National Lost Penny Day

National Lost Penny Day is celebrated on February 12 every year. Unlike paper money, coins do not fit in your wallet. They are usually small and slide down from the wallet. Of course, we will all lose some cents. You can put it on the sofa and it will get stuck on the sides or sometimes lock the drain pipe of your washing machine. Since the coin is so small, it sits in the nooks and crannies of your home. A penny has no value, but it is a good sign to find the lost coin. On National Lost Penny Day, you can try to find the lost coin like on its own special day.

History of National Lost Penny Day

National Lost Penny Day celebrates the American coin, and takes place on Abraham Lincoln's birthday, as his image is featured on the coin. The name "penny" can be derived from a few things. It may be derived from the word "pawn," which means pledge or debt; it may come from the West German word for "frying pan", because of its shape; and it may be derived from the Latin word "Aous," which means "pound". The coin is based on the Carolingian denarius, a silver coin that was the main currency in Europe for centuries. Today, different countries use coins, which are usually the smallest currency denominations. "Penny" is the unofficial name of 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, the official name of the coin is the one-cent coin or the American penny.

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

In 1909, the Lincoln coin was introduced, marking the centenary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. This coin was the first regularly issued United States coin to honor a real person. The back of the coin has two ears of durum wheat on it, and the coins are often referred to as "wheat back" or "wheat". During the Second World War, the demand for copper on the war front created a shortage of the metal in the country. Therefore, galvanized steel coins were produced in 1943; a few were also produced in 1944, and very rare. Beginning in 1959, the one-year anniversary of Lincoln's birth, and lasting 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 penny in cents had increased by more than a cent. Coins are now mainly used to mint them. Four Lincoln coins were issued in 2009, on the two-year anniversary of Lincoln's birth, depicting four moments in his life. This is the first year since 1982 when the coin was mainly made of copper. Since 2010, a Confederate shield has been present on the coin's reverse.

Some have proposed stopping coin production, but there are no concrete plans to do so yet. This is mainly because the coin costs more money than it is worth. In 2014, it cost 1.67 cents to generate one cent. In a word, in 2013, there was $55 million lost on a penny gain.

How to celebrate National Lost Penny Day

Lost Penny Day is the perfect time to walk through your home, your sofa, old coat pockets you haven't worn through the ages, and every other nook you can think to find it. If you have kids, you can even turn the search into an elaborate game, a contest to see who can find the most coins placed in the dust collector house. Once you've turned your house upside down, it's time to count all the change you and your kids have found and see who won.

However, the joy is not there. The next step is to decide what to do with the money you find, and this could be an opportunity to teach your child an important life lesson or two. You can help the winner find a charity that can use the money and then write a check to that charity for the money you find even if it's just a few dollars, make sure your child understands how much hot bowls of soup can buy for the homeless, or how much dog or cat food can buy for animals at an animal shelter.

Alternatively, if you feel that your children are mature enough for him, you can go as far as taking them downtown to buy a cup of coffee and a sandwich for the man or woman homeless always sit on the same bench. Whatever way you and your child choose to spend the money you find, make sure they understand how small gestures can mean to those in need. It was definitely a lesson they would never forget.