hoard). hbg ... i have to admit, that i see no reason why prices could not be shown in units of 5 or even 10 cents. something being advertised as $19.99 is kind of phoney, i think. however, other people feel that merchants would round up all prices, if the pennies disappeared - i'm not sure that is a valid point.

Hi hamburger!

I'm not sure it works in Canada but one of the big reasons for the .99 in America is sales tax. Nothing is going to cost an even amount anyway.

In Oregon, where I live, there is no sales tax but you still see the .99 everywhere, for some reason. I think the common thought is that things seem cheaper when they are say... $99.99 than $100.00.

I own my own business and when I rounded up those prices from .99 and .95 I didn't notice any difference in people's perception.

I remember when I was a kid we could redeem pop bottles for .05 each. We'd redeem a six pack and feel like we had big money. Now, pop/beer/water/anything bottles and soda cans are once again redeemable for .05. I feel obligated but don't like the hassle of doing the recycling but I can't get the neigborhood kids to carry off the bottles and cans with the promise that they can keep the money so I drag it all to the supermarket every three months or so and spend 30 minutes reclaiming my $10.00 or so in deposits.

I guess in America today, $10.00 is peanuts to the average 8 year old.

I'm 43 and $10 still feels like money in my pocket.

I love the $12/ hr thing.

I've been way poor, and picked up pennies then 'cause they were actual money. If I got enough of them... I do now 'cause I can't shake the feeling that it's bad and snooty and wasteful to ignore a perfectly good penny.

You're right, soz! It is just snooty to ignore a perfectly good penny!

The only time I don't pick them up is when my hands are too full to manage it. It's not a good luck/bad luck thing, it's free cash as far as I'm concerned.

And I think leaving them on the ground because they're not heads-up is just an excuse to be lazy!

When i was a child, in the days of Truman and Eisenhower, this was just something kids did. A Saturday or a summer afternoon with nothing to do, and we'd wander around town, looking for dropped change, for pop bottles we could cash in for 2 cents each, for pint and half-pint milk bottles (sold in glass in those days) worth a penny apiece. If you could amass ten cents, you had money for a soda and a candy bar, and another two cents when you returned the bottle. No one had any shame about it, kids from families at all levels of affluence did this. It was also uncommon in those days for adults to just hand money to children, and we were always warned never to accept money from strangers.

Different world today . . . when i was a liddly, i got ten cents a week to go spend downtown, only after my Saturday chores were completed. If i wanted any more than that, i had to work for it--like picking fruit for five cents a quart, or passing out handbills or posting bills, for five cents each.

You've reminded me of my coin collecting period circa 9 years of age. The books, the thrill of finding an "indian head"...

Wow, boomer. You caused me to rummage through my junk drawer looking for one of those huge pennies.(grumble; couldn't find it)

Victory nickels,
Indian head nickels
Mercury head dimes

In his youth, my son was an amateur numismatist. Always lost everything he bought.

I have a copper penny over my door leading into the kitchen, right at this moment. Don't know what that signifies.

Incidentally, I love Pennies from Heaven, the song.

I used to collect coins, including pennies. Now, I might be known to toss away my pennies. They aren't worth the space in my pocket, and maybe some more grateful individual will pick them up and find happiness...or something.

Hi mac11, Sententa, panzade, Letty, and smog.

A penny for your thoughts!

Sentanta, thats exactly what I was talking about when I mentioned how I couldn't give my recycling away! We too supported our sugar habits with bottle returns.

I had a young friend that was constantly hitting me up for gas money. I finally got to the point where I would offer her my recycling instead. Turns out she didn't need gas all that bad. I doubt she would stoop for a penny - even if she trailed smog down the street!

Have I told this before? When I was a kid I collected coins, sifted through the paper route collection looking, looking, looking for the 1919 penny. I had almost all the Buffalo head nickels, then one day, one Saturday, I was desperate to see "Spartacus'' and take Janet Tomlinson, an 'older' girl along.

Yes, I spent two dollars of Buffalo head nickels on two tickets, two popcorns, two Pepsis, one Non-pariels and a frozen Milky Way.

She didn't like the movie.

'She didn't like the movie. ' - joe, i hope she liked you ! such extravagance : one non-pariels AND a frozen milky way - you sure knew how to turn a girl on, i'd think. hbg