A few years ago I was bartending and was about to throw a handful of change into my tip jar when a weird penny caught my eye. It was the same size, shape, and color of a regular penny but the design was different. There was no Abraham Lincoln for starters. There was an Indian instead. The Lincoln Memorial wasn’t depicted on the back either. It just said One Cent in the middle of wreath. I thought it might have been Canadian, but it had United States of America written around the Indian’s head. I looked at it a little closer and noticed the year the coin was minted underneath the Indian. It was made in 1880. That blew my mind. I was holding a piece of history in my hand. 1880 was a long time ago. It was way before planes, cars, iPhones, and your shoes (and your shoes are old as fuck). Cowboys could have used this penny in their poker games. Your grandpa could have used it at the brothel the night he met your grandma. She was cheap but worth it. Without that penny, you might not exist. I kept that 1880 penny. I still have it to this day. I don’t plan on getting rid of it anytime soon. I looked up its value. It’s not in the best condition, but it’s still worth at least $4. That doesn’t seem like a lot until you consider that it’s increased over 400% in value. Kind of makes me wish I found an 1880 silver dollar instead.
Critically Rated at 15/17
Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young
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