Penny Etiquette

[furt]

I dislike pennies.

No, not right. I hate them. I HATE them. I @%$#ing HATE PENNIES.

This post almost went to the Pit because I find it difficult to discuss these worthless little bits of metal in polite company. Are we clear on this, that I hate them? That rage burns within me like the fires of hell when I am stuck with them?

Okay then. The question submitted for your approval is what to do with them. As a practice, I usually leave them in the "take a penny" dish at the register, or just leave them on the counter if there isn't one. But what about drive-throughs? I feel like an idiot if I say "keep it" when I'm owed 3 cents change (and I get a look like "Oh, big tipper") ... but if I throw them on the ground outside I get dirty looks for that, too.

Thus my question: What is the socially acceptable mode for disposing of worthless currency which is only minted because a significant number of American voters are bed-wetting nostalgiacs who remember that back in 1809 the crappy little things were worth something? I am NOT going to take them home and save them, and I am tired of people looking at me like I've defamed the memory of Lincoln when I throw them away.



No, I don't like nickels either. And the dimes are starting to get on my nerves, too.

[kevja]

I dont like them either. Pennies that is. A cashier at a store the other day gave me eight of them because they were out of nickles. I almost gave them back, but that would be acting like a dick, so I didn't.

At the end of the day, if I have any pennies, I throw them in a jar. When the jar is full I take it to the coin machine at the grocery store and usually end up with about $15.00 in paper money.

Not that big of a deal, really.

[Iteki]

If it gets to the point of you actively hating pennys, nickles dimes, send them to me. I got no problem with money.

Do stores etc in the states not have charity boxes? A small box near the check-out or the bagging station for various charities? Throw them in that if they bother you.

[Achernar]

I really hate them too. I spend them, when I can. If I'm paying good attention, I never have more than four pennies on me.

Often if a purchase is like $1.48, I'll have exact change for $1.50 in coins. This makes it easy. I give them the money, say thank you, and quickly walk away. :)

[Davebear]

I don't know if this is true in your area and, even if it is, it's only a partial solution. But, the McDonald's in my area all have collection bins for the Ronald McDonald House (a reasonably worthy charity, despite the association) under the drive thru windows. I generally put all my change in those, if they have one. If not, I take it home and put it in a jar.

I feel I have to mention that, as recently as the 1980's, I knew of a place where penny candy still actually cost a penny. But, aside from that, both pennies and nickels are pretty useless. Hmmm...just remembered...there was one time when I was in one of the northern New England cities, Bangor, I think, and discovered that the parking meters wouldn't take quarters. They only took pennies, nickels and dimes. And, all I had was a roll of quarters. I got a ticket. It was $3, which made me laugh. I went and paid the ticket in person. With quarters.

So, as useless as the generally are, they don't inspire the same hatred, in me. One thing that really does annoy me, though, is foreign coins. Generally, it's Canadian, but I've been given Irish coins and even an Israeli coin, among others. I know it's my own fault, for not checking before I leave, but it really irritates me because there's no way to get rid of that crap, short of throwing it in the trash or making a special trip to one of the two banks in the area that exchange foreign currencies. Neither of which is my bank, and neither of which is located anywhere I would otherwise have reason to go.

[Johnny Bravo]

Another vote for the jar.

Change is free money. It's always a pleasure to run to the bank every few months and get enough cash for a free meal or DVD.

[Bill H.]

I am soo in tune with the OP. I give all change to my wife, who is one of those who finds secret delight in paying for something with exact change. And I find secret delight in paying for something (while in her presense) with a twenty when I have exact change in my pocket.

[Jonathan Chance]

What are you people, maroons?

Squish them, of course. (http://www.squished.com)

[furt]

Iteki, Davebear , Johnny Bravo:

Originally posted by furt
As a practice, I usually leave them in the "take a penny" dish at the register, or just leave them on the counter if there isn't one. But what about drive-throughs?

[Johnny Bravo]

Most cars have some compartment or another where you can store spare change. Use it, dispose of coins at earliest convienience.

Or just say "I don't want the change." There's nothing ostentatious about it.

[Blibbleblabble]

I used to collect all the pennies I could in high school and take them to amusement parks. I had a season pass and we went so often we'd get tired of the rides and had to come up with other things to do. Anyway, I hate pennies too, so we would collect as many as possible and dump them in a pile somewhere around the park in a busy area. Then we'd sit back and watch. People would go crazy over them! Especially if you got a couple of middle aged ladies competing trying to pick up as many as possible, it was hilarious.

So there's something fun to do with pennies. Oh, and I DON'T reccomend stuffing your pockets with pennies and then riding a ride that goes upside down. Amusement park security didn't think that it was very funny.

[Achernar]

That reminds me, there's about 40 pennies on top of the vending machine at work. There are also another 25 in my office drawer that were there when I moved in. Those of you who love money so much, feel free to come collect them. ;)

[furt]

J.B. : See, I would think that too, especially since that would help them even out the register at the end of the night. Heck, if everyone gave every cashier $.02, that'd be a big raise for them. But whenever I say "keep it," even for 25 cents, I get dirty looks.

[dantheman]

Why don't you just run them all through the machine in the grocery store (or bank) that changes (!) your change into bills? I do this with all my loose change, although there's a slight fee involved. (There are some banks that have them, and if you have an account there, it's free.)

[furt]

:mad:
The whole POINT is that I refuse to carry $#@& pennies around all day in order to take them home. They will not enter my house, nor my car, nor my pockets. I think of them as you would a dead rat: what would you say if I told you to just keep your dead rats, and at the end of the day go home and feed them to your pet, or keep them around until you have enough to make a fur coat?

[SnoopyFan]

Could throwing pennies on the sidewalk be considered a hate crime? :D

[furt]

Only if they were pennies from heaven.

[Otto]

I think that you should save up your pennies and invest them in therapy. Seriously. To have this level of negative emotion to a coin is messed up.

[furt]

Do you have any idea how many pennies that would take?! Therapists charge hundreds of dollars an hour, and that doesn't include the money for medication, hospitalization, shock therapy ... hell, it's cheaper just to get the lobotomy.

[kuraijo]

well, what's wrong with them? collect a few in your wallet, then buy a stick of candy whenever convenient. the convenience store near my home sells sherbets, 3 a penny.

[Audrey Levins]

Pennies suck.

I won't even pick 'em up off the ground. I callously walk away.

Usually I leave 'em in the Take A Penny jar; if there isn't one, I either dump them in the bottom of my purse and cash them in when they weigh too much, or I throw them into a charity jar.

[Otto]

hell, it's cheaper just to get the lobotomy. Do that, then.

[Johnny Bravo]

There's an issue of semantics here, furt.

When you say "keep the change," that implies a magnagimous gesture of generosity. You get the dirty look because what you're essentially doing is tipping them two cents.

If you say "I don't want those pennies," that's perfectly reasonable, and I can't think of any reason why the cashier would give you a dirty look.

Just MY two cents.

[dantheman]

Originally posted by furt
:mad:
The whole POINT is that I refuse to carry $#@& pennies around all day in order to take them home. They will not enter my house, nor my car, nor my pockets. I think of them as you would a dead rat: what would you say if I told you to just keep your dead rats, and at the end of the day go home and feed them to your pet, or keep them around until you have enough to make a fur coat?

Oh, I get it now. You don't want to exchange them for actual money. You don't want to give them to people who might need them. You apparently don't want to throw them out, although that would certainly be socially acceptable. You just want to whine about their existence.

Is that more like it? :) If I can help further, please let me know.

[Ukulele Ike]

Jesus, you folks are being hard on the guy, aren't you? Since when are lame rants disallowed?

Here in New York, we have lots of small, independently-owned delis, greengrocers, bakeries, etc. My neighborhood shopkeepers kinda recognize me (although we're not on a first-name social basis).

If I buy $1.48 worth of macaroons, say, I'll say "Keep the pennies...I may be short next time." If the next time I go in I buy $2.02 worth of coriander, I look 'em straight in the eyes and tell them "You owe me the two cents from LAST time."

This doesn't work at big supermarkets, though, where the checkout people are probably billed for whatever pennies they are shorted during the day. If I have to go to one of these behemoths, I resign myself to coming home with at least four pennies in my pocket.

[Washte]

I know quite a few people who can't be arsed with pennies (and tupence here in the UK). I've seen no end of people just chuck them on the ground or refuse to take their change.

I am a green-backer myself. Change and I don't get on, so I carry paper money (except for bus fare and a trolly quid). Saying this, however, I will pick up loose change I see on the ground. If all the Big Issue sellers would do this, they'd make enough to buy a meal that day... honest.

However, all my change gets put aside. There are jars and jars of pennies and tupence around. One of these days I'll cart it all down to the bank and exchange it.

Never underestimate the value, though. When at university many a tank of gas was paid for in pennies. In fact, my divorce was paid for in pennies as well.... about $400 worth....

They can be quite useful :)

[chestnutmare]

Telling a cashier to keep the change does NOT equal a raise for the cashier. Anytime a register is over, be it by $.02 or by $20, the excess goes in the store deposit for the night. If I found out that a cashier in my employ was keeping excess money, s/he would be fired faster than s/he could count the change.

As for the keep a penny leave a penny tubs, those were actually forbidden by the company that I worked for as a loss prevention measure. There are several employee theft scams that involve that inocuous little container, so more and more stores are getting rid of them.

[Achernar]

Originally posted by dantheman
Oh, I get it now. You don't want to exchange them for actual money. You don't want to give them to people who might need them. You apparently don't want to throw them out, although that would certainly be socially acceptable. You just want to whine about their existence.No, what they want is not to have to deal with them, or more specifically, their eradication from existence. At least, if they're like me. We don't have drive-thru restaurants here, so I can't sympathize with that particular point, but other than that, I completely agree with the OP. I'm going to try Johnny Bravo's "I don't want those pennies" next time.

If I were a merchant, I would just forget about pennies. Not accept them, and not give them out. Go ahead and round as if they're not available. I wonder why there aren't more merchants like me. :)

[dantheman]

Originally posted by Achernar
No, what they want is not to have to deal with them, or more specifically, their eradication from existence. At least, if they're like me. We don't have drive-thru restaurants here, so I can't sympathize with that particular point, but other than that, I completely agree with the OP. I'm going to try Johnny Bravo's "I don't want those pennies" next time.

If I were a merchant, I would just forget about pennies. Not accept them, and not give them out. Go ahead and round as if they're not available. I wonder why there aren't more merchants like me. :)


Well, there were, but they went out of business....

Besides, this was the question posed by the OP:

Thus my question: What is the socially acceptable mode for disposing of worthless currency which is only minted because a significant number of American voters are bed-wetting nostalgiacs who remember that back in 1809 the crappy little things were worth something? I am NOT going to take them home and save them, and I am tired of people looking at me like I've defamed the memory of Lincoln when I throw them away.

The OP didn't seem to be asking why they were around or if they could simply be eradicated. The OP specifically asked for a "socially acceptable mode of disposing ... worthless currency."

Several ideas were put forth, with most getting a :mad: from the OP.

[herman_and_bill]

"Pennies are money too" Frank Romano

[Achernar]

Originally posted by Washte
Never underestimate the value, though. When at university many a tank of gas was paid for in pennies. In fact, my divorce was paid for in pennies as well.... about $400 worth....You had about $500 in pennies? At an average of 2 pennies per purchase, that's 25,000 purchases. One a day for 68 years. Am I reading you right?

[Otto]

What is the socially acceptable mode for disposing of worthless currency which is only minted because a significant number of American voters are bed-wetting nostalgiacs who remember that back in 1809 the crappy little things were worth something? Well see, tehre's the problem. The premise is false. Pennies aren't "worthless." They are worth exactly one cent. And they will continue to be made as long as producing one penny costs less than one cent. It costs about 8/10 of a cent (http://coins.about.com/library/weekly/aa073001a.htm) to produce a penny.

[Spectre of Pithecanthropus]

Originally posted by Otto
Well see, tehre's the problem. The premise is false. Pennies aren't "worthless." They are worth exactly one cent. And they will continue to be made as long as producing one penny costs less than one cent. It costs about 8/10 of a cent (http://coins.about.com/library/weekly/aa073001a.htm) to produce a penny.
This is a debatable point. Technically you are right and a penny is worth exactly one cent. But money exists to be a convenient medium of exchange. I admit it's virtually impossible to quantify, but if money becomes too inconvenient to use because it carries too little value in relation to its size and weight, then its value becomes diminished in the eyes of some people. Though, as I say, I can't quantify this exactly, I can certainly demonstrate it beyond refutation by the following simple thought experiment:

If I were to go up to 20 people and offer than $100.00, say they can choose the denominations, how many do you think would ask to have it all in pennies? That's right, none. Now let's say I offer them either $100.00 in twenties, or $103.00 in pennies. I'd bet my life that most people would choose the $100.00 in paper money. The extra $3.00 that they lose by refusing the pennies wouldn't be enough to justify the inconvenience or cost of handling them. So just because something is stamped with a particular denomination doesn't mean that it is actually worth that much in real terms.

[dantheman]

Yeah, but Spectre, if you give 20 people $100 and tell them they can only have it in pennies, how many will refuse? Convenience isn't the number-one criterion for money; it's a distant second to worth.

[jesleigh]

I'm a broke college kid. If anyone has money of any form (pennies, cash, checks, credit cards), I will gladly talk it. I am like a little old grandma, I like to give correct change when possible, so I use the little suckers.

[furt]

Yes, Otto, it is quite a lame rant. It's a good thing I didn't put this in the pit, as I think I might have been flamed by this point (then again, I've never been flamed, and I'd rather like it). I am utterly in earnest in loathing nearly worthless coinage, but I'd thought the tongue in my cheek was visible ... (No, I haven't seriously comparison shopped for lobotomies)

Johnny Bravo's idea is helpful. I have tried just saying "No thanks, I don't want the change." But, swear to God, I get looks for this, same as I do when I just throw them on the ground; like I'm being uppity or something. I will continue to try different lines.

I very much like Ukelele Ike's suggestion. I will try this with my quik-e-mart guys on the corner (actually called that, too). I've been looking for a way to be friendly to them ... they're all Pakistani, and they sort of look nervous whenever customers try to make collegial small talk.

chestnutmare, I'm glad I never had you for a boss. ;)

Achernar, some businesses have tried that, and I've seen some, but I hear they all get tired of the angry "What's the big idea?!" they get from people shorted a couple coppers.

Finally, Spectre of Pithecanthropus is exactly correct, though the metaphor could be better. Say instead of $100, it was $2 in pennies offered, with no rolls or bag or anything, just dumping it in your hand -- I would just tell the person to shove off, and I don't think it's odd. It's not worth it to fool with the things.

Or to put it another way, what would you say if your boss offered you a $.25 an hour raise ($10 a week!), but that it was contingient on you being paid not by paycheck but in cash, every six minutes all day. How many would take it?

[StanDup]

Originally posted by Blibbleblabble
I used to collect all the pennies I could in high school and take them to amusement parks. I had a season pass and we went so often we'd get tired of the rides and had to come up with other things to do. Anyway, I hate pennies too, so we would collect as many as possible and dump them in a pile somewhere around the park in a busy area. Then we'd sit back and watch. People would go crazy over them! Especially if you got a couple of middle aged ladies competing trying to pick up as many as possible, it was hilarious.

So there's something fun to do with pennies. Oh, and I DON'T reccomend stuffing your pockets with pennies and then riding a ride that goes upside down. Amusement park security didn't think that it was very funny.

I should try that sometime! Reminds me of that trick where you glue a penny to the floor or when you get a bundle of money and tie it on a string and leave it on a sidewalk... :D

[Delly]

Be thankul its not a cent, as in the Euro cent, its worth less then a US penny and is completely and utterly worthless....
And as much as you hate them... I dont think you should let it get to you the way it does, I mean ok you dont like them in your home fine I could understand that if they were going to be allover the place, but if you just put an old bottle or tin or money box in your hallway, and deposit all your pennies in there, you dont have to worry, and then you could offer them to charity or something.

[dantheman]

Originally posted by furt
Finally, Spectre of Pithecanthropus is exactly correct, though the metaphor could be better. Say instead of $100, it was $2 in pennies offered, with no rolls or bag or anything, just dumping it in your hand -- I would just tell the person to shove off, and I don't think it's odd. It's not worth it to fool with the things.

Or to put it another way, what would you say if your boss offered you a $.25 an hour raise ($10 a week!), but that it was contingient on you being paid not by paycheck but in cash, every six minutes all day. How many would take it?

Now you're introducing variables that don't need to be introduced. How about $10 a week, but it's in pennies AND it's at the bottom of this vat of molten lava AND you have to dive in to get it every six minutes? Good heavens.

If my boss offered me an extra quarter an hour to be paid with the rest of my paycheck but only in pennies, of course I'd take it. It's an extra $10. So yes, you are odd to be refusing an extra $10 for doing nothing.

I'm sorry you feel so important that pennies are beneath you, but the fact of the matter is that businesses continue to take them. In fact, off the top of my head, the only place I can think of right now that doesn't take them is the toll booth collector.

If you're so dead set against their existence, why don't you throw them out?

[Spectre of Pithecanthropus]

Originally posted by dantheman
Yeah, but Spectre, if you give 20 people $100 and tell them they can only have it in pennies, how many will refuse? Convenience isn't the number-one criterion for money; it's a distant second to worth.
Well, if I offer the money in pennies only, no one will refuse it, but that's not really the point. The point I was making is not that pennies are worthless, but that given the choice, virtually everyone would choose the paper money. By definition this means that the paper money is seen as more desirable and hence worth more.

[dantheman]

Yes, of course paper money is preferable to coinage; it's easier to carry about. That hardly makes the money worthless and therefore unnecessary. No one's arguing that paper money is seen as less desirable than coins.

The question is really whether coins are desirable at all, and of course they are. Most people won't reject $10 in pennies if bills are not an option.

[FairyChatMom]

My daughter loves pennies. If I dump some change on the counter, she'll go through and take all the pennies. If she sees them on the ground, she'll pick them up. All her friends at school give her pennies. She dumps them in a big jar, and periodically, she'll roll them and deposit them in her savings account. Interestingly, this obsession began after she got her first job and learned what it meant to earn money.

[Achernar]

Originally posted by dantheman
Yes, of course paper money is preferable to coinage; it's easier to carry about. That hardly makes the money worthless and therefore unnecessary. No one's arguing that paper money is seen as less desirable than coins.Paper money is less desirable than coins. If I was offered $10 as 1000 coins I'd be more likely to take it than if it was 1000 bills, and I'd be more likely to take it if it was 2 coins than if it was 2 bills, although I admit we're dealing with probabilities very close to either 0% or 100% here ;). (Of course, there are no such things as 1¢ bills or $5 coins.) But, I would be much more likely to take it as 2 bills than 1000 coins. This has much more to do with the denomination than the form, though.

[dantheman]

Just curious - why would you be more likely to take a thousand coins instead of a thousand bills? Same amount of money.

[furt]

Originally posted by dantheman
If you're so dead set against their existence, why don't you throw them out?
I think I covered this twice. This thread is in IMHO, not GD or The Pit, for a reason ... you are taking it much more seriously than I am.

[Dinsdale]

I stop to pick them up just whenever doing so would not significantly interrupt traffic or result in my getting run over.

But, I rarely use them - or much of any change. I pretty much use bills and quarters, or plastic. Not sure where all the dimes, nicks, and pennies go.

Best bet, my kids probably spend them on whatever they spend their money on. Candy, most likely.

[dantheman]

I don't think I'm taking it more seriously than you are. You asked for suggestions. Suggestions were given. You disliked many of the suggestions. Were you just kidding when you asked for them?

Oh, heck. Maybe you were. Maybe you were being tongue in cheek. Or just cheeky. Anyway, my apologies.

[AV8R]

Originally posted by dantheman
In fact, off the top of my head, the only place I can think of right now that doesn't take them is the toll booth collector. You can still feed pennies into Illinois toll booths. That's how I get rid of all of mine. When I throw in 50 pennies, it takes about an extra 3-5 seconds for the gate to come up.

[Spectre of Pithecanthropus]

Originally posted by Achernar
Paper money is less desirable than coins.
Well in general I agree with you. I wish the dollar coin had caught on, that they would stop making one-dollar-bills, and for that matter maybe even five-dollar-bills, but that's a whole other debate.

With things as they are, though, I'd certainly rather have one paper dollar than one hundred pennies.

[Achernar]

Yes, I agree. I said sort of the same thing.

I've been trying to think if I would really rather have 1000 pennies or 1000 bills, if they had the same total value. Both situations are pretty preposterous. If they were loose, in a plastic bag or something, the pennies would take up less volume but more mass. For 1000, I would probably go with coins, but for 10,000, I would probably go with bills, even though it would take a garbage bag.

If the pennies were rolled into 20 rolls, and the bills were stacked into 10 stacks, it would be close. I can probably carry each of those equally easily. I don't know.

[furt]

Originally posted by dantheman
Maybe you were being tongue in cheek.
Yes and no. I am utterly serious in my distaste, but I confess to playing it up a bit for dramatic effect (probably poorly executed). My threads rarely elict much response, y'know. No harm done.

[Washte]

Originally posted by Achernar
You had about $500 in pennies? At an average of 2 pennies per purchase, that's 25,000 purchases. One a day for 68 years. Am I reading you right? Yup. :D

My piggy bank was a 3' tall beer bottle I won at a fair yonks ago. This thing was only about half full when I cashed it in for just over $400.

As mentioned, not only do I save my own change, but pick up what others have dropped as well. You never know when a few extra quid/dollars will come in hand.

Blame this on my folks. They used to have several wine jugs around the house. I loved counting them out. Every once in a while they would let me go cash them in and we'd do something special.

[Bill H.]

Me and my sons took some pennies to the rail road tracks for squishing today, big fun.

[Washte]

Originally posted by Bill H.
Me and my sons took some pennies to the rail road tracks for squishing today, big fun. I've never done this. Is it nifty as everyone makes it out to be? Do they turn out like those penny squishing machines make?

[Tansu]

Originally posted by Washte
I know quite a few people who can't be arsed with pennies (and tupence here in the UK). I've seen no end of people just chuck them on the ground or refuse to take their change.

I am a green-backer myself. Change and I don't get on, so I carry paper money (except for bus fare and a trolly quid).
Ah, the bus fare and the trolley quid. Since our town got a Morrison's, I have to remember to keep one pound coin for the trolley in my wallet at all times (the other supermarkets had trolleys free from the bondage of the coin operated deposit slot and chain).

I'm one of those who delights in paying for things with the exact change. I'm apologetic when I have to break a twenty.

[dantheman]

Originally posted by AV8R
You can still feed pennies into Illinois toll booths. That's how I get rid of all of mine. When I throw in 50 pennies, it takes about an extra 3-5 seconds for the gate to come up.

I find this to be quite perplexing. An exact change lane that accepts pennies? Thought they'd outlawed that. Like you say, it takes 3-5 seconds for the machine to understand you've tossed in enough change; I guess they go down slowly so it can discern one from the next. Still, weird.

I wouldn't mind the dollar coin in place of the bill. In place of, that is. When they've introduced it in the past, they haven't attempted to get rid of the bill, believing instead that they can exist arm in arm in total harmony. Except most people would keep the bills as things stand now, because there are few machines that take dollar coins, while most do take dollar bills.

And then there's the whole deal with laundramats. Do any of them take dollar coins? I bet they're rare. Or change machines? Or arcades?

To make the coin palatable to everyone, those machines should all be changed to accept the coins - and then you get phase out the bills.

[Bill H.]

Washte wrote
I've never done this. Is it nifty as everyone makes it out to be? Do they turn out like those penny squishing machines make?
Oh, it's the coolest. Sometimes you gotta place 'em just right or they only get a little mushed. Usually, you can see a bit of the image on the front and back, but stretched of course. and the shape, like you suspect is a long oval.

[Washte]

I may have to give this a try. We have a train line nearby.

Sounds loads of fun :)

Thanks Bill H!

[cowgirl]

I don't understand why you don't spend the damn things. If something comes to $1.47 and you give them two bucks and two pennies - guess what - you won't get any pennies back ! Amazing. Better still, give them $1.52 (assuming you don't have exact change). Simple.

I do this and I also never have more than four pennies on me. And it really doesn't make my life any more difficult - probably easier, because I have less metal to carry around with me.

[BadBaby]

Since I can never remember to decline them at the counter, I give them to little kids. It smacks of Hints from Heloise, but what I do is put my pennies in those little velvet jewelry bags I always seem to have too many of, as well. Whenever I know I'm going to be hanging around a yard-ape or two, I take a couple of bags with me and am instantly a hero. This is impressive only to kids under six or seven years old and I check with parents to make sure the pennies won't end up stuck in the kid's nose.

Since you don't even want them in your house, skip bagging them and give them to the first kid you see.

[CanvasShoes]

Originally posted by Achernar
You had about $500 in pennies? At an average of 2 pennies per purchase, that's 25,000 purchases. One a day for 68 years. Am I reading you right?

You're forgetting that pennies BREED in dark places like wallets, pockets and purses. :D