Guess too many people asked the U.S. Mint about melting copper coins for profit, now that pre-1982 cents are worth more than twice face value. Apparently the Mint is against this new business idea and is nipping it in the bud. (Thanks to Guzzo for posting a comment about this.) Melting coins wasn’t illegal up … Read more
I was looking into how pawn shops operated, just to satisfy my curiosity. Ran across an interesting fact: “Pop goes the weasel” is about pawnbroking. “Pop” is another word for pawn, and “weasel” could be either a bobbin, or Cockney rhyming slang for a coat. The idea is that the spinner would “pop” his “weasel” … Read more
With all of the talk about getting rid of the penny because it’s getting so expensive to make, I came up with this short list of alternative uses for the Lincoln cent. Some of them are a little rebellious, and if you think they’re funny, shame on you. (Let me know how they work!) As … Read more
I thought “Jim” of Blueprint for Financial Prosperity fame was a little more favorable towards our nation’s coinage. I was caught completely off guard when “Jim” dissed the Lincoln cent, calling it “useless” and all but inciting riot with his “Down with the penny!” shenanigans. First of all, “Jim” (if that is indeed your real … Read more
A copper cent has well over two cents’ worth of copper in it, as of today’s close — 2.6 cents, actually. Even the “cheap” zinc cents are almost actually worth 1 cent in the metal content. That’s how far the base metals have rallied recently. This guy has engineered a machine that separates the wheat … Read more
I saw Deal or No Deal tonight for the first time. It may have been a rerun but I don’t know. Howie Mandel is funny and quick on his feet, so that was a plus. I just cannot believe that people will walk away from huge amounts of easy money in hopes of getting even … Read more
This was forwarded to me in an e-mail about a year ago by a friend who knew that my wife and I were expecting. I don’t know who wrote this, but I’ll be more than happy to give credit where credit is due. I updated the numbers a bit and changed the phrasing slightly. Enjoy! … Read more