Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-23
PENNIES DISAPPEAR

What becomes OF the vast VOlume Ol
copper pennies that are turned out
each year by the government? They
are never called in and redeemed like
some kinds of currency and coins, but
they seem to disappear as fast as they
are stamped and put in circulation.
1t is unusual if the date on any of
the pennies in a mans purse at the
end of the day is over ten years back,
yet the Philadelphia mint, which coins
all the copper pennies, sends out in
some years as many as 81 100000 worth
of them to the trade centers-1OO,O OO,-
900 1 cent pieces. If laid fiat, edge to
edge in a row they would reach more
than 1000 miles. And still there are
some sections of the country where the
penny is little known.
In many of the mountain districts
of the south the york shilling" 1914
cents, is still spoken of in trade but
no one ever hears the 1 cent piece
mentioned. In many towns in the
south and west the tradesmen offer
nothing for a penny, a scent purchase
is the smallest that can be made.
In the east the chief use of the
penny, outside of filing the childs
bank and buying the morning paper,
is for the purchase of chewing gum
and 1 cent candies. This is a habit
which is increasing in New York city
every year. All the railroad and ferry
terminals and the subway and elevated
stations are lined with penny in-the-
slot machines, and they reap an enor-
nous harvest every day. So accus-
toned has the public become to their
use that many of the more important
stations and waiting rooms have as
many as a dozen of these machines,
which have to be emptied at least once
a week.
Many a staid citizen has found
himself asking the ticket seller in
the subway or elevated for pennies
in change for his dime in order to
patronize one of the machines Some
times they do not work and he in
wardly swears that he will give up
the habit, but next day he is pretty
sure to be at it again if he has a
penny in his pocket
The increase in the number of
penny-in-the-slot monographs and
moving picture machines in New York
in the last few years shows another
way to which the public has taken to
get rid of it's pennies. Many of these
machines are now appearing in ferry
terminals and railroad stations, and
"emporiums" are now open on many
CT the important streets of the city in
which there are scores of these ma
chimes, with young women carrying
rolls of pennies passing to and fro to
make the required change.
Uncle Sam takes in many pennies
for stamps and postcards, and many
of them flow into the contribution box
in the churches and religious societies.
But all these ways in which the penny
is put to use does not explain where
they eventually go or what makes
them disappear in such vast quaint ties
every year. There have been long and
learned discussions over where all the
pins go to. but the penny problem is
enc which seems even more battling.
One does not throw pennies about
as he or she does pins, and despite
the admonition of "see a pin, pick it
up" many are passed by where steps
will be taken to gather in a penny
found lying about. Even the gov
eminent coinage experts do not give
a satisfactory answer to the problem
They give the following reasons for
the disappearance of the coppers-fall-
ing through cracks into holes and dark
places, used in various arts and crafts,
locked up for years in children's
banks, etc.