The Mother Lode!

Today I took Scarlett out to roam around a little this morning. She went over by the parking lot, which she's not supposed to do. But she trotted back to the safe part of the complex but I decided to check out the empty parking spots for coinage. Well, I'm glad I did! I found a quarter! Yahoo!

Then later I took out the trash and spotted a very beat up penny in the parking lot. Ta da! Later I went for a walk and found four pennies! Wee doggies! Then I went to Fry's for a "few things" and $35 later, I spotted a penny on the floor by the self-checkout stand. Then I saw  more money in the change shoot (it hadn't dropped down into the tray). I nudged a penny forward and out came a dime and another penny! It was like a little slot machine.

I think that's it! In all I found 43 cents today! Woo hoo!!!

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  1 quarter, 1 dime, 8 pennies
Year:  2002 Louisiana state quarter; 1979; pennies:  3 pennies:  ?, 1979, 1982, 1987, 2006, 2010  
U.S. Mint:  no mark; D; pennies: none to can't read to D 
Condition:   quarter:  beat up; dime:  okay; pennies:  some are awful, a few just tarnished
How much found money to date: $1.03 in 2012

Found a Dime in the Parking Lot

Today I took the trash out to the dumpster and found a dime in the parking lot! Yay!

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  1 dime
Year:  1975
U.S. Mint: DP
Condition:   Good shape
How much found money to date: $.60 in 2012

Found a Dime and a Penny at a Park

Today I ran some errands (two libraries, a thrift store, and the grocery store) and on the way home stopped at a park for some fresh air. The weather is perfect here, and it's hard to pass it up, especially with those blistering summer days when it's so hot you don't even want to go out to check the mail.


I was walking to my car and first spotted the dime by a rock. Shiny and bright in the sun! Then I saw the penny, which is sort of surprising since it is in rough shape. It's good enough for the found money jar though!

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  1 dime, 1 penny
Year:  2010, ?
U.S. Mint: D, ?
Condition:   Dime is great, Penny is pockmarked and badly worn
How much found money to date: $.50 in 2012

Been Sick But Well Enough Today to Take a Walk

And I found three pennies! I have had a cold for about a week that knocked me on my butt. Yuck. I so rarely get sick and I really hate it. But today I woke up after sleeping 9+ hours and felt a lot better. I decided to get outside and enjoy some fresh air.

On my walk, with my trusty long-handed magnet, I found three pennies! I also found a bunch of nails and bottle caps and other junk. The other two items in the photo are part of a saw blade and maybe part of an outlet component. Not sure what it is but I think I'll use it to make a person. Doesn't it look like a dress? Well, sort of?

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  3 pennies
Year:  19?9, 2009, ?
U.S. Mint: none, D, ?
Condition:   range from good to scratched to chomped
How much found money to date: $.39 in 2012

Found a Penny on a Walk

Today I had to go to a friend's house to feed the cats. When I was finished feeding, scooping, petting, I grabbed my magnet and took a little walk around the neighborhood. They live in an older part of Phoenix and the little houses are really cute--not cookie cutter ranches, but real houses built in the 1920s, I imagine with some character.

I wandered up some alleys. I found quite a few rusty nails, bottle caps, and other stuff. And I found a penny! As I was leaving one alley, an elderly man was entering the alley. He asked me if I lost my wedding ring. I could have told him, "No, it's in a box. I've thought about selling it since gold is so high," but I didn't. I told him I was just talking a walk, picking up stuff with my magnet.

He told me he once found an Indian head penny and a penny from World War II that wasn't made of copper, but zinc. I just looked it up and they are steel coated in zinc. The copper was needed to make shell casings. So, after he dug around in his jacket breast pocket for quite a while (he was quite old), he found the little "plastic envelope" (a plastic zip bag) that held three pennies.

The Indian head liberty penny was gorgeous! And it was in very good condition. He said when he found it, it was covered in dirt but he used a toothbrush and water. It cleaned up good! Just beautiful. The World War II penny was a 1943 and my magnet did pick it up. (He gave me permission to see if it would! This link tells that the 1943 pennies that stick to a magnet are genuine.) The third penny in his plastic envelope was a 1920 penny, mint mark S! I never see the San Francisco mint mark. He was a good found money guy.

I mentioned my blog but he cut me off. I don't think he knew what I was talking about. Have you found any rare coins? What year? What mint mark?

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  1 penny
Year:  1981
U.S. Mint: D
Condition:   good
How much found money to date: $.36 in 2012

Three Parks, Two Pennies, One is Mine

Today I went with my son and two grandkids to three parks! I'm pooped. At the first park, Riverview Park in Mesa, my granddaughter found a penny! There she is showing you the penny.

At the second park, Park of the Canals in Mesa, none of us found any money. On the way to the third park, we stopped in Mesa at the Sunkist citrus growers building so I could snap some photos of some ghost signs. Check out my Squidoo article on ghost signs.

At the third park, Hudson Park in Tempe, I found a penny! I only can count the one I found, but I'll take it!

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  1 penny
Year:  ?
U.S. Mint: ?
Condition:   crummy, unreadable
How much found money to date: $.35 in 2012

Took a Walk and Found Two Pennies

Two of my wonderful little grandkids came over today. We did some rock painting, had lunch (bacon sandwiches, French fries, and apple slices! yum!) then decided to take a walk. While out and about, I found 2 pennies. I was surprised the little eagle eyes missed them but they were pretty busy checking out other stuff.

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  2 pennies
Year:  1969, 2007
U.S. Mint:  D, D
Condition:   tarnished but good, shiny but tarry
How much found money to date: $.34 in 2012

Found Six Pennies and One's Canadian and Bent!

Today I set off with my trusty magnet on a stick for a walk. The weather is perfect. In the 70s and actually warm in the sun, but there was a good breeze once in a while. Lovely! I walked past the penny stuck in the street that I mentioned last week. I added a picture of it. Not very exciting but figured I'd memorialize it before it is so embedded or they surface over it and it's lost forever.

I kept walking and in one spot found four pennies! Then I walked on home and found the crazy bent Canadian penny in the street. It's the one in the photo below with the lovely maple leaf (and it's bent. See?). Then I put my magnet in my car when I got home and spotted another penny in the parking lot!

Have you spotted any money lately? Do tell!

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  6 pennies
Year:  American:  2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, ?; Canadian:  1978
U.S. Mint:  American:  D, D, D, D, ?; Canadian:  ? Do they have mint marks?
Condition:   Varying stages but mostly very tarnished, one bent!
How much found money to date: $.32 in 2012

Downton Abbey and Found Money

Today I went to the Scottsdale Library and watched a sneak peak of the first hour of Downton Abbey, Season 2. It was fabulous, just like I thought it would be. Season 2 starts on PBS Sunday night (2 hours) then for the next three Sundays. we got bookmarks and a PBS magazine and donuts! I don't buy donuts (very often) so that was a delicious treat!

Since it was such a lovely day, on the way home, I parked near a canal and walked about half an hour, to work off the donut, don't you know. I found two pennies! Then I stopped at Fry's and found three more pennies and a dime in the self-checkout change tray. So, 15 cents! Yay!

Will you watch Season 2 of Downton Abbey? It's so good!

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  5 pennies, 1 dime
Year:  1978, ?, 1986, 2001 2002, 2005
U.S. Mint:  D, ?, D, D, D, P
Condition:   Varying stages from good to downright cruddy
How much found money to date: $.26 in 2012

Found a Dime at Dollar Tree (and some junk by the side of the road!)

Today I volunteered. No money.

To the post office. No money.

While driving to the library, spotted a pile of junk by the road. U-turned, parked the car. Walked over and picked out the old soda tray and little shadow box and put them in my trunk. No money.

Returned DVDs and got more at the library. No money.

Went to Dollar Tree for a calendar. Sold out, but I found a dime on the floor!

Went to the .99 Cent Store. Got a calendar. No money.

I've rinsed off the grimy dirt and leaves from my junk and will post pictures when I've properly cleaned them. They also had a big old ladder with neat hardware and some other stuff I would have snagged if I had a truck and a big yard. Oh well.

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  1 dime
Year:  1965
U.S. Mint:  none
Condition:   Nice and worn, but in good shape
How much found money to date: $.11 in 2012

Found a Penny but Grandkids Found More!

Today I met my son and his family at a park. He runs a great Web site called ParkGrades. You can find a park, review parks, and see lots of other info that's park related. So, we go to as many parks as we can! Anyway, while there, I got my magnet out of the trunk and my two grandkids had fun picking up junk with it. We walked in an alley next to the park. We found tons of nails, screws, rusty bottle caps, wire, and more.

While scouring the ground, my granddaughter found a penny, then my grandson found two pennies, then I found a penny, then she found two more pennies! Jackpot!

Six in all! But I'm only counting the one penny I found for this found money blog entry. See the magnet full of stuff? Good times!

Here's hoping 2012 brings lots of pennies (and dollars) our way! And be sure to share your found money with us!

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  1 penny
Year:  ?
U.S. Mint:  ?
Condition:   Very worn down, can't read a thing
How much found money to date: $.01 in 2012