Often it’s hard to see the date on coins, even with a loupe or a magnifying glass. Dirt, scratches, corrosion, all marr the surface. But out of the 1,200+ pennies that I have already sorted, only a half-dozen have been outright unreadable. Then I found this one. At first I thought perhaps the date had … read more Day 25: The lost year
Month: July 2015
Day 24: Lucky 13
My number 13 tooth has been a problem for a long time. It was probably one of the first cavities I had filled, as a kid. It was my only root canal, done sometime in the mid ’90s, and at the time there were a couple of tiny forks off the root that the dentist … read more Day 24: Lucky 13
Day 23: Vanity and pain
I should have known better than to wear those shoes. But I was going to a conference in Atlanta for women-owned businesses, and I knew that the women would all be wearing fashionable, high-heeled shoes. My North Georgia casual-comfortable Keens would not cut it in that crowd. Instead I wore some black shoes that had … read more Day 23: Vanity and pain
Day 22: A penny from the Empire State Building
There are no end to urban myths, and so naturally there is one about pennies: ‘A tourist tossed a penny from the top of the Empire State Building to make a wish, and killed someone on the sidewalk below.’ This article explains why such a small object can’t kill you. (Note the inaccuracy – the article … read more Day 22: A penny from the Empire State Building
Day 21: The Materials
This sculpture isn’t very tall yet, but I’m planning for the day that it is. I can’t just place and stack the pennies. I had to do some research and experimentation to figure out how to make them stick together permanently. After scouring through many websites of hobbyists, jewelers, and others who work with metal, I came … read more Day 21: The Materials
Day 20: Is it art?
How will I make this pile of pennies a work of art, rather than just … a pile of pennies? This is a question that bothers me. Most days, I’m pretty liberal in my definition of art, but other times I roll my eyes at some of the puffy, BS artist statements that elevate unskilled … read more Day 20: Is it art?
Day 19: The word of the law
In a previous post, I speculated that I might possibly be an outlaw for using $162 in pennies to create a sculpture. Today I decided to get to the bottom of this, and I did what few people bother to do on such questions: I dug up the actual law and read it. Although there … read more Day 19: The word of the law
Day XX: Saving
Day XX: Making change
When I was young, the ability to make change and count it back to the customer was a standard skill expected of waitresses and cashiers.
Day 18: Dirty money
After handling a lot of pennies, I feel vaguely ill. The Daily Mail claims a 1-Euro coin is dirtier than a toilet seat; and the Internet is filled with similar dire warnings about how dirty money is. But read the fine print and pay attention to the realities of risk. First of all, the amount of … read more Day 18: Dirty money