Question on pennies!

[MDMac]

Put your hand in your pocket, change purse or other coin holder. Pull out all the change you have and count how many pennies there are. When I do, I get 5 quarters,7 dimes, 3 nickels and 2 pennies. I have had friends do the same thing, and the smallest amount of coins they have are pennies. So my question is, when we go metal detecting, why do we find MORE pennies than anything else? Here are some of my theories, and I would love to hear yours.

1. A penny blends with the ground color more than silver colored coins so people who know they dropped something see the silver better.
2. When people do drop a few coins, they don't bother with picking up the pennies.
3. Very young children tend to have more pennies than adults thus tot lots have lots of pennies.
4. Pennies have a smooth edge vs dimes and quarters having ridges, thus a penny would slide out of pocket easier than a dime or quarter.
5. Since the US started making coins, more pennies have been struck than any other coin (not verified)

"A penny saved is a penny earned" Benjamin Franklin

 

[PAshooter]

You've covered all the ideas I would have had! Except maybe the last one, but it sounds possible.

 

[hard2find]

Greater copper content.

 

[Waterbug]

I believe it is because people do not tend to value a penny as they do other coins and have no thought of discarding them.The nickel,dime and quarter however seem to be of greater value and they do not want to lose them.When you are walking around and see a coin on the floor in a store or in the street or on the ground at a park,etc.,it will 99.9% of the time be a penny.You will not often find the larger denominations as people will pick those up.Coins lost in the grass however,have a tendency to be covered and lost from sight.We all have found(with our detectors) bright shiny quarters under brown dead grass that has been flattened from many people walking on it.
I do however, stop and pick up ANY penny I see. ---A penny found,is mine now.
Waterbug

 

[pennyfarmer]

If you have a few detectorists working a town then there may be a few of them that are passing pennies. I have been more a advocate of doing this lately because I get tired of dealing with the hassle of turning them in. It is not the best idea as I have found gold rings in that range. If I am out for some new finds and don't want to bother with the pennies I will pass them up.

 

[Daniel A.]

The energy needed to pick up a penny is wasted for most people guess thats why I've picked up 2158 so far this year. Dan

 

[pennyfarmer]

Dan,

I am not sure what is more disturbing, either you digging 2158 pennies or the fact that you kept track.

Joking.

 

[Daniel A.]

That was my goal this year to keep a log book LOL its real interesting have dug 4130 coins so far this year. Dan

 

[Daniel A.]

n/t

 

[zeekeys]

MDMac my thought on it is.... Remember when you were a little kid? It is hard for some of us, I was so little then, but when you came to a fountain your mother would stop and say here Jr here is a coin to make a wish. And she gave Jr a coin, a coin your dad had to earn, to throw into the fountain for a wish. Being little Jr's aim wasn't so good and Jr missed the fountain. Mom would say thats ok Jr here is another one. Guess what that coin was that Jr is throwing away for those wishes? You got it silver dollars right?, wrong, wrong, wrong, a penny. So mothers all over the world have told Jr from the very beginning that a penny is ok to throw away on a stupid wish.
Isn't it reasonable than to think that the next time you find a penny on the ground at the gas station that it is there for one reason only? Talk about stupid wishes!!!
PS. Dan that is some awesome trash there. You can have mine if your saving it... Jer

 

[lilmax25]

Babies and small children have a tendency to eat pennies.
Then when they poop in their diapers....theres the penny, and it gets thrown out =]

 

[Magicman]

I have seen people discard pennies because they don't buy anything. Cleaning out the car they vacuum them up, toss them out the window. Look in a parking lot, you will find pennies lying around. Stand in line at a fast food place (food court) and you see pennies. If someone drops a penny and you tell them, "Aw that is just a penny". I am surprised they still make pennies. I know in overseas locations for military, they will not deal with pennies because it cost more to ship them then they are worth, You can't even use the pennies in the US/military stores.

Course, I pick up pennies.....

 

[dobbie]

my thoery....i have no idea.... but i hate the fact that they corrode now....once i found what i thought was going to be a good pocket spill in the dirt. one corroded penny after the other. about 4 i think all half gone....now thats a shame...