National Lost Penny Day

National Lost Penny Day celebrates the American penny, and takes place on Abraham Lincoln's birthday, because it is his likeness that is on the coin. The name "penny" may have come from a few things. It may have derived from the word "pawn," meaning pledge or debt; it may have come from the West Germanic word for "frying pan," because of its shape; and it may have derived from the Latin word "pondus," meaning "pound." The penny is based off of the Carolingian denarius, a silver coin that was the main currency in Europe for centuries. Today, various countries use a penny, which is usually the smallest denomination of currency. "Penny" is an informal name for the coin in some countries, such as the United States and Ireland, and it is the formal name for the coin in Britain. In the United States, the formal name for the coin is the one-cent coin or the American cent.

The first penny in the United States was minted in 1787, and was designed by Benjamin Franklin. It was called a Fugio, and was made from 100 percent copper. In 1856, the Flying Eagle debuted; it was the first American small cent, and large cents were soon discontinued. In 1859, the Indian cent was first minted, and a Native American princess was the face of the penny for a half century.

In 1909, the Lincoln cent debuted, marking the centennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth. This coin was the first regular issue United States coin to honor an actual person. The reverse of the coin had two ears of durum wheat on it, and the coins were commonly called "wheat-backs" or "wheaties." During World War II, there were demands for copper on the war front, creating a shortage of the metal at home. Therefore, zinc-coated steel cents were made in 1943; a few were also made in 1944, and are very rare. Beginning in 1959, the sesquicentennial of Lincoln's birth, and lasting until 2008, the Lincoln memorial was on the reverse of the Lincoln penny. Up until 1982, the penny was 95 percent copper, but it was changed to be 97.5 percent zinc and 2.5 percent copper, because the value of copper in pennies had risen above a cent. The copper in pennies is now mainly used to plate them. Four types of Lincoln cents were released in 2009, on the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth, depicting four moments in his life. This was the one year since 1982 when pennies were mainly made out of copper. Since 2010, a Union shield had been on the reverse of the penny.

Some have proposed discontinuing the production of the penny, but there are not yet concrete plans to do so. This is mainly because the penny costs more to make than it is worth. In 2014, it cost 1.67 cents to make a penny. To put this in perspective, in 2013 there was 55 million dollars lost making pennies.

How to Observe National Lost Penny Day

There are a few ways to celebrate National Lost Penny Day:

• Look for lost pennies—maybe in your couch, or outside on the ground; finding pennies is seen as bringing good luck.
• Gather all your pennies together and cash them in or donate them to a cause.
• Start a penny drive at your school or place of employment.
• Flip pennies to make all the days' decisions.
• Start collecting pennies—go through all your pennies and see if you have any wheat-back ones.
• Learn more about Abraham Lincoln; it is his birthday after all.

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