Lucky Penny Day

May 23rd every year is Lucky Penny Day that hopes you will have good luck all day.

Lucky Penny Day is always happy to find a coin and on this day everyone pays attention hoping to find a coin lying around. Coin discovery is often associated with good luck, and celebrators believe that if you find one on Lucky Penny Day, you can be incredibly lucky!

History of Lucky Penny Day

There is a saying that find a penny, pick it up, and you'll be lucky all day long. In fact, it is just a modern day superstition. In ancient times, people used to think that metal was a gift from the gods. They thought that metal would bring protection from evil, and began to believe that finding metal would bring good luck. Besides the belief that influences modern-day superstition about finding a lucky coin, coins are also considered lucky because they increase wealth and because wealth is a symbol of power. Some people also believe that if you find a penny, more money will come to you.

Some believe that any coin found will bring good luck, while others believe that only one coin should be picked up on its back. This latter thinking stems from an ancient belief that there is a battle between good and evil. The ends of a coin become associated with good, while the tails become associated with evil  or considered unlucky. Those who follow this belief will often flip a coin head-up so that the next person to find it will be the head.

The origin of the name "penny" was very various. It can be derived from the word "pawn", that is, pledge or debt; it may have come from the West Germanic word for "frying pan", because of its shape. Moreover, it may be originated from the Latin word "Aous" which means "pound". The coin is based on the Carolingian denarius which was the main currency in Europe for centuries. Today, coins are used in different countries, however, they are usually the smallest currency denominations. "Penny" is the unofficial name for the coin in some countries, such as the United States and Ireland, and it is the official name of the coin in the UK. In the United States, its official name is the one-cent coin or the American penny.

The first coin in the United States was minted in 1787 and designed by Benjamin Franklin. It is called Fugio and is made from 100% copper. 1856 marked the debutation of Flying Eagle, the America's first small coin and the large coin was soon discontinued. In 1859, it was born the first Indian coin and a the face of the coin was a native American princess for half a century.

1909 was the birth of the Lincoln coin, which marked the centenary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. It was the first United States coin issued to honor a real person. The back of the coin has two ears of durum wheat, which led to call as "wheat back" or "wheat". During the Second World War, the demand for copper created a shortage of the metal in the country. Thus, zinc coated steel coins were produced in 1943; a few were also produced in 1944, and very rare. Beginning in 1959, the anniversary of Lincoln's birth and until 2008, the Lincoln memorial is located on the reverse of the Lincoln coin. Until 1982, the penny was 95% copper, but it was changed to 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper because the value of the coin in cents had increased by more than a cent. Coins are mainly used to create them by minting. Four Lincoln coins were issued in 2009 on the two-year anniversary of Lincoln's birth in order to depict four moments in his life. It is also the first year since the coin was mainly made of copper in 1982. Since 2010, there has been appearance of a Confederate shield on the coin's reverse.

There are some proposals about stopping coin production, however, there are no concrete plans to do so. The main reason is that the coin costs more money than its worth. In 2014, it cost 1.67 cents to make one. In a word, in 2013, there was $55 million paid for a penny.

America's First Penny

The United States first issued a penny coin produced by a private mint in 1787. In addition, Benjamin Franklin is its designer. It has two sides with one is “Take care of your business” and the other is “We are one”. This coin was made of 100% copper and was larger than today's coins. It is called a Fugio coin. However, the first coins produced at the United States Mint were not made until 1793, but they were also made of bronze.

But why are the coins lucky? Once upon a time, metals, including copper, were precious materials. Finding a penny is a valuable find. Sometimes earning a dime has more to do with the daily battle between good and evil. Do you only pick up a coin if it tilts forward? Superstition persists from generation to generation. And with some of them, the rule says that if you find a tail that's trending upwards, you should flip it over and leave it up for the next lucky person to find.

On the wedding day, there is also a saying that makes people put a dime in the bride's shoes. It is more likely to lead to blisters than to bring luck in that case.

How to celebrate Lucky Penny Day

Celebrate Lucky Penny Day by searching for coins on the ground and picking them up. You can pick up all the coins you find or you can just pick up the coins of great value. Perhaps you can also find them in places such as your couch. Here are a few other ideas of what you can do with coins and ways they can be used to bring good luck:

• If you have found a lucky coin, use it to scratch a lottery ticket.
• Bring a coin for good luck. Some people think that if you put the first coin received of the day in your pocket, it will help you get more coins.
• Coin throwing is sometimes said to bring good luck. If you're traveling by boat, throw a dime on board. Throw a coin over your left shoulder if you're at a wishing well or other body of water.
• If you have a punctured coin, it is said to bring more luck than usual.
• Keeping a jar of coins in your kitchen can bring good luck.
• Put a penny in the wallet or purse that you are giving as a gift.
• Put a coin in your shoe. There is an old wedding that says, "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a lucky penny in the shoe." The bride will put a coin on her shoe so that the couple always have good luck. A new version of this style is tying cans in the back of newlyweds' cars. In both examples, a metal is used to bring good luck, like in ancient times.