Rolling Pennies

My grandmother kept a penny jar as many people do today. When I was a kid, she would keep me and my siblings occupied when we visited by asking us to count her pennies. Occasionally, the pennies got rolled as I am doing today and taken to the bank. But, mostly, the pennies were used as entertainment. We stacked them, made walls and forts out of them, played grocery store.

Penny facts (sorry I am not citing sources but you can look these up):

1. Millions and millions of pennies are thrown away each year, and not necessarily on the ground but in the trash, because they are a nuisance for some people to carry around.
   
2. Support for picking pennies up off the ground is eroding. The practice varies widely by age group. Seniors will bend over more often than young adults.
3. About a quarter of the people who pick up pennies respect the superstition of only picking up heads and about a fourth of this group actually turn the bad coin (tails) to benefit the next person.
4. Pennies cost more than one cent to make.
5. The most expensive penny is a rare one minted in 1793. Only four are known to exist today and their worth is estimated at more than $275,000.