Day #520 - Coin Mining

Yesterday we found one international coin, today - two!

Doc insisted upon a Starbucks run first thing this morning. He refused to do any work until I went for a coffee with him. He assured me that yesterday he had seen a penny or two in the planter and that I would for sure get coins if I accompanied him. He was correct! While placing his order at the speaker phone, he was motioning for me to hop out of the van and retrieve the penny at which he was pointing. I then just walked along side the van as he approached the pay window.

There was a coin, then a coin, then a coin, then a penny, then a coin, then a penny. I say coins because I honestly could not tell what they were. Some of them had dirt at least 1/8” thick on them. We have collected coins from that planter before and the soil is almost like concrete in there. I collected 19 coins and just wrapped them in a napkin to transport home. Coin Mine!

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It was early so In-N-Out was not yet open. Couldn’t resist walking through. No coins by either window. But one penny in the approach driveway and another in a concrete expansion crack by the supply room. (Coins #20&21).

I returned to the parked van, but Doc was not there. So I hunted for him in the grocery store. Did not find Doc, but retrieved a penny. (Coin #22). Doc was outside walking with Sparky and had found his own penny at one of the kiddie rides. (Coin #23).

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We went home to do our chores and paper grading. We also tried to clean our Starbucks coins with soap and water first, then white vinegar and salt, then ketchup, then a chisel, then CLR, then a wire brush. We were finally able to determine that we had 2 quarters, 15 US pennies and 2 foreign coins. The foreign coins were pretty scratched and etched by then. Could not tell what they were.

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By late afternoon we needed a break. We headed to the grocery stores for our weekly shopping, but stopped first at the local coin shop. Neat old place which looks more like a museum than a store. Doc stepped out of the van and immediately found a penny. (Coin #24). We entered the shop to find bowls and bowls of pennies - wheat ones, old ones, new ones, etc. I’m sure the guys in the shop thought I was crazy for getting excited about one or two found pennies. Ed and Dennis were helpful and inspected our copper finds. One is an Irish penny with an angelic harp - how appropriate. Doc at first thought the coins showed wings.

The other coin is a British penny. The penny has a symbol of a portcullis (a latticed gate to fortify the entrance to a castle). Nice thought for our new house.

Are these symbols of travel on the horizon? Doc says he‘ll start packing ...

This is how the coins originally must have looked.

Our next stop was WalMart where we found three pennies in various check out lanes. (Coins #25-27) At Trader Joe’s we found a penny and at Sprouts grocery we found another. (Coins #28-29)

Total: 27 US Coins P (25), Q (2), = $0.75

+ one Irish penny and one British Penny