Posted on 06/24/2009 9:35:04 AM PDT by nickcarraway
PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS:
Ever looked at your spare change before you spend it?
There may be a treasure or two lurking about.
Such was the case of a friend of mine who works in retail.
Part of his job is to make sure the automatic change dispensers are working.
Recently, however, he was called down after one of the dispensers became jammed.
On closer inspection, he discovered at first glance what appeared to be a slug.
Imagine his surprise when he pulled from the dispenser, an 1865 Indian head U.S. penny (see photos to the right).
I must admit I am equally impressed when a 142 year old penny survives in circulation – although that is highly unlikely.
Instead, it might have been a person’s lucky coin used for scratch and win tickets, or an old, but good luck charm.
If only the penny could talk.
Since it can’t, the next best thing is the Internet, where a quick search unveiled a few interesting tidbits for things that took place in 1865.
Headlines for the day include several U.S. Civil War Confederate veterans forming the Ku Klux Klan, U.S. president Abraham Lincoln is shot by John Wilkes Booth, Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland is published, the world’s first maxium speed law comes into effect in England, slavery is abolished in America with the enactment of the 13th admendment of the U.S. Constitution.
While it might be the oldest coin I have ever seen, the penny reminded me of a story my dad Jerry, told me about his gambling exploits in Reno several years ago.
He was down to his last few dollars, and decided to take his chances at one of the one-armed bandits.
He put the silver dollar in, pulled the lever and won.
He was going to push his luck a little farther, and he was just about to pour the silver dollars into the slot once again, when he noticed the dates on a few of the silver dollars.
One was from the early 1920s and the other was from the late 1800s.
One of them being a young Robert Byrd from West Virginia.
Just found the other day a 1916 penny in a roll of pennies, in extremely fine condition.
93 years old.
Last year, found a 1910 penny in change.
Makes you wonder where its traveled and who has held it throgh the years.
I found a penny in Crandon, Wi. dated 1860 and it’s in good shape!
I found a penny in Crandon, Wi. dated 1860 and it’s in good shape!
No Robert Byrd was a spry age 51 in 1865
And just imagine what that penny could actually buy in 1865...
A detective on burglary detail once told me that when you find a coin like that, especially in decent condition, it is likely some wasteoid stole a coin collection and spent them as common change.
I found a 1997 penny the other day. Does that count for anything?
I recently moved and "found" the books again....Among many others...I have a 1915 D in pretty good shape.
Fun to look at...and wonder where it traveled.
FRegards,
I find it depressing to look at my change and see a old, battered penny: "Boy!" I say. "This must be really old! Let's check the date!"
And then I see it's the year I was married. Sigh.
From measuringworth:
Current data is only available till 2008. In 2008, $0.01 from 1865 is worth:
$0.14 using the Consumer Price Index
$0.12 using the GDP deflator
$1.18 using the unskilled wage
$1.67 using the nominal GDP per capita
$14.44 using the relative share of GDP
A friend of mine used to work as a toll taker on a bridge. He came across a lot of interesting coins that way. He’d just swap the dime or whatever he got with a newer coin from his pocket.
Belonging to the DEMOCRAT party. Today Michael Moore would refer to such post-war terrorists as "insurgents" who were fighting the Northern "imperialists" in their midst during Reconstruction.
Don’t forget the value of the copper in it. Our pennies have been made of copper plated zinc for decades now.
If he was putting SILVER dollars in rather than Sakojaweas, he was throwing away good currency.
On the other hand, if he was playing with half dollars, some are silver and some are not.
“Most likely it was either a child raiding their parents coin collection...”
When I was but a wee tot, my dad kept a stack of real silver dollars on top of his dresser, too high for us kids to reach (yeah, right.)
I remember hooking a few to buy cigarettes when my allowance wouldn’t cover the price of a pack.
Please don’t tell him...
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Thanks nickcarraway. |
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The pennies before 1982 are made of 95% copper.
1982 was a hybrid year. Since then, the pennies are mostly zinc with a copper wash. That’s why they are lighter than the older pennies.
The older pennies have about 1.5 cents of copper in them now.
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