See A Penny, Pick It Up…

Lucky-Penny-Day

 

 
See a penny, pick it up… All day long you’ll have good luck.

When you are out and about today, look on the ground for pennies. It just might be your lucky day!

My mom is forever picking up pennies – or anything that’s cash-looking.  She’s made a record over the years of how much money she’s found on the street and the total amount is pretty staggering.

Finding a penny has long been considered a good omen, suggesting something good will happen in the life of the finder. Some superstitious people believe that you should only pick up a penny that’s lying face up.

Some believe we should no longer mint pennies because they cost more to make than they are worth.

Years ago a penny was able to buy something – like penny candy. Today, due to inflation, the penny does not buy much of anything. The metal value and cost of minting pennies exceed their face value. Many nations have stopped minting equivalent value coins and efforts are being made to end the routine use of pennies in several countries including the United States.

The U.S. minted 8 billion pennies in 2014, spending almost $132 million for currency worth less than $50 million, according to Citizens to Retire the Penny, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to educating the public on why the U.S. should ditch the penny.

1793 – The first pennies in the United States were made of copper.

National Lucky Penny Day is observed each year on May 23rd.

A commercial but cute, nonetheless: