The New York City Changepot: $0.27

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

$0.27

Today we found a total of 27 cents- a quarter outside the dentist office (my little one had a very bad cavity bout) and two pennies in front of the pharmacy where we picked up some prescriptions.

Update!!

We gathered around after dinner to listen to our Sally Herships' interview on the radio. Thank you so much for the opportunity to spread the word about collecting found change. You can catch our story here Picking up loose change and for our new visitors from the Marketplace website, please feel free to comment about your own found change stories on our blog!

Happy Hunting!

Total today: $0.27
Total thus far: $381.61

8 comments:

Anonymous said...: Heard your story on Marketplace today. I've picked up pennies for at least 50 years. I calculate I'll find about $700-worth of pennies in my lifetime. But... but... Now I'll tell you how to find hundreds of real dollars at a time. Go to a Saks, N-M, Lord & Taylor or similar parking lot after a heavy rain. I've found not less than $90 and as much as $150 at the low point where the water drains away every time I've looked. I assume that people get out of their cars, put their car keys in their raincoat pocket, and then, when they get change in the store, put it into the same pocket on top of the keys. When they get back to their car, they're frenzied and trying to get out of the rain quickly. They pull out their keys and the change comes out too. They don't hear it hit the ground because of the drumming of the rain on the cars. -- Evan, Austin, Texas; 6:42 PM
The Humphery Family said...: Thank you Evan! We'll keep an eye out in the department store parking lots during our travels :); 8:12 PM
joisuzu said...: Hi there, I'm also a Marketplace listener. Great job guys! My son who is four has also been duly trained to spot the change and now he automatically crouches down beneath registers and in places where no one would think to look. BTW: another place where you'll have a blast finding lost coins is at an amusement park or state fair. My family wen tot Six Flags early this summer (we got free tix through my wife's office) and I picked up close to $12.00 in coins. My pockets were full!

Before I go, I have a couple of questions for you:

1. Have you considered going the route of a metal detector? I'm in between jobs at the moment, so it is not an expense I can easily incur right now, but I'm considering it because I love to hunt for stuff and this would be a great tool.

2. Do you ever find old transit tokens? The reason I ask is because I collect NYC transit tokens, so if you find any, let me know and we might be able to work something out. Just send me a nice picture of what you've found to my e-mail address.

Signing off for now, and best regards to all of you!!!

-David
Takoma Park, MD, U.S.A.; 9:05 PM
Mojoey said...: Heard your story on Marketplace today - great job. I smiled on my drive through LA. I kept wondering if I could find money on the freeway.; 12:52 AM
Anonymous said...: Great story! I'm always surprised at how many people just don't care about change. . .

I'm a high school teacher and two years ago, while on lunch duty with five other teachers, we decided to have a contest to see who could find the most change (our students often consider coins "chump change" and leave it on their tables, believe it or not). The contest soon turned into a cooperative event instead, and after first semester exams we went to a local happy hour and had a blast. Even afterwards, we still had over $100 dollars, so we rolled it over to the next semester. Then we went out for a huge breakfast during the exam period when we would have had lunch duty (gotta get special permission for that, by the way) and STILL had over $80 left over. That we donated to a special fund I created at the school, one that helps defray the cost of prom and yearbook purchases for kids who could otherwise not afford them.

The only downside to this experiment is that the custodians good-naturedly felt we were cutting in to what had historically been their profits!

Also, another great place to find change are those (now hard-to-find) toll booths that take change. The driver pays in the basket while the passenger opens the back driver's side door and gathers up what people missed. Of course, most tolls now cost bills, not change.

T.K.
Connecticut; 9:58 AM
Anonymous said...: Hi Money Maker and Family,

I too have picked up change (mainly pennies, unfortunately) for all of my life. I'm 41 years old and my Dad, who was raised during the Depression, told me his parents said that he should never bypass money left on the ground. I have been teaching my 9 year-old and 4 year-old the same thing, even though my family is solidly middle class. About 2 weeks ago I found a 20 dollar bill in my neighborhood, right on the sidewalk. Score! I always reach down to attempt to pick up the quarter that's cemented into someone's driveway. I am always embarrassed when it won't come up. I have no idea how much I've picked up over the years. Probably not a lot, but it makes me feel good! Thanks for your story. I'm not the only crazy person out there!

Lisa
Las Vegas, NV; 2:31 PM
Anonymous said...: Hi, Marketplace listener here. I feel vindicated...my family rolls their eyes when I pick up a penny. I appreciate the tips on where/how to look for change. I think I have a new hobby!

Sandy
Martinsville, IN; 3:15 PM
The Humphery Family said...: Joisuzu- I purchased a metal detector for hubby last year and it's collecting dust in the storage shed downstairs. They are surprisingly strict around here with metal detecting!

As for transit tokens, I've found a few coins for toll bridges. I'll definitely check out my other found item jar (where I keep foreign coins, broken bills and discarded jewelry) and i'll post them on Friday's entry. If you'd like them, let me know and I'll send them over to you.

MoJoey: Thanks for checking us out! I don't know if i would stop on the freeway but then again we've picked up coins on the george washington bridge in total rush hour traffic lol!

TK: I know what you mean about the custodian profit issue! We've been snatching some nice coins and bills from janitors, fellow change hunters, employees, and sanitation workers for three years now. I love the looks we get especially when I tell them how much we've amassed thus far. It helps to be vigilant :)

Lisa:
It's amazing how when you start picking up the coins, they begin multiplying! My venture started with seven cents and now the only denomination we've yet to find is a fifty dollar bill!

Sandy: It's a great, low paying hobby but the return on investment over time is great if you think about it!; 9:11 PM