This article went flashing through my Yahoo search today. In short it tells the story of a collector who released some valuable coins into the wild and they were never seen again.
I recall being on the PCGS forums when Scott Travers announced that he was doing this and all the speculation of what would happen. Travers did this to promote collecting from your change and numismatics in general. One NY television station actually followed him buying a pretzel and giving the coin (1914-D cent) to the completely unaware vendor.
The vendor was not originally from America and seemed mad at all the attention and I think never bothered checking his change. If they are anything like the vendors I run into they are annoyed with pennies so the fate of the cent may not have ended well.
Scott Travers(http://www.pocketchangelottery.com/) has several books and is full of enthusiasm for the numismatic way of life. That said the stunt was never going to find an end. Yes it did lead to others searching their change and finding other nearly identical types. Trust me when I say vendors where not the right choice for a fruitful recovery but I think the stunt worked.
Once while in a class with a good mixture of native and non-native New Yorkers I saw seven cents on the ground. These seven light brown coins were in the center of lecture hall and probably rolled out of some jacket pocket while the student dozed off. I was going to pick them up when decided to see how long they'd last. At least a hundred students are in and out everyday. Well as a week passed and only one coin went missing I decided to take them myself. None were special, I made sure a week earlier but still it's seven cents that could possibly be worth more. I get Travers' passion but the disgust of pennies by most makes it a tough battle.
Have you found these coins or something similar and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.
1 dollars worth, for Comments/Questions click here.:
Interesting! I'll have to keep an eye out here, in case any of them made it across the pond.
Post a Comment