# Do you pick up dropped coins? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 21, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903 "2013-01-21T14:42:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903/101 "2013-03-03T14:52:39Z")
> [@GreenElf](#): > > I scan the floor in casinos. Otherwise, I don’t consciously look for dropped coins, but will pick up a quarter or even a nickel if I see it. Assuming it takes 10 seconds to pick up one coin and place it in your pocket, you could pick up 6 coins a minute which translates to 360 coins an hour. Retrieving pennies, .01x 360, yields $3.60 per hour, nickels $18 per hour, etc. Picking up pennies pays below the minimum wage, even if you’re quick and pick up a penny every 5 seconds. Do you move in slow motion? It takes all of _two_ seconds to pick up a penny, assuming it’s on one’s path and no detour is required. That works out to $18/hour, tax free. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903/102 "2013-03-03T15:39:14Z")
Anything about a penny, it’s mine. _Mine_, d’ya hear me?? Mine!! ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903/103 "2013-03-04T13:12:50Z")
In that case, I got 37p worth of your pennies today. Nyeh! but the 1 euro cent is all mine… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903/104 "2013-03-04T13:27:23Z")
> [@Mr.Duality](#): > > > [@GreenElf](#): > > > > I scan the floor in casinos. Otherwise, I don’t consciously look for dropped coins, but will pick up a quarter or even a nickel if I see it. Assuming it takes 10 seconds to pick up one coin and place it in your pocket, you could pick up 6 coins a minute which translates to 360 coins an hour. Retrieving pennies, .01x 360, yields $3.60 per hour, nickels $18 per hour, etc. Picking up pennies pays below the minimum wage, even if you’re quick and pick up a penny every 5 seconds. > > Do you move in slow motion? It takes all of _two_ seconds to pick up a penny, assuming it’s on one’s path and no detour is required. That works out to $18/hour, tax free. Besides, the cost argument only makes sense if you’re already earning money at the time when you pause to pick up coins, and have to clock off to collect the coin, or if your life is so desperately full of profitable activity that you can’t stop for a moment. It’s _extra income_. It doesn’t really matter what hourly rate it works out to. I sold something on eBay yesterday - I imagine if we divided the profit by the time it took me to pack it up, queue at the post office, etc, it would be below the hourly rate for my main employment - but it doesn’t matter - it’s extra money - and I wasn’t doing anything more profitable with the time. ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903/105 "2013-03-04T13:48:04Z")
Yes and only as a sign of respect to money that is hard to obtain but very easy to spend or lose. When I was growing up, my parents used to make a point that picking up a coin is a very German thing to do and - for a portion of society I used to live in - Germany was ideal of economic society one would like to live like so… I started picking up coins long time ago. Nowadays, I pick coins up and deposit at Tim Hortons hockey fund box. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903/106 "2013-03-04T15:36:00Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > - it’s extra money - and I wasn’t doing anything more profitable with the time. Occasionally I’m asked to complete a survey for a marketing company. They take around 20 minutes, and pay $25 to $50. I purposely do these on my iPad while sitting at a bar drinking beer. And I cackle maniacally because I’m being “paid to drink”.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903/107 "2013-04-22T14:30:53Z")
I noticed a real difference when the schools were on holiday (Scottish schools get two weeks off over Easter) and some days I got no coins at all, or was lucky to get one green penny that had obviously been there for weeks. Now that they’re back, I’m getting pound coins, twenties, 5ps and the usual coppers again 😉 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903/108 "2013-04-22T19:11:59Z")
Picked up a quarter on the way to my classroom this morning. That makes the total for the month $1.26. ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903/109 "2013-05-14T09:49:50Z")
> [@Cinnamon\_Imp](#): > > I generally use them nowadays, as I’ve filled my little girls [terramundi](http://www.terramundi.co.uk/mall/productpage.cfm/Terramundi2/_S49/261586/S49)money jar now (originally they all went in there). I must start a thread on the best way to open a terramundi and cash it in, sometime! 🙂 So, I finally gave in and smashed the darned money jar - £37.47, including 500 pennies, 186 two pence coins, 107 5p pieces, 12 ten pences, 16 20ps, two 50ps, and 18 £1 coins. Oh, and a few rusted beyond recognition coins, and some euro cents, canadian and american coins, and one plastic Early Learning Centre toy coin. 😉 Not bad for a few years worth of collecting! ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903/110 "2013-05-14T10:06:09Z")
I wouldn’t stoop for a nickel or less – at my age, the risk of stumbling or even hernia seems to outweigh the monetary benefit. In Thailand it’s common to feel a taboo against picking up such money. For example, before I got a cell phone I used pay phones and very often found coins left in the return slot. > [@Clothahump](#): > > You bet I do. I’ve raised my gross income by at least $1.00 or more a year. And the best part is that it’s all tax-free!! Reported. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903/111 "2013-05-14T22:33:35Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Occasionally I’m asked to complete a survey for a marketing company. They take around 20 minutes, and pay $25 to $50. I purposely do these on my iPad while sitting at a bar drinking beer. And I cackle maniacally because I’m being “paid to drink”.😃 This is a whoosh, right? FTR I don’t own any Apple devices, but from what I’ve seen the typical reward for filling out an online survey of this type is around $1. $2.50 would be outstanding, let alone $25. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903/112 "2013-05-14T23:00:45Z")
If it drops Inside a shop, yes. If it drops outside, on the pavement for instance, nope. It’s obviously intended to be picked up by someone who needs it more than me. I began to do that early in life, and it almost rose to a matter of principle. (Note : I don’t actually believe that’s it’s “intended” for someone, that there some fate or higher principle at work or such a thing. I just think that I can spare a coin and some other people don’t, so if it leaves my custody, it’s up for grabs). I actively dislike nice people who tell me “look! You’ve just lost a 2 cents coin!” because it makes me pick it up, as I’m not going to explain that I don’t pick up coins, look as a weirdo as a result, and makes the person who tried to be nice uncomfortable or perplexed about their well-intended gesture. ETA : I didn’t understand you wee refering to coins dropped by _other people_. Obviously, I don’t pick them up, either. ---
**Author:** ![wombattver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b77776/32.png) [@wombattver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wombattver)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903/113 "2013-05-15T04:42:28Z")
I’m like “clairobscur” - With my kids, I let them pick up any coin they see. If it’s just me, I never pick it up. I hear this little thought - “Find a penny, pick it up, and all day long you’ll have good luck” and automatically think that I’m already pretty damn lucky… so I leave it for someone who may need the luck more. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903/114 "2013-05-15T04:51:13Z")
Pretty much always. In 1987 I broke my leg. The doctor wanted me to walk as much as possible so when Ms Hook got off work we’d take a stroll. We got to looking for money as it gave us something to do while tooling around. It didn’t take long to figure out a route that went by a couple of bars, a gas station, and a car wash. All prime money dropping spots we discovered. Some days we’d pick up $3-4. Anyway we sort of got in the habit of it and still do it. ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903/115 "2013-05-26T19:54:53Z")
I got a £5 note at the weekend - best find in years 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2013, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903/116 "2013-05-26T21:12:17Z")
> [@Cinnamon\_Imp](#): > > It’s not \*just \*that I’m a penny-pinching Scot, y’know 😉 Quite. We pinch groats… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2013, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903/117 "2013-05-26T21:20:46Z")
I once heard that at one point Bill Gates was making so much money so quickly, that, if he spotted a thousand-dollar bill on the ground, and he had the choice to either stop working for a couple of seconds to pick it up, or keep working and be paid the equivalent of the money he was making for the same amount of time, it would pay off for him to just keep working. I haven’t worked out the numbers for my own situation, but let’s just say that I will pick up a quarter. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903/118 "2013-05-27T17:03:07Z")
I pick up any coin I find. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903/119 "2013-05-27T22:32:29Z")
I always pick up money, even pennies. I rarely use change and I just put the change I get back into my pocket. When I empty my pockets at night, I look at the change I have because I have a friend who is a coin collector and because some of my friend’s kids like foreign coins. Imagine my delight a couple of years ago when I found a [1955 double die penny](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mountainviewcoins.com/01-Lincoln%25201955%2520Double%2520Die.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.mountainviewcoins.com/Lincoln_Cents.php&h=242&w=251&sz=23&tbnid=zk1Cnxht-JxtIM:&tbnh=94&tbnw=98&prev=/search%3Fq%3D1955%2Bdouble%2Bdie%2Bwheat%2Bpenny%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=1955+double+die+wheat+penny&usg=__6zy_QgBJpsdxkfPCacxkiZEcAD8=&docid=wEKNNoVH5EEtcM&sa=X&ei=29ijUcm4CumCiALe_YCQBg&ved=0CDYQ9QEwAw&dur=675) in my change. My coin collector friend almost cried when he I offered it to him. Of course, I had no idea what I had, I just thought that it was interesting and knew that he liked wheat back pennies. To me, it was just a “hey, look what I found in my change, its kinda cool, do you want it?” moment. He has spent his life looking at his change for something like that and I probably just picked it up off the street. He refused to take it and helped me find a good place to sell it. It wasn’t in very good shape, but I still made enough off that one penny to have 180 cats fixed and vetted. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903/120 "2013-05-27T22:47:21Z")
Eeek! Typo and to late to edit. 18 cats. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-dropped-coins/647903.md?page=7)