Growing up, I embarked on a number of interesting collection quests. After becoming an environmentalist in elementary school, I organized "litter patrols"with my friends next door around the neighborhood, seeing who could collect the most rubbish by the end of the afternoon. Later in Middle School I spent lunch and swim meets digging through garbage bins, looking for cans, bottles, and plastic to put in the recycling bin (and for good measure I cut the plastic rings in which the six-pack soda bottles came). This behavior stopped just before high school, but so potent must the memory have been that when senior year rolled around my classmates voted me "most environmental" in the yearbook, the one distinction I earned in that publication.
In addition to the environment, I've also loved coins for many years; the old ones for their history, the foreign ones for their exotic designs, and the new ones for their value. About the time I started doing litter hunts and garbage bin dives, I also started collecting coins when they appeared in my path. The old and foreign ones I put to the side for periodic viewing, but the new ones went into an old fanny-pack which I called the "college fund." It seemed only natural that an environmentalist interested in sustainable energy and living practices would also take an interest in sustainable finances. And it was during those long litter hunts and treks through the garbage that I started finding coins in plenty. Thus a new habit was born.
The old "college fund" topped out at about $80, which I suppose isn't too shabby. I stopped consciously collecting while in college, though a jar in the bedroom somehow filled with coins during those years. And after graduation when a real job could not be found, I thought well, what the heck right, I'll run around the neighborhood and pick up coins I spot on the way.
Thus the "running salary" was born, and from May 2011 until December 31st of the same year I netted in this way $10.87. Not too bad for fresh air and exercise. This spurred the idea for an experiment, the very experiment about which this post is written: if motivated and focused, how much could one find in the course of an entire year? The idea is not without antecedent. The Smithsonian Magazine ran a piece on London's Toshers in the 1800s, fellows of surprisingly ruddy health who secretly entered the London sewer system in search of coins and junk for sale. We probably wouldn't know about these curious fellows were it not for the sociologist-before-sociology Henry Mayhew (1812-1887), a social reformer who detailed the ways of life of many fringe groups in London for his 1851 study London Labour and the London Poor. I learned of the Toshers rather late in the course of the experiment, but immediately I felt a bond with their adventurous profession.
In any case, one year later and the results of the experiment are in. In 2012 I found 59 Quarters, 117 Dimes, 44 Nickels, and 459 Pennies, for a total of 679 coins, or $33.24. In 366 days I averaged 1.85 coins per day, $2.77/month, with an 8.7% chance of finding a Quarter, 17.2% of a Dime, 6.5% for a Nickel, and 68% for a Penny. In addition I found $15.00 in paper bills, but I spent those on train fare so they aren't counted here.
On the whole I would say the experiment was a most interesting and enjoyable experience. I passed many hours outside, roving about the neighborhood, through parks, and down lanes in search of fresh air, curious sights, and of course new coins. Along the way I lost 5 pounds, went over a year without getting sick (until the last few days, go figure), reacquired a love for drawing and photography, and developed a deeper appreciation for the local area and its interesting places. So really the experiment was not only about finding coins, but also those habits and interests which develop through experience. The true value of this past year's experiment went far beyond the dollars and cents; indeed, it seemed to make me happier, healthier, and in an adventurous spirit, and that is perhaps the most interesting finding of all.
In the mean time, I plan to invest this and last years' findings into the bank, putting the interest toward charitable donations to the classical radio station, the orchestra, and the Mid-Atlantic Spinal Cord Injury Fund for my friend. It's a great feeling to find money doing something you love, and it's likewise when you can give it to a good cause. Something to remember as I embark on another year of collecting.
Happy New Year friends :)
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