Poll: Would you stop to pick up a penny?

[David1961]

Suppose you were out somewhere in public (maybe a shopping mall, a sidewalk, really could be anywhere) and found a penny on the floor or ground that you did not drop. Assuming the place was not very crowded and you could easily pick it up without drawing much attention to yourself, would you pick it up? I heard a saying that if you find a penny it will be your lucky day. When I was younger, I'd always reach for a penny but now most of the time I pass it by, figuring someone else needs it more than I do.

 

[heeyy_joe]

I know it is odd, I will pick up a penny, but only if it is heads up.

 

[Brett_Cameron]

I know it is odd, I will pick up a penny, but only if it is heads up.

That is not odd. That is THE RULE.

 

[sengsational]

I heard that it's not worth it for a US fortune 500 CEO to stop and pick up a $100 bill!

 

[DeborahB]

I just wish they'd abolish pennies and round to the nearest nickel... When I was in Australia 15 years ago that's what they did. They also paid restaurant employees and so on a living wage so you basically didn't tip them... so nice.

 

[timo2]

I won't, but DW will. with one exception. sometimes she visits a sewer plant for work, and won't pick up coins there

 

[CyclingInvestor]

Yes. My friend and I started picking up coins when we rode our bikes around in 1991. When the "found money" pile hit $10 we chose to continue saving it instead of celebrating with a pizza. A while later I started using it for stock purchases (the "found money" fund would own 1 share out of the hundreds I would purchase). The fund now has over $1300.

 

[Onward]

I would pick up a 1/10-penny if they made such a coin. To me, legal tender is legal tender.

 

[ShortInSeattle]

I know it is odd, I will pick up a penny, but only if it is heads up.

Same here. One is permitted to flip an upside-down penny, however, leaving luck for the next person who comes by.

 

[Koolau]

Depends what shape my back is in. If I'm doing well, I'll pick it up though I hesitate to pick up "tail" pennies as some others have mentioned. I can just imagine my back going out for my trouble. Tonight, in Costco's parking lot, I picked up a "Hawaiian nickel" (that's an aluminum can for which someone paid $.06 deposit. You can redeem for only $.05!) If I ever run short in my stash, I'll be combing the trash cans (as a number of homeless do) to find more "nickels". As Rocky Balboa said in Rocky pt. 1, "It's a livin'."

Oddly, just a few days ago, i saw a few pennies left on a table (maybe at Taco Bell?). I scooped them up and later discovered that one of the pennies was a steel penny from 1943. No idea what it's worth (not a lot, I suppose) though I understand a few 1944 pennies were accidentally struck and circulated from left over steel blanks. Those ARE valuable. The novelty of finding a 70 year old "special" coin was worth the effort whatever the value. As a kid, I recall getting change containing "indian head" pennies, steel pennies, 1944 "spent shell casing" pennies, "war nickels" (cast in silver as we had plenty of that stuff at the time - some of the base metals, not so much.), etc.

Thanks for the brief reverie as we consider the value of a penny. Sigh! I recall them as quite valuable to a kid of 7 or 8 back in the 50s. YMMV.

 

[jon-nyc]

Usually I don't pick them up even if I drop them.

 

[ER Eddie]

Nah, not worth it. I'm frugal but not that frugal.

 

[Walt34]

No, because of inflation. Now I'll only stop to pick up a nickel or more.

 

[Sarah S]

Do you know the old saying about picking up a penny and give the away ten have good luck all day? I do that!

 

[Lakedog]

No, because of inflation. Now I'll only stop to pick up a nickel or more.

+1

 

[jimnjana]

This habit helped me find a $4500 diamond ring.

 

[tangomonster]

When DH and I were working and found a penny, we would pick it up and say "Now we can retire a nanosecond earlier!"

Six years into ER, we will still pick up a penny---not that we see them all that often. (Most people don't carry change.) Why not pick it up? We go to the gym every day to keep agile and strong and energetic, so it's effortless to bend down and pick it up. And the reward is actually better than the paycheck I retired from----sad to say I wasn't making a penny a second at my last job!

 

[Amethyst]

My late Mother once pointed out that being able to bend down and pick up a penny (or a pin - she was a great seamstress) was a sign that you're not old yet. So naturally I will keep doing it as long as I can!

A.

 

[Andre1969]

I tend to pick them up, provided they're not horribly mucked up. The main reason I do it is that one of my roommates works as a waiter, and constantly leaves change around the house. So, I figure that any loose change I bring home gets me to the point of having something to roll up and take to the bank that much quicker.

I guess most people use Coinstar or whatever these days. But I'll still simply dig into the change jar, spread it out on the floor while I'm watching tv, and roll it up for the bank.

 

[martyb]

You'd be surprised how much money I've picked up in parking lots over the years. No funny comments here, either!

 

[Andre1969]

Back in the late 90's, I used to deliver pizzas in the evenings after work. The car I was driving, a 1979 Chrysler Newport, seemed to have a habit of stealing the change out of my pants pockets. I don't know if it was a combination of the type of pants I was wearing and a low seat, or what. But, the coins would get down in that spot where the base cushion and the backrest joined together. And being a 4-door car from that era, the seats didn't tilt or recline, so you really had to dig at it to get the money out.

Well, one day, I went to a McDonalds or some other fast food restaurant with a friend, but neither of us had any money. However, we actually dug enough change out of that seat to feed us both! Okay, so it wasn't a fancy dinner or anything, but it was still amazing how much change that car swallowed up!

I remember reading somewhere years ago that on average, the junkyards find about $1.50-$2.00 just in change of the cars they get in. I actually bought that Newport from the junkyard, for $250, before the junkyard had a chance to start dismantling it. I think I only found about 50 cent in it, though.

 

[HighRoller]

Oddly, just a few days ago, i saw a few pennies left on a table (maybe at Taco Bell?).

The novelty of finding a 70 year old "special" coin was worth the effort whatever the value.

You never know, - could have been a 1909-S vdb Lincoln penny in there... Then you would have something worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars. (Depending on condition)

 

[timo2]

Oddly, just a few days ago, i saw a few pennies left on a table (maybe at Taco Bell?). I scooped them up and later discovered that one of the pennies was a steel penny from 1943. No idea what it's worth (not a lot, I suppose) though I understand a few 1944 pennies were accidentally struck and circulated from left over steel blanks. Those ARE valuable. The novelty of finding a 70 year old "special" coin was worth the effort whatever the value. As a kid, I recall getting change containing "indian head" pennies, steel pennies, 1944 "spent shell casing" pennies, "war nickels" (cast in silver as we had plenty of that stuff at the time - some of the base metals, not so much.), etc.

Thanks for the brief reverie as we consider the value of a penny. Sigh! I recall them as quite valuable to a kid of 7 or 8 back in the 50s. YMMV.

That's weird. Are you sure that wasn't some a bad tip left on the table? Oh wait..Taco Bell. Some kid raided grandpas coin collection. What were the dates on the other coins?

 

[TOOLMAN]

I know it is odd, I will pick up a penny, but only if it is heads up.

I pick them up however I find them, because It's bad luck to be superstitious.

 

[Arifriekinel]

When I was younger, I'd always reach for a penny but now most of the time I pass it by, figuring someone else needs it more than I do.

I do pick up quarters and things, but when it comes to pennies, I leave for the same reason. Someone either needs it more, or wants it more. A million and one people could get more joy out of that penny than I ever would, whether it's someone excited to retire a nanosecond earlier coolsmiley or a young kid who wants a bit of luck.