What if you had a penny for every time you lost one?

(Oh the places we could go!)

No, but seriously, even by guesstimation this figure is pretty surprising!

People, (including me) drop or purposely throw pennies away all the time… Let’s just say every adult in the country “lost” a meager 3 cents this year (this is obviously a modest amount). Multiply that by the number of adults in America and you get something like $743,441,730 lost pennies a year!

And…it gets even stranger. Did you know National Lost Penny Day is actually a thing? It was introduced by eventologist Adrienne Sioux Koopersmith in 1995, and even though this day was readily adopted by the nation it still remains an unofficial holiday. Annually observed on February 12th, it is best known for its active sense of community mindfulness.

*Fun fact* February 12th, the day of the lost penny, is also Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.

This day is dedicated to the search and gather of all spare change that gets swept under the rug–literally! Or in the couch, car, and all the other magical places our spare change seems to ends up. Acquire luck and bonus points by finding and keeping a penny from off the street. Once the scavenger hunt has ended, it is traditional to donate the findings or participate in a sort of pay it forward act.

These small but important contributions are a reminder that giving back to the community or supporting your chosen cause is easily possible if we only make the effort. Other popular uses for our lost bits of gold include buying a lottery ticket, showing children how to manage a savings account, giving someone a penny for their thoughts, and penny focused arts and crafts. What will you do with all your pennies this year?

National Lost Penny Day

• Collect your change: Donate to a cause
• Create a masterpiece: Arts and crafts
• Pay it forward: Buy someone lunch
• Start a gratitude jar: Watch your change grow
• Need to make a decision: Flip a coin
• Check your pennies: Some are rare and worth more than you think

“Petty change can make an astounding difference”

– Adrienne Koopersmith

Samantha Evans

Samantha J. Evans better known as Sam, regularly prefers not to limit her identity. She credits her favorite freedom: the ability to create, and the physical realization of many others to staying true to herself along life’s journey. Samantha’s unwillingness to be contained has also contributed to her exceptionally curious and unconventional resume. This includes experiences like field interviewing in support of research and development projects, photography, and a brief, but very enlightening year at a local gun club. Although the idea of diversity and exploration has been a reoccurring theme in her life, she has made Colorado her permanent place of residence, and has been enjoying the lifestyle ever since. Peering into aspects not initially visible about Samantha, offer a powerful combination of quirks; only to be described as profound complexities, that reinforce her passion for “peopling” and in some cases altruistic behavior. Samantha ultimately aspires to create the form that will bond all her multifaceted inspirations to help the World become more excellent.