Picking Up Coins

Due to the critical need of nickle for the war effort from October of 1942 until the end of 1945 five cent coins in the united states were made with silver and copper instead of the nickle that gives them their common name. Yesterday I found a 1943 "S" Nickle sitting on the ground. The silver alone in it is worth about $1.70 at this time and despite being well worn it is probably worth a bit more as a collectable. I am fairly pleased, there are no more types of silver coins for me to find in the wild, at least commonly circulating ones. I have to find a silver half dollar, but even cupronickel ones are very rarely given in change. Not that I will stop looking at my change or picking up dropped pennies and nickles.

I have always picked up coins despite people saying it is not worth my time. My paternal grandmother used to speak scornfully of people who discarded pennies and that imprinted itself on my young personality. Yes, a person makes less than minimum wage picking up a penny if one assumes it takes five seconds to pick one up, but it makes me happy to find even a little small change. Not to mention all the times I reach down for what first glance seemed a penny only to find a dime. Or something truely unusual like what I found yesterday. Cheap fun.