When you think about it, pennies are a real nuisance. They’re small and seemingly almost worthless, and despite putting them safely in your wallet or purse, they always seem to wind up blocking the filter on your washing machine, slipping down the sides of the cushions on your favorite armchair, or getting sucked up the vacuum cleaner.
Nevertheless, on one special day each year, we can take the time to gather up those ever-wandering coins and finally do something more useful with them that we usually do by donating them to a charity of our choice. Lost Penny Day is the perfect day to take a moment to recognize that despite the fact that pennies may not seem like they are worth much, they can still be found and used to help those in need to whom each and every penny counts and adds up.
History of Lost Penny Day
The first penny ever was designed by Benjamin Franklin and minted in 1787. The penny we’re familiar with today, however, adorned with the bust of late American president Abraham Lincoln, was first minted in 1909 and released on February 12th to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth. The founder of Lost Penny Day, Adrienne Sioux Koopersmith, wrote a blog post about her idea, explaining that what she was trying to demonstrate was: “Petty change can make an astounding difference”, which is a positive message indeed, and one we can suspect Honest Abe himself would have supported. In fact, one of Lincoln’s most well-known quotes was, “I walk slowly, but I never walk backward”.
Things to do on National Lost Penny Day:
- Seek out lost pennies. Make a game of it. Be sure to include the kids in this scavenger hunt.
- Flip a coin (a penny) to help you make decisions today.
- Donate your pennies to a good cause.
- Roll up and cash in your horde of pennies.
- Start a penny collection.
- Throw pennies in a fountain and make a wish.
- Give someone a penny for their thoughts.
- Take a few pennies and buy some penny candy.
