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NATIONAL LUCKY PENNY DAY | MAY 23

On May 23rd, National Lucky Penny Day hopes you’ll have good luck all day long. Heads or tails, does it matter which side you find your penny?

Years ago a penny was able to buy something. (Check out National Taffy Day – to see what we used to get for a penny.) Today, due to inflation, the penny does not buy much of anything. The metal value and cost of minting pennies exceed their face value. Many nations have stopped minting equivalent value coins and efforts are being made to end the routine use of pennies in several countries including the United States.

See a penny, pick it up. All day long you’ll have good luck.

First U.S. Penny
The United States first issued a one-cent coin produced by a private mint in 1787. Benjamin Franklin designed it. On one side, it read “Mind Your Business” and the other “We Are One.” This coin was made of 100% copper and was larger than today’s penny. It came to be known as the Fugio cent. However, the first pennies struck in a United States Mint weren’t produced until 1793, but they were also made of copper.

Pennies may not have much value these days. However, there are a few pennies that have made a mint for the owner:

1943-D: Lincoln Bronze Penny sold for $1.7 million.
1944-S: Lincoln Steel Penny sold for $373,750.
1943-S: Lincoln Penny made of Bronze sold for $282,000.
1909 VDB: Lincoln Penny sold for $258,500.
1856: Flying Eagle Penny sold for $172,500.

Why are pennies lucky? Well at one time, metals, including copper were precious material. Finding a penny was a valuable find. Sometimes finding a penny had more to do with the daily battle between good and evil. Do you only pick up a penny if it’s head side up?

Superstitions carry on from generation to generation. And with some of them the rule that says if you find a penny tail side up, you should flip it over and leave it head side up for the next lucky person to find.

On a wedding day, there’s also a saying that leads people to put a penny in the bride’s shoe. It’s more likely to lead to a blister than to bring good luck in that case.

When you are out and about, look on the ground for pennies. It just might be your lucky day!

NATIONAL TAFFY DAY | MAY 23

May 23rd celebrates a mouth-watering confection on National Taffy Day. Taffy candy has been made and sold for many years and has become a favorite souvenir of many vacationers.

Salt water taffy in was invented 1883 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Confectioners make this sweet treat using boiled sugar and butter. They stretch and pull the concoction until it is a chewy consistency that can be rolled and cut. The flavors range from buttery to tart to sweet. There is a flavor for everyone, and it seems like they introduce a new one each year, too. Taffy’s colorful displays entice children and adults alike. And they have been doing so for generations. At one time, candy shops and pharmacies sold penny candy, and taffy was one of the many tempting options we could choose from. However, those days are now long gone.

With summer just around the corner, seasonal candy shops are stocking up their latest selections. With so many flavors to choose from, it’s often hard to decide which ones to pick. That’s why they often offer flavors swirled together to help us narrow it down. But we’re still enticed by the variety and the colors.