I have this compulsive habit, and have had for years. It’s looking closely at all the pennies I receive, to make sure I don’t let a 1943 copper one slip through my hands.
I’ve done this since I began collecting pennies as a kid. They went in these neat little books, snapping securely into their designated spots. It intrigued me that the 1943 pennies were dark gray, made of zinc-coated steel instead of copper which was needed in the war effort. But my mom told me about the ever-so-rare 1943 copper ones. Legend has it they were from copper that was left over in the molds when the casting began. Those are worth a lot of money.
And so began my ritual. I got quick at it, emptying my pocket at the end of the day, turning over the pennies to see if they have the characteristic wheat sheaves on the back. That makes the old ones easy to spot. I keep them no matter what their date because they’re rare too now, and toss the rest into a jar where they will collect until that rainy day when there isn’t any other cash around the house. (The way our economy’s going, that day may come sooner rather than later.)
So far, I haven’t found the penny, and the minute I do, I’m selling it. This site says it’s worth $200,000 or more.
~
