SCREGMAN SAYS...

THIS IS MY GAME... SUCKING THE MARROW FROM THE BONES OF LIFE... ONE BONE AT A TIME...

Friday, April 13, 2007

FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH...


I haven't forgotten about Thor's request to continue my "Tour of Italy 2006" series. I shall return to it soon enough. But for now... Does anybody out there collect money...? Let me be more specific. Over the years, I've collected the following kinds of money:

* The two-dollar bill. I've got quite a few of these and everytime one of them crosses my path, I add it to my collection. [I can't help but recall a comedian saying he'd collected the two-dollar bill years ago. "And you know how much each is worth now?" he asked. "Twooooooooooooooooooo dollars..."]

* The Susan B. Anthony dollar coin. If I'm not mistaken, it's the same size as the quarter, so there was some confusion there.

* 50 cent coins.

* The Sacagawea dollar coin.

* Independence quarters. Or is the correct name "Bicentennial" quarters. The ones that have 1776-1976 on the front and a guy with a drum on the back.

* Any coin dated 1969 or before. 1969 isn't totally arbitrary (or maybe it is). It happens to be the year I was born. So, when my spare change starts growing, I spread it all out and look for coins dated 1969 or before. I've got a few pennies from the 1930's & 1940's.

I don't know how much I've accumulated, but I've been doing this for years. I suppose I could do some serious research with some of my older coins. Dare I hope that the two-dollar bill will be worth more than $2.00? What are the chances of one of my older pennies being worth hundreds of dollars? And what about the more current stuff? Should I hold on to everything in the hopes that it'll all be worth something more in the future?

- OOOOOOOORRRRRRRR -

Should I just deposit everything and let it earn interest and hope that I'm not screwing myself (with my pants on) by parting with something that might be worth a lot more in the future?

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I know there is a class of people out there who stuff their mattresses with money because they don't trust the banking system. Or maybe they've got gold bars, just in case the U.S. dollar plummets.

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If you see a penny on the ground, will you pick it up? How about a nickel? A dime? A quarter?

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Do you neatly fold your money into your wallet/purse/pocket after a cash transaction? Or do you just crumple everything together and sift through it all later, separating the cash from the half-used tissue paper and receipt(s) and pocket lint?

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If you're paying in cash (e.g. for fast food), would you take the time to give exact change? Or do you just give the cashier the traditional $20.00 and then dump your change in your pocket/purse?

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I once won 1,000 nickels in Las Vegas.

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Is there anybody out there who deals more in plastic rather than hard currency? [I transact mostly with plastic myself, but I still carry some cash at all times.]

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Don't forget to put two obolus on my eyes when I'm gone so I can pay Charon...

posted by ScregMan @ Friday, April 13, 2007  

7 Comments:

  • At 4:16 PM, April 13, 2007, Blogger caninecologne said…

    i will pick up a penny or any coin as long as it's not in the water, on mud, dirt or shit. and also if no one is looking.

    as you float down the river styx....


    ---------------
    i keep my $$ folded in my wallet in sequential order. bigger bills on the outside, ones on the inside. i do not crumple my $$ or my receipts. those go neatly into my wallet and i empty it out within a few days.

    yes, i'm pretty anal. i like things in ORDER dammit.

    bert also collects coins. like the state coins. don't know about the rest.

    if i pay for food (fast or a cheap meal), i try to give exact change i i have it. although the coins weigh an infinitesimal amount, psychologically my wallet feels lighter. i hate breaking bigger bills unless i have to.

    i deal with plastic more, but should use my cash more. i always pay off my credit card(s) every month in full anyways.

     

  • At 9:40 PM, April 15, 2007, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Oh dear, my anal side is showing...

    I rarely pick up money from the ground, I figure someone else might need it/want it more than I. I did once pick up $7 from the ground.

    All my cash is organized by denomination, facing the same way, corners smoothed out. Receipts, eh, I keep 'em all so I can shred them at home.

    When buying fast food (which is probably the only thing I use cash for), I give enough loose change to get quarters back. I keep a little change purse for my quarters that I can use as emergency money for when I forget to get cash from my ATM (Thor), or I use for the self serve car wash, or for parking meters...

    That's a lot of nickels!

    I always use credit when I can. Cash doesn't give me airline miles, cash back, or hotel points. I NEVER use checks. They suck ass and hold up the line.

    Burn me to a crisp, ain't no need for coins where I'm goin'...

     

  • At 10:34 PM, April 16, 2007, Blogger caninecologne said…

    the last time i tried using a check was this past january at macy's. i was buying a pricy purse (a splurge - but an investment since that damn purse is going to last me a good 5 years!)...

    anyhow, i made sure to go to the navy federal atm before hand to transfer $$ into my rarely used checking account.

    just my fkn luck, my check was NOT accepted. that was such bullshit. i ended up paying credit for it, but it defeated the purpose of me going to the atm in the first place.

    before that, i only used my checks to occasionally pay back bert or for tc's piano or dance lessons. never used them in stores - pain in the anus and it takes too long.

    lotus is right, checks suck big ole lopsided donkey balls with blue veins and stubbly hairs. oh wait, she said, checks suck ass.

     

  • At 8:28 AM, April 26, 2007, Blogger HotFudge said…

    Screg, just remember that when you see a penny pick it up and all the days you'll have good luck!

     

  • At 10:12 AM, May 09, 2007, Blogger Mulysa said…

    you all crack me up! i shove money into my wallet (including change, which can fall out...). sometimes it just goes into purse or pocket or ashtray or where ever.

    stitch recently found 11$ at target and we gave it to a teenage girl who was VERY happy.

    i keep 20 in a hidey hole in my car for emergencies, and it has come in handy.

     

  • At 1:29 PM, July 13, 2007, Blogger mikshir said…

    I have coins from my travels, about 15 types. I have US coins like screg (50 cent, silver dollers, old pennies, etc). I have uncut sheets of $2 bills from the dep of treas. in DC. From what I understand, unless the coin is truly old, it's not worth more than face value... the primary reason is that truly old coins were made of precious metals (silver, copper, etc). So the only real reason for keeping some of these coins is either sentimental or because you may have mild hoarding OCD like me. :-)

    Checks should be done away with entirely. But I guess there are enough uses that fell through the cracks that they do serve some purpose sometimes.

     

  • At 4:12 PM, July 18, 2007, Blogger HotFudge said…

    Thane, sounds like we have collecting foreign coins in common. I have something from each place that I've visited. I have some U.S. ones too like the old pennies, 50 cent piece, $1 coin and $2 bills. I've been collecting the state quarters & the new nickel. I know there not worth much, but I also have some pesos too.

     

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