Penny Tales: Wednesday, 13 May 2026 ..... Job Well Done

Doc and I believe that our role is to be of service to others.  That is probably why we are teachers.  Today we were “called to serve”.

Our neighbor’s back yard has been somewhat neglected over the past year.  He has put the house up for sale and there will be an Open House in two days.  The neighbor has moved away, so there was no chance he was going to tidy his yard.  Doc and I realized the house would be more appealing to buyers if it looked a little more “loved”.  

 

Today Doc and I transformed a portion of the neighbor’s yard.  It went from a weed-filled eyesore to a mini-oasis.  We trimmed plants, dug out weeds, sprayed grass killer, washed the decorative stones, found a nearby field to collect some feature rocks, laid weed cloth, bought and spread some bags of mulch, planted some succulents, and then washed down the patio.  This should make a much better impression on any potential buyers.

 

It was already dark as I was putting away all the tools and supplies.  “Doc look!”  There is a dingy penny in the mud!!!!  Had that penny really been there for the past 10 hours?  Had we passed it dozens of times without seeing it?  Or did the Penny Angels place it there at the end of the day to say “Job Well Done Good and Faithful Servants?”

God Delivers BIG!

 Hi Penny Pals-

Can this really be true?  Could it really be 16 months since I last posted a Penny Tale?!?!?

OK.  Today’s Coin Find is a good one.  God Delivered BIG!

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A little background here.... On Christmas Eve Doc and I found a Hit for the Cycle (HFC means a penny, nickel, dime, and quarter).  We used to find several of those every month.  I looked at my records -- that is the only HFC for 2025!  WOW!  At first I felt disappointed that we only had ONE HFC this entire year.  Then I chose instead to be grateful.  “Thank You God / Penny Angels for this Christmas Eve gift.”

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Today Doc and I stopped at a grocery store on our way home from two medical appointments. (Doc is scheduled for knee replacement surgery in January).  There was a batch of coins in the return cup of the coin counting machine.  I grabbed them.  After we got home and unpacked the groceries, I counted the coins hoping perhaps we might have found another HFC.  YES!  There were 2P, 4N, 7D, 6Q and a Canadian Quarter.  A double HFC!!!!!!

Either Doc and I are crazy, or we have serious Penny Fever.

Tina:  “We have four nickels.  Those are so difficult to find.  If we could just get two more pennies today we could have FOUR HFC!  Wouldn’t that be a great climax for the year?”

Doc:  “We’ve already parked the van for the night and I plan to watch Monday Night Football”.

Tina:  “OK.  I COULD go by myself.” 

Doc:  “Alright. It has been a super windy day today, so the car wash will likely be closed.  Let’s go there.”

.............

At the car wash I began with the singsong the kids and I used to sing.  “Hey Penny Angels, won’t you come out today, come out today, come out to play...”  After a few rounds of that song, I found a quarter!!!!!  “Thanks Angels, but I really needed TWO PENNIES”.  I kept looking.  Next I found a nickel.  “WOW!  A fifth nickel for today.  Oh sure!  Now I need a penny to go with it!” I found the penny.  YAY.

I met Doc back at the van.  He had found the two pennies we had originally set out for.  “God’s Two Cents Worth.”

Summary of Today’s Lesson:  Doc and I dared to think BIG (4 HFCs).  God thinks even BIGGER! (5 HFCs)

Choose This One

 Gosh!   Penny Angels even help with remodeling projects!!

 

Doc and I are renovating a rental house kitchen.  On the way to the supply center, I chatted with the angels (sent up a prayer).  “I am spending way too much time on this kitchen design.  Would you please help out here and show us an appropriate (color and cost) prefab countertop?  Thanks!”

 

The showroom sales rep directed us to 2.5 rows of quartz countertops.  Doc instantly pointed to one he liked in the furthest row.  I methodically went down the rows looking at EVERY one of the dozens of options.  Finally I agreed with Doc that his choice might be the best option.  

 

EACH of the other piles of countertops had an information tag to list its name, dimensions and pertinent information. Note in the photo that this pile of countertops had no information tag in its holder.  Instead it had a penny sitting there.  No way!  Thanks Angels!

 

And today when we took the sample quartz piece to the cabinetry shop, it looked so beautiful next to the stained wood cabinet doors we have selected!

 

COINcidence?  Divine Guidance?

2023 Data

This is for you "Data Nerds" (like Doc).

 

Here are the coin finding numbers for 2023.

A total of only 629 US coins for a value of $34.49 US.

395 Pennies, 100 Nickels, 104 Dimes, 27 Quarters and some other currency.

 

Remember when this "Penny a Day" Challenge began in 2009?  Those first few years I was finding over 3,000 coins each year. Those were the COINcidences which kept the Penny Palace moving forward one day at a time.

 

Nowadays it is rare to find coins, but always fun when we do.  It's extra fun when we find them with friends.

 

Pennies from Heaven

 

 

Miracle Mile

 

Each day there are so many things to be grateful for.  We just need to recognize “The Miracles”.

 

This evening around 5:30, I looked out the window and noticed what a gorgeous day it was.  (I had been working indoors all day).  I said to Doc “Sure wish you liked to walk.  I have not walked around the neighborhood since April.  It would be so nice to go out together right now”.  Doc replied: “I’ll go with you!”  Miracle #1

 

Once on the walk, I was enjoying the weather, the birds, the flowers...  Suddenly Doc stopped me saying “Shiny thing in the gutter!”  No way!  In all the years, I have only ever found two coins in this neighborhood.  Today’s coin was a 25¢ piece.  WOW!  (25 is my favorite number).  Miracle #2.

 

I teased the Penny Angels, “That was impressive!  Since Doc found a penny and a nickel earlier today when he went shopping, you just need to produce a dime for a ‘Hit-for-the-Cycle’”.  Within a few more houses Doc quipped, “Look what is in front of us”.  It was a dime!!!  Miracle #3.

 

Three Little Miracles in One Short Mile.

 

If you are open to it, in every mile of your day, there is something good to be discovered.

Back in the USA

 As Doc and I have travelled around the world we’ve come to agree with the old saying “There’s No Place Like Home” – especially when it comes to coin finding.  Tanzania, Canada, Australia and other places just do not provide the same opportunities as the USA does.

Doc and I spent the month of May in Australia.  We were told it would be practically IMPOSSIBLE to find coins since essentially no one uses cash any longer and pennies were withdrawn from circulation in 1992.  For the first week Down Under Doc and I did not find a single coin.  I then asked for Angel assistance in a few circumstances (such as at airports) and came home with 18 coins.  Not bad, but not very much for an entire month.  We saw many more kangaroos than wayward coins.

 

 

Once Doc and I returned home, we spent the first two days around the house just unpacking, doing laundry, working in the yard, paying bills, etc.  Finally, on Day #3 we ventured out to do work at our rental house and run some errands.  We found 14 pennies, a nickel, and a dime.

On Day #4 Doc went grocery shopping.  He came home with 3(P), 3(N), 2(D), 2(Q).  That’s TWO complete Hits for the Cycle!  That’s pretty rare now-a-days.  (A Hit for the Cycle is one each the four basic coins – P, N, D, Q)

 

So in just two days we found 26 coins.

 

It’s good to be Back in the USA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biggest Find Ever

Today Doc collected our biggest one-day find ever!  That would be in Quantity versus Value of coins.  124 coins. They were in a coin counting machine.  We are wondering if the machine belched or something?  This was a better payout than the slots in a casino!  And not one single token, foreign coin or metal washer in the batch!

 

Almost all the coins were silvers (versus copper pennies).  We were guessing there would be at least a dozen “Hits for the Cycle”, but that was not the case.  There were only TWO quarters in all that.  Nickels are the rarest coins to find, yet there were 57 of those!  That’s more nickels than we found in all of 2022.

 

Last year we found 555 U.S. coins so that averages 1.52 coins/day.

So far this year our total is 139 coins.  That would be an average of 6.04 /day!

 

Now if the rest of the year could just continue at that rate…..

2022 Data

WOW!  We are already 3/4 the way into January and I have not yet logged in the coin finds for this month.  Procrastination here.

 

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A number of you are “Data Nerds”  (like Doc).  OK.  Here are the coin finding numbers for 2022.

 

A total of 555 U.S. Coins.  390 Pennies, 29 Nickels, 97 Dimes and 38 Quarters.  There were only six Hits for the Cycle.

 

There were a few foreign coins as well. The value of the U.S. currency totaled $46.55.  (The $20 bill I found sure helped that total).

 

Being in Tanzania for 18 days did not help the numbers at all.  Not one single coin of any sort was found on that trip.

 

Remember in “the old days” when we would find thousands of coins in a year?  I think 2009 when things first began, I found 3,674 coins that year!  Online shopping, “no cash” payments, and COVID restrictions have sure changed the sport of Penny Hunting. 

 

Ahhh well.  “Its’ NOT the Money, it’s the message which is important.”

 

May the Angels richly bless you in the coming year.

 

November Coin Finds

It’s Friday night and Doc is watching TV Football, so I’m totaling our November coin finds.  It’s pretty quick.  Only $2.01 for the entire month!  People are using cards instead of cash!  Remember the Good Old Days of Penny Finding?  In 2017- $13.20,  in 2018 - $6.62, in 2019 - $10.66.

 

There are a few of you Penny Pals who REALLY enjoy reading the Penny Tales.  So I will share two of the November finds with you.

Friday, 25 November.  Doc’s first radiation treatment (of 28) for his Prostate Cancer.  After the treatment, since it was my birthday, Doc offered to “treat” me to dinner at the hospital dining room.  (Un)Fortunately they were closed at that hour, so we had to go elsewhere.  But we found 3 pennies and a quarter near the chained gate.  Total of that find: 28 cents!  COINcidence or were the Angels letting us know they would be with us through each of the 28 Treatment sessions?

Tuesday, 29 November.  Doc’s Radiation Treatments are in the basement of the Ontario Kaiser hospital.  We emerged from the elevator to a totally emptywaiting room!  WOW!  I could choose to sit in any chair in the room!  This one with a shiny penny on the cushion seemed to beckon me.  LOL.  COINcidence? or were the Penny Angels trying to reassure me that they were there in the waiting room with me?

 

 

ENJOY Your December.  Every time you see a wayward penny, know that Angels are with you.

Coins in Tanzania

 WOW!  It’s been nearly 3 months since I sent out the last Penny Tale.  It is GREAT to be back in the U.S.A.!  Tanzania was NOT coin friendly.

 

Several people have asked how many coins Doc and I found in Tanzania during our recent 18 days there.  Easy answer:  ZERO, None, Nought, Zilch, Zip, Nada!  Doc was looking, I was looking, our son and his wife were looking, my brother and his wife were looking.  The only time I saw any coins whatsoever was the next to the last day as my change when buying a few last postage stamps.

 

Of course we would not find pennies since they use Schillings as their unit of currency.  To give you an idea about the exchange rate …A $3 bottle of water at the hotel would cost approximately 6,990 TNZ Schillings.  ($1 US = 2330 TNZ).  A postcard stamp was 2300 TNZ.  In the Capital of Dar es Saalam we took our local guide and driver out to lunch at a nice café.  Four delicious lunches on the rooftop of a downtown building were 50,000 TNZ.  (That’s about $21).

 

There were thousand of zebras, wildebeest, elephants, giraffes, Cape buffalos, antelope, baboons and such, but not a single wayward coin!

In comparison:  I found coins each of the three days immediately upon our return, then yesterday when filling my fuel tank at the gas station, I found a penny, dime and two quarters in just moments.

 

It’s Good to be BACK IN THE U.S.A.

Blowing in the Wind

It’s been nearly 5 months since I sent out the last Penny Tale.  Doc and I have continued to find coins, but not EVERY day as it once was.

 

Today I was talking to the angels on the way out to check my mailbox at the street.  “Hi Angels.  What’s up with you?  I’m not planning to leave the house today, so I guess no coin finds today”.

 

There was some paper gently scootching along the street by my driveway.  It looked like it could be U.S. Currency?  Sure enough it was!  And not just a $1, $5, or $10 bill, but a $20!!!!

 

I could almost hear the angels giggling: “You thought you would not get a Penny today?  You are correct!  How’s this instead?”    LOL

 

Coins from Ukraine

Today Doc and I had lunch with Kevin – one of our former solar race car students from 26 years ago!!!!  Kevin has been working abroad.  For the past 15 years he has lived in Odessa, Ukraine.  Needless to say the conversation over lunch was fascinating!

 

 

Kevin has friends and contacts throughout Ukraine from whom he is getting updated information.  Kevin said the news we are seeing in the U.S. is highly exaggerated.  Most of Ukraine is still operating fairly normally.  He said the country has been at war for the past eight years.  Citizens were aware of the presence of Russian military, but no one expected the attack going on now.  His sources say only 500 or so innocent Ukrainian Citizens have been killed.  Most fatalities are military on both sides.  

 

Kevin said another casualty of this siege are the pets.  People who are fleeing must abandon their pets.

 

Other Tidbits:

·       Kevin is in California because two days before the Russian invasion, he came back to the U.S. to attend a training session.  He has his travel clothes with him, but all his other belongings are still in his Odessa apartment.

·       Kevin ordered pancakes for lunch because it is not something he can get in Odessa. LOL

·       Kevin brought Doc and I some gifts: a Magnet of Ukraine and some coasters with Odessa highlights.

Kevin did not know about my Penny Finding, yet he somehow was ‘nudged’ to pull out some Ukrainian coins to offer Doc and I. 

COINcidence?

Surgery Recovery

This morning I had neck surgery.  Now in Recovery Mode.

One of you Penny Pals had the audacity this evening to email, “So how many coins did you find today?”    Grrrrr…..  I was kinda busy in a hospital bed and operating room!!!   This morning the alarm went off at 3:30 a.m. in order to be at the hospital for a 5:30 check in.  So when I got home around noon, the first thing I did was to have some soup and bread for lunch, then four hours of sleep.

 

Back to the Penny Finding.  Around 6 p.m. Doc and I headed out for some Penny Finding Therapy, his 10,000 steps for today, and a take home dinner (no dishes tonight!)

 

I was chatting with the Angels:  “Just 5-6 coins tonight would be okay with me.  That should satisfy those pushy Penny Pals!”   LOL

 

We found 14 pennies and a dime at the car wash.  That is more than a Coin Mine! (12 coins in one location).  That is more than I asked for.   (Who says you can’t find coins in the dark?  (That is what flashlights are for.)  

 

Then while I was ordering our dinner, Doc walked to get his steps.  Coins at the grocery store: 2P, 2N, 2D, 1Q.    That is almost TWO Hits for the Cycle!  (A H.F.C. = one coin each of penny, nickel, dime, quarter).

 

Doc found one more penny on his walk.  So a total of 23 coins for today: 17P, 2N, 3D, Q.   

 

 

That is some pretty awesome Coin Finding Therapy!!!!     Divine forces are always out there ready to assist.  Perhaps next I should ask for assistance on the actual healing of the wounds?   LOL 

Amid the Chaos

People often share how a Coin Find at just the right time can “adjust their attitude” and serve as a reminder of a Divine Presence.  Today was one such day for me.

 

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In the Spring and Summer of 2016 Doc and I were part of a community beautification project.  It was called “The Garden of Hope”.  The house is on the corner of a very busy intersection.  Last weekend a plumbing service truck did a rollover and landed in the front yard. We were notified that the traffic signal was sheared off, the split rail fence was damaged, plants were uprooted, irrigation lines severed, there was glass and debris strewn about, and yet the driver was okay.   No other vehicles involved.  Definitely some repair work is needed.

 

Doc and I received this urgent call while we were waiting for the Emergency Room veterinarian.  Doc’s “Baby” Sheila had injured her leg and was not able to put any weight on it.  Never a dull day.

 

Today I went to obtain the Police Report of the traffic incident so I could begin the restoration effort.  When I approached the service window at the Police Station, there was a penny on the counter right in front of me! Certainly the many other visitors would have had to reach across it to conduct their business?  How could they jut leave it there?   To me it was a good sign that Angels were there to help get through this crash project.

 

The clerk behind the plexiglass handed me a form to fill out and pay the fees.  I thanked her and took a step away. For some reason I was “nudged” to turn and tell her that “the craziest thing happened this weekend.  A service van turned over in my front yard!  I am not sure HOW to proceed with this, so I am obtaining the Police Report as the first step.  I need to figure out who to contact on this.”

 

There was only one other person in the lobby and waiting area.  A gentleman who was on his phone trying to get information from his office.  He was probably 20 ft. away from me.  He looked up at me and said “Would that be Sunday evening with a white plumbing service van on the corner of xxx?”  “YES!”  He was the Operations Manager for the plumbing company and was there to obtain tools and such from the towed van.  We exchanged information and spoke of the next actions.   What are the odds that the exact person I needed to speak with was in that Police Department lobby for the same few minutes I was in that lobby?  COINcidence?

 

 

Doc and I then proceeded to the accident site.  Took lots of photos.  As Doc was kicking around in the debris he spotted a Nickel!  Nickels are the rarest coins to find.  A simple thing, but a reminder that amid all the chaos of our lives, there is a Shining Presence.

2021 Data

People frequently ask: “How’s the Penny Finding Going?”  My answer: “Not as good as it used to go”.  The COVID-19 Pandemic has sure decreased the number of wayward coins.

 

Here is a summary of the 2021 data.  Doc and I found: 

 

A total of 922 U.S. Coins.  665 Pennies, 42 Nickels, 160 Dimes and 55 Quarters.  There were 10 Hits for the Cycle.

There were a few foreign coins as well. The value of the U.S. currency totaled only $38.50

 

Since I first threw out the Penny Challenge to the Universe in December of 2008, I have found more than 34,000 coins and currency worth over $1,500.

 

That goes back to my slogan “It’s NOT the Money, It’s the Message”.  The “stories” associated with many of the coin finds continue to inspire and touch the people who hear the messages. 

 

Looking forward to another year of COINcidences and hopefully some travel as well!

 

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Christmas Eve Coins

WOW!  Has it really been EIGHT months since I wrote the last Penny Tale?  It’s not that we haven’t found coins, I just haven’t made writing a priority.  It takes hours to post each Tale.

 

Back to today’s story….

It’s Christmas Eve, so I wondered what fun thing Doc and I could do.  In October, November, and December, Doc and I were somewhat busy.  We travelled to Idaho for two weeks to attend two funerals, then we both suffered through a case of COVID, then we dealt with my mom in the hospital, then I was down and out for a few weeks with oral surgery.  So it was time to do something FUN!!!!

 

I suggested to Doc that we go Penny Finding!  It has rained 6 inches here in the past 36 hours, so that seemed like somewhat of a ludicrous idea.  But heck, the local car wash would be closed today, so a great opportunity to search there.

 

At the car wash Doc and I both scoured the prep/vacuum area.  Not a single coin was found there.  How very disappointing.  Thus the dialogue began with the Penny Angels: “Hi Angels.  Wanna play today?  How about at least God’s 2¢ Worth as a minimum?”  Instantly I was shown a penny, then another, then another…   Doc pointed out a few coins as well.  In a matter of minutes we collected 27 Pennies, 2 Nickels and a Quarter as well as a little heart with gems in it!  Perhaps a reminder that God delivers the desires of our Heart?

 

Of course after laughing a bunch, I gave Thanks for the gifts and the playtime together.  But then I could not resist being a bit sassy.  “So Angels, you delivered far more than I was expecting.  Do you want another challenge?  In order to have a Hit For the Cycle you would need to deliver a dime.  Are you up for it?”

 

Next Doc and I went to the UPS store to mail a package.  Upon leaving Doc said “Let’s go next door to the grocery store to GET that Dime”.  Note that he did not say to “SEARCH FOR a dime.”  He said to “GET THAT DIME”.  We walked into the store and within a few seconds I spotted a bright shiny dime in the aisle right in front of me!   That was the ONLY coin we found in that store.

 

Answer to Prayer?  

Does the Universe hear even our smallest requests?

Principle of Manifesting? 

COINcidence?

 

How do YOU explain it?

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!