8 Weird/Interesting Facts About Pennies and Why People Think Them to Be Lucky

Every year, roughly 62 million dollars worth of pennies are lost in circulation. It’s a mystery as to why so many pennies that are produced by the mint end up falling out of the economy. We suspect that people may be hoarding them.

Why, you ask? Because they’re lucky, of course!

Alright, we can’t say for sure that millions of dollars worth of pennies are evaporating because people are trying to horde good fortune. What we can say, though, is that the “good luck penny” has long had a reputation of being a bringer of prosperity and is a downright interesting coin outside of that superstition.

Are you curious to learn more about the penny’s luck origins and other curious things regarding the coin’s history? If so, keep reading to dive deep into one of the most common coins in the country!

1. The Origins of the Good Luck Penny Are Unknown

There are a lot of suspicious as to where the good luck penny concept came from. Truth be told, though, nobody knows for sure exactly how this superstition was birthed.

Among the many stories we’ve heard, the most common is that people believed that copper was considered a gift from the gods. Because pennies are histrionically made out of copper, people believed that holding onto these “gifts” or “pennies from heaven” would win them a favor.

2. Heads Up Pennies Are Considered Luckier

You can’t just pick up any old penny from the ground and think you’re going to be lucky. That’s what some people say, at least.

To get the most luck out of your penny, you’ll want to make sure that when you pick it up off the ground, it’s sitting in the heads-up position.

The idea here stems from an old thought that a penny’s two-sided facade represented the battle between good and evil. The heads side of the coin represented good, so by lifting “good” from the ground, you’d receive blessings.

To add another layer to this lore, it was considered good manners to flip a coin to its head’s side if you saw it on the floor as tails. That way, you’d be setting up the next person who passes by to pick up the coin and enjoy good fortune.

3. Pennies Were the Original Currency

Today, there are a lot of people that advocate for doing away with pennies. That’s a sad thought, given that pennies are the oldest legal tender that exists in the United States.

Pennies were accepted as legal tender as a provision of The Mint Act. This act was signed by George Washington all the way back in 1792!

New acts like the Currency Modernization Act, which aim to kill the penny, have been unsuccessful.

4. A Whole Lot of Pennies Have Been Minted

Given how old lucky pennies are and how many get lost in circulation every year, it stands to reason that a whole lot of pennies have been minted. While the exact number is unknown, many estimate that well over 300 billion pennies have come out of the US mint and into the economy.

With that many pennies having been injected into the public, it’s a wonder why coin shortages were a thing in 2020. Perhaps there are a lot of people saving pennies in coin jars and under their sofas.

5. A Famous Person Designed the First Penny

Do you know who suggested the design for the original penny? We’ll give you a hint; he was a founding father and helped draft the declaration of independence…

The answer in Benjamin Franklin!

In addition to being one of the 8 original founding fathers, Ben apparently had a knack for designing lucky coins. Ironically, Ben’s visage ended up being put on the $100 bill, not the penny, after his death.

6. Pennies Dissipated During the War

When copper was the sole metal used for penny production, shortages became a serious problem during certain points in US history. For example, during World War II, there was a copper shortage. That forced the mint to cease production on pennies over that period as they experimented with minting pennies via other materials.

Copper during the war was an important metal used in the production of bullets, cookware, and other necessary items for soldiers.

7. The Lucky Penny Donned Historical Figures First

In addition to being the first legal coin ever circulated in the US, pennies also became the first currency to showcase historical figures. Do you know which historical figure first graced the penny?

None other than Abraham Lincoln!

If you look at pennies today, you’ll find that Lincoln still sits proudly on the coin right under the iconic phrase, “In God We Trust.”

8. Pennies Have Undergone Many Facelifts

There have been several iterations of the lucky penny since the coin started moving through the country. Some pennies featured log cabins, while others had pictures of Native Americans on them.

If you’re lucky, you’ll find one of these alt penny designs as they’re worth a lot to collectors.

The Good Luck Penny Has Historical Value, If Nothing Else

As we mentioned, there’s a sect of people that would like to see the good luck penny go the way of the Dodo Bird. We say that if you don’t believe in the penny’s monetary value (and you should), be a believer in its historical value.

Pennies are important markers of history that are beloved by collectors, savers, and superstitious people alike. To learn more about currency facts and other weird things, continue to mosey on through our blog of oddities!

The post 8 Weird/Interesting Facts About Pennies and Why People Think Them to Be Lucky first appeared on Weirdomatic. Weirdomatic is the place where all weird things come to life through the amazing world of photographs – a corner of our wild imagination or the whimsical face of the reality?