Find a penny, pick it up...

[DCW]

This thread is dedicated to the common man.

Looking to hear from the guy (or gal) that takes the time to bend down and pick up that lincoln cent that has been left by the masses to corrode on the city street.

I thought of this as I surreptitiously pocketed a 1992 left on the subway yesterday. No "close am" but it got my heart racing and my brain thinking. If this was the rare variety, I could have probably sold it for a month's pay.

How about it? Anyone ever find something "valuable" by circumstance? I mean we always hear about finding this or that from a bank roll, cash register, pocket change, etc. But...

Anyone ever find a ddo on top of a urinal?

While I for one can only boast of pulling a meager 2000 wide am from the ashtray of my wife's mini van, I know someone out there has a better story...

and the story must be told...

[ericodapro]

I found a 1987D-1MM-001 in an ashtray also.. nothing major though.

[copper_poisoning]

I found a 1916-D in a parking lot. From the obverse I thought it would grade VF. It was really nice for a circulated penny. However, when I turned it over I noticed it had deep gouges and scratches:(

Greg

[corroded]

I found unplated 2000 on cash register at discount store once, I asked if I could trade penny for penny and lady said just to keep it if I wanted it, it was from the floor. Don't know if it was acidly unplated or naturally unplated, I will look.
The 1917 1-0-V I found in a wheat bag has parking lot damage, so it was dropped once and picked back up, probably many years ago. Thank you, unknown person!
The old coin dealer over at Jonesboro that has long since passed on said when the 1995 DDO's hit this area, a lady picked one of them up off the sidewalk in some town near here. Gene Nichols found the discovery 1995D 3-0-V when Phyllis came home from work and dumped her change out for him on the table. I found the 1982D LDZ
in McDonalds at local Walmart in my change from buying cup of coffee, it is listed on coppercoins.com. I just have these little stories here, I have personally not picked a rarity up from street yet

Bill

[JeanK]

My grand daughter lost her dad in a tragic accident when she was barely four years old. The day after he died she saw him in a vision and he told her that every time she finds a penny on the ground to pick it up and it will be a hug from him.
She is now 12 years old and has gotten countless hugs from her daddy.
Jean

[jcuve]

Hard to respond to the original question after reading Jean's touching story that I now am not going to forget every time I am picking up a Lincoln cent off the ground (which I do frequently BTW, but never found a specific variety or key date).

[mustbebob]

My very first variety was found on the street in 1960 when I was barely 4 years old. I picked it up and gave it to my Mom (I was so proud of myself) My mother put it in an envelope for me and put my 'birth year good luck penny' in my dresser drawer. 8 years later, when I took to looking at every coin I could with a magnifying glass, I took it out and discovered it was 1956D-RPM-001! Do you know what I could have bought back then at the penny candy store down the street? I still have that coin in my personal collection.

[doleod]

I have just started a few weeks ago at this, but when I started I was searching bank roll after bank roll, nothing (I think, I'm learning new die varieties every day). Started picking up random pennies, off the floor of my house, street, ect. Nothing. Finally I found my first die variety, a 2000 am, buried deep in the shag carpet of my room.

And off topic but of course the carpet is red with brownish flecks, so it camoflauges cents perfectly. :LOL_Hair:

[unc-usf-fsu]

Me and my dad used to run a deli at the beach and one day a guy came in amd bought a hot dog. The total was 1.88, the guy paid with exact chage and one of the cents was a wheat. At the time I always threw any wheats or silver I found in a change jar on my desk at home. When I got home I went to put it in the jar but decided to look at it first. When I looked at the date it was a 1914-d, at the time I had no idea it was worth anything, being an old one I decided to try and see if was a good one so I went to my computer and pulled up the PCGS price guide and there I learned that I had a good one. It was at that moment I became a coin collector. Just wish I still had that coin, had to sell it to pay some bills years back. It was in at least f-Vf condition.

Adam

BTW thank you Jean, your story will always make me think when I pick up a penny.

[roy]

i find lots of coins foriegn and us.lots and lots

[Benny53]

I always stoop down to pick up a penny. Of course, I give it a good look over...but, as of yet, have found no 'special' cent for my collection.

[RpmHunter]

I also pick them up when I see them. I've never found a coin worthy of keeping but I have also placed a few for the next person. Whenever I get any steel cents that have issues, I've been known to "sprinkle" them around a kmart or walmart and the walkways outside. The hope is that it will spark some interest and questions after someone finds that "silver" penny.

Scott

[buckslayer]

I completed a coin collecting badge with the scouts when I was much younger(I think it was 1992). For 1 of the requirments I searched $10 worth of pennys and picked out all the wheats. They stayed in a ziplock bag untill 2 years ago when I started looking at coins again. To my surprise 1 was a 1909 vdb in very good condition!

Not too long ago I found a 1941 ddo2 in the reject slot of coinstar too!

[kloccwork419]

Iwent to Taco Bell the other day and was waiting for them to give me my order in the drive thru. While I was waiting I just look down between the door and window and found a 2010 Lincoln. I have them already but you just dont see them much around here to actually find one on the ground.