Do You Pickup Dropped Pennies, Nickels, Dimes, or Quarters

Just curious if people still pickup change/coins found on the ground? Is a penny worth picking up to you; or is it a higher coin value?

I was remembering my childhood and grew up lower to middle class and would pick up any change I could find. The local convenience store was just down the street and candy was my sister and I favorite. A dime could get you a jolly rancher bar- cinnamon was my favorite.

Then when I moved to Austin and worked at a very popular brew pub just off 6th street for 1 year in order to get to know people of my own age before going into geriatric nursing, my chosen profession. Just after closing time on the nights I worked; I would go around the bar floor and pick up all the change dropped which were mostly quarters. Usually found about $5.00 worth.

I now live a comfortable life and don’t need to pick up change, but I still do- even the pennies.

How about you?

a reply to: Onlyyouknow

I've had a habit for decades of picking up pennies that I see on the ground. It doesn't happen quite as often as you'd think. When I find one, however, I pick it up and look at the year it was minted. I then take just a brief moment to consider that year. If I was born already (1975 and up), I think about what was happening in the world or my life during that year. If before my birth, I consider what the world was like back then, where we were in history per se. Then, having completed my little ritual, I tuck the penny into my coin pocket of my jeans where it remains until I wash, and then I do a small remembrance again. It's a nice ritual. Also, I won't type it out now, but it did lead to one of the coolest, most spectacular "magic" tricks I have ever had the honor to pull...

a reply to: Onlyyouknow

I have more than enough money than my lifestyle needs and I will stop and pick up a penny if I see one. I don't even care if it's heads up or tails.

My childhood was kind of poor. My dad was an enlisted in the Marine Corps and my mom did not work at that time. My younger sister ended being more privileged in her high school years and later, because my mom finished college and got a job.

Do You Pickup Dropped Pennies, Nickels, Dimes, or Quarters

That is a very rare find nowadays .
I do have a commercial size water bottle filled with coins partly filled with such finds .
But , most were from pre 2010 times .

a reply to: TheMirrorSelf

That is cute. I know you can tell by the color of the penny on the ground an approximate date. The older ones are my favorite to find(copper content and all that jazz) vs. the newer pennies. I still pick up the new ones too though because I feel like it is a slap in the face of my past and my “guardian angels” to pass it by as if I am too good. Weird I know.

a reply to: Onlyyouknow

Not even once.

a reply to: tamusan

I had forgotten about the heads tails up luck thing. I don’t care either.

a reply to: Gothmog

You probably have a pretty good collection going on in that jar.

a reply to: drewlander

You refuse to pickup Ass pennies laying on the ground- you are scared of E-COLI.

a reply to: Onlyyouknow

It's not about greed but superstition.

See a penny pick if up and all your day have good luck.

As a child in the UK in the 1970's being a child with a struggling single parent mother whom had little money and always craving chocolate we used to go searching in the gutters until we found enough money to go into the local shop and buy some sweet's, back then we still had a half penny as our smallest unit of currency while today it is a penny since the half penny was scrapped some time ago.

So we would then be able to buy half penny chocolate mice (and yes I know chocolate is bad for dogs) which I would often share with my Dog rags whom back then went everywhere with me, he even used to go into the shop on his own and jump up at the counter asking for sweets with the lady behind the counter giving him a half penny chocolate mouse, back then you could let your dog out and the Dog Warden our animal control in the UK was almost never seen so everyone did, it made council house estates infamous for dog poo on the pavement but I assure you Rags never did any of that.

So if I see one I will pick if up but more often than not then wash my hands and put it into the penny jar these days since there is nothing you can buy for a penny any longer in this country.

a reply to: Onlyyouknow

I identify as ecoliphobic.

a reply to: LABTECH767


Do you still have any half pennies and what kind of sweet dog did you have?

a reply to: drewlander

I don’t blame you at all.

a reply to: Onlyyouknow

Robert Anton Wilson has an “excersise” at the end of the first chapter (maybe two) where he asks, “Did you have more awareness of seeing quarters laying on the ground or did you wish them into existence??”

Just saying….

Every single one!

I'm superstitious, and I think money on the ground is a gift. I pick up ever single coin I see!!!

Seriously!

NEVER, let money go to waste!!!

a reply to: Onlyyouknow

Picture an Irish wolfhound then scale it down to about the size of a collie that was Rag's.

Errr.. yes, I'll pick up any coin just for the curiosity sake of me being me.

When I was younger I use to check out all the Pay-Phones Coin return slots. Sometimes picking up and down the Phone-receiver would trigger something and coins would come out. Once I had 10 dollars in quarters come out and for a eight year old kid, that was a fortune.

Besides a little sidebar story that dates me regarding the picking up of coins, the short answer is "I still do".

A month ago I found a '54' silver dime at a crosswalk. That really made my day, although the human side of me was sad that someone had originally lost it... but that feeling disappeared after a quick glance around to see if anyone was around there that might have lost it.

(... looks at watch...) NO.. well ok then.. I guess it's safe to say;

a reply to: Onlyyouknow

I do, even #ty pennies (hoping to find a pre-1981 or weighing all my 1982s to see if they are still the 95% copper version (worth keeping) or the newer alloy types which I don't keep

One time I saw an Italian friend I knew beat the living snot out of his own brother who threw some pennies on the ground. Just beat him senseless!

"NEVER...not EVER...throw money away in front of me!! I will disown you for less!! Every single cent is important! EVERY one!!"

I remembered that day. Probably mobsters, but it didn't matter, the point was clear. I pick up every single coin I see...every single one!! Every single one!!

a reply to: JohnnyAnonymous

JohnnyA this is so me also. Kinda off topic but one time as a silly girl. I put my money into one of those snack vending machines and with my sister’s help, hit all the bottoms at one time. It was as if we hit the lottery - one of each snack fell into receiving bin. My parents had questions when we returned to the hotel room.