If You Spot a Penny on the Sidewalk...

[johnnymk]

do you just let it lie there or do you pick it up?

[kgsilvas]

I pick it up, unless it looks nasty. I'm not too proud to do it.

[Lolita]

Never. I'd pick up a nickel though...

[Mommypooh]

depends on my mood, what I have in my hands at the moment, and if it looks really nasty/

[cadetevon]

I used to pick them up to put in my sons penny jar, but then I saw that a$$ penny video.

I tried to find a link, but I came up empty.

[esme]

i dont like pennies

[OC]

I admit to being a little superstitious about pennies on the ground. There are rules though. Pennies indoors don't matter, only the ones outside. A heads-up penny is a keeper. A tails-up penny must be picked up and tossed away. You can't keep them and you can't watch to see where it lands. It must be left for someone else to pick up. If you can't see which side is up - the penny is too dirty, it's too dark out, you're walking too fast, whatever - no harm done.

[Cheesypuff]

always pick it up! I put it in my penny jar, and once i get enough to put into a penny sleeve, I bring it to the bank =)

[DarkFury]

do you just let it lie there or do you pick it up?

Face up... pick it up

Face down... leave it on the ground.

[BigJon]

I pick it up.

[ialsohaveadream]

I actually contribute to the grounded penny population by randomly chucking a penny or two after I get them as change from buying something. I've been doing it since college. I consider myself a Luck Distributor.

[cheapie]

i don't. but if i accidently throw one away i dig it out of the trash. isn't it illegal to throw money away?

[ialsohaveadream]

If it was, every member of Congress would be in jail.

[cheapie]

[Grimm]

Let's see. I figure it takes one and a half to two seconds to stop and pick up a penny. So you could do that 30 times in a minute, or 1,800 times in an hour.
Picking up pennies pays $18 an hour. However, it is very demanding work. Drop 1,800 pennies on the floor and then bend down and pick them up individualy. Bend down once for each penny.

So, I would say, if you earn less than $18 an hour, get the pennies. Otherwise, just work some OT and make more for less effort.

i don't. but if i accidently throw one away i dig it out of the trash. isn't it illegal to throw money away?

Pennies aren't real money. A vendor does not have to accept them as legal tender.

[kgsilvas]

...Pennies aren't real money. A vendor does not have to accept them as legal tender.

Hmmmm. Are you sure about that? The US Treasury site has this to say about the one cent piece.

Q: Are there any plans to remove the one-cent coin (more popularly known as the "penny”) from circulation?

A: You may be interested to know that the penny is the most widely used denomination currently in circulation and it remains profitable to make. Significantly, it is Congress that determines the denominations of coins that the Mint must produce and put into circulation. Each penny costs .81 of a cent to make, but the United States Mint collects one cent for it. The profit goes to help fund the operation of the United States Mint and to help pay the public debt. In 2000, this profit added up to about $24 million. As the United States Mint produces the coins that Congress mandates, it does not have the authority to abolish a unit of currency. If directed to do so by legislation enacted by the Congress and signed by the President, the Treasury Department would again study phasing out the penny. Because the demand exists and the Federal Reserve Banks require inventories to meet the demand, the United States Mint is committed to producing the penny. http://www.treasury.gov/education/fa...tions.shtml#q2

[Grimm]

Hmmmm. Are you sure about that? The US Treasury site has this to say about the one cent piece.

Q: Are there any plans to remove the one-cent coin (more popularly known as the "penny”) from circulation?

A: You may be interested to know that the penny is the most widely used denomination currently in circulation and it remains profitable to make. Significantly, it is Congress that determines the denominations of coins that the Mint must produce and put into circulation. Each penny costs .81 of a cent to make, but the United States Mint collects one cent for it. The profit goes to help fund the operation of the United States Mint and to help pay the public debt. In 2000, this profit added up to about $24 million. As the United States Mint produces the coins that Congress mandates, it does not have the authority to abolish a unit of currency. If directed to do so by legislation enacted by the Congress and signed by the President, the Treasury Department would again study phasing out the penny. Because the demand exists and the Federal Reserve Banks require inventories to meet the demand, the United States Mint is committed to producing the penny. http://www.treasury.gov/education/fa...tions.shtml#q2

No where in there does it actualy say that a penny is money. Just that it sells them for one cent a piece.

[hapoo]

No where in there does it actualy say that a penny is money. Just that it sells them for one cent a piece.

http://www.snopes.com/business/money/pennies.asp

[bachviet]

Nope

[Chompers]

I pick it up and toss it in my piggy bank. Did you guys know that certain coinstars are now giving you 100% of your money but in the form of gift certificates...like to starbucks, borders, or amazon?

[zero2dash]

i dont like pennies

Me neither. I never have them when I need them, and when I don't need them, I have a million of them. The whole coin/change system is redundant and irritating.

[WhiskeyPapa]

I usually pick them up. I just think it's wasteful to throw away perfectly good money, even if it's only a penny.

[kgsilvas]

http://www.snopes.com/business/money/pennies.asp

Thanks for the clarification hapoo.

[Nanotech9]

a few of us were standing outside my garage one day when one of the older fellas (60's) bent down and picked up two pennies of fmy garage floor and pocketed them.... we all started giving him a hard time, not because he pocketed money on my garage floor, but because they were pennies, and hes old, and hurts when he bends over that far....

so, i sneak off to my bedroom, grab two handfulls of pennies out of my jar (probably $6 worth) and casually toss them all on the ground in front of him.

i cant tell you ho hard we all laughed at that one...

and to top it off, the f***er didnt pick a one of them up. LMAO.

[Nanotech9]

in oklahoma the penny is legal tender... but, a busines does not have to accept more than a certain amount of them. I cant remember the amount (may have been no more than $1 or $5 not sure).

This was researched because a few years back my buddy an dhis rommate got BS tickets for somethign they didnt do. They bot brought in backpacks full of $80 worth of rolled pennies. The Courthouse tried to refuse payment, but they still made them accept it, although they were required to print their name address and phone number on each roll...

later, after research, we foudn out that they actually could have refused the payment since it was over $1 or $5.... however, any silver coin is still valid and ther eis no limit. Next time, they'll be paying in nickels.

[tupacboy]

I pick it up and toss it in my piggy bank. Did you guys know that certain coinstars are now giving you 100% of your money but in the form of gift certificates...like to starbucks, borders, or amazon?

nice to know that... thanks

[nickel]

Never. I'd pick up a nickel though...

sweet

[nickel]

i used to pick them up, but not since i was told about these

http://www.urbandictionary.com/defin...rm=ass+pennies

[Markel]

i used to pick them up, but not since i was told about these

http://www.urbandictionary.com/defin...rm=ass+pennies

So what's to say that the cashier didn't give you a couple of these the last time you got some change back?

[oblongmelon]

money is money-they add up. Plus you may never know when you're going to find an old indian head or wheatie that's worth something.