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That lonely penny may be worth thousands
francis bond
Francis Bond, a Richmond Hill resident, occasionally writes on topics that interest him. - photo by File photo

Waiting for my car at the car wash, I saw them. In this particular case, while bending over and picking up the two coins, a sad feeling spread through me.

They were just pennies, and it’s my nature never to turn my back on free money. What is happening to our monetary system, I wondered. What is happening to our society? I suppose these coins were considered worthless.

I have picked up many pennies from the ground in parking lots and on streets. Sometimes, it’s a dime or a quarter. When I see those, I get excited, like finding hidden Easter eggs.

I believe people deliberately throw pennies away; I see so many of them.

Inflation is one thing that may be contributing to this matter, but it’s more than that; it’s telling me that we are slowly losing our values; we are beginning to take too much for granted.

Probably, the thoughts are that we have plenty of money, since we see it lying around on the ground, being not worth the effort to bend over and pick it up. Pennies, no matter how worthless they may seem, are part of our monetary system, too.

I saw two pennies ground into the pavement so much that the inscriptions were not visible; even the bust of Lincoln was not visible, telling me that they had been lying there a long time. At first, I thought they were slugs; the copper coating was ground off. I bent over to investigate, and picked them up.

Certainly, there must have been many people who walked over these very noticeable coins without bothering to pick them up. I regret I didn’t have my camera to photograph them.

I can remember (I bet you can, too) when stories of seeing coins lying on the ground were unbelievable; picking up coins was rare, even if they were only pennies.

I wonder what will fall on the ground next? Will it be dimes, quarters, dollar bills?

Today, when you pay for products at many stores, have you noticed a small box of pennies? They are free. It’s free money. At least they are not lying the ground.

Here’s a note to remember: When you see coins on the ground, they may be collectors’ items. Instead of just looking at them and walking by, pick them up. They may be worth thousands. My wife has been searching for the 1955 double-struck penny for years. Maybe, just maybe, she’ll find that lonely penny on the ground.

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