BRING OUT YOUR CHANGE!

This is it. The final hours of 2007. The final hours of "Found It, Count It". And thanks to you, fellow participants, for being great change finders. One last day. Keep up the good work!

On my personal level, I found a penny this morning. I've found hundreds of pennies this year. No respect for the little guy.

On a professional level, I saw this story about a librarian who helps authors and "stars". He's dubbed the "librarian of the stars"

Anyway, everyone have a safe and wonderful time celebrating the New Year tonight! Tomorrow (hopefully!) I'll do a "year in review" recap.

This afternoon I took a walk around my neighborhood to pick up a plastic wastebasket. Something simple. But since it was nice outside, I just took my time. Near 5th avenue and 9th street I saw somebody drop a coin then walk on and drop another coin. She just kept walking and could care less what she had dropped. When I got to the corner I looked around and saw it was a dime and two pennies. Score.

The last change pick-up of 2007 occurred at roughly 6:30pm in Park Slope on 7th Avenue near 13th street. It was a penny and I was out with a friend as we headed to dinner at Olive Vine which is a really great Middle Eastern restaurant.

23 Percent

Yesterday I went to the bank to deposit all the loose change I had accumulated throughout the year that were the result of daily purchases. The total came to $151.

I've found about $35 just lying around. That's about 23 percent of $151.

On the way to the bank I found a dime on 7th avenue. It was pretty beat up and in poor condition. Also collected four pennies throughout the evening. A few of them were lying around in various parts of Union Square.

Yuan More Time

Weird. My friend reported that she picked up a yuan in Iowa.

The same thing happened to me. I was at Newark airport and had just collected my luggage. I noticed this shiny object on the ground. So I had all this luggage and did a "coin test". I kicked it and it was loose and skidded off a few feet. As I bent down to pick it up, I saw it was foreign. Upon further inspection, it was a yuan.

I guess good things come in yuan. 1 Chinese Yuan equals about 13.68 cents as of the rate on 12-28. Nice find.

I did find some native currency soon after I came into NYC proper. At the Herald Square subway entrance on 34th street I had stopped to readjust my luggage. There were two pennies lying near the steps, also next to a cigarette butt. Lovely.

Onward and Upward!

There's change out there. I can feel it.

December 27

So far 13 cents have been found.

Keep up the good work!

Happy Boxing Day!

Today I found a penny at the mall. Yeah, the teen dropped it out of his hand. He looked at it. Didn't do much. Then one of his friends also stopped to pick it up but decided it wasn't worth keeping and dropped it. I finished my lunch and after seeing about 50 people walk right by it felt that I had let enough people have their chance before picking it up.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

Found It, Count It Begins!

The seven day campaign begins today. If you spot change (or bills) lying around and pick it up, record your amount here in the comments section. I'll tally up the total and it will be added to the donation amount.

Good Luck!

The 200th Post!

200 posts! Wow. And this post is "worth" a penny.

Late this evening after sitting in my apartment from watching a couple episodes of "Six Feet Under" and the movie "Mutual Appreciation", I decided I needed some fresh air. It was around 10pm. So I took a walk in my neighborhood and went down to the main drag of Park Slope. Then along 5th Avenue. I've never seen this area so deserted and quiet on a Saturday night. Almost had that "I Am Legend" feel to it.....anyway, it wasn't until I'm almost back by my apartment that I pick up the penny. It was by a bus stop and a bit off the beaten path.

"Street Change" Ornament

No "Street Change" was harmed, used or considered in the making of this ornament.

Give....and Receive

Today I found six pennies this morning. I got a coffee and realized I needed a little orange juice. At the corner, I saw a penny, then another by the first deli entrance but decided not to go in. Around the crates next to the entrance there was another penny. Then I picked up a penny in the deli and when I came out there were two pennies near the trash receptacle. Hmm....I tipped the guys at the coffeehouse $1 before all this happened. Good things do come around. And I've broken $35!

We Built This City

on Rock and Roll.

Well, maybe not exactly.

Maybe from sweat, hard labor and guts.

This evening at the ever impressive and quite inviting bar Pacific Standard I got a tip from a friend as to where I could find some change.

I picked up 17 cents. Thank you, Mike.

I did build this streetchange. On everyone's help.

This was a random photo that came up in flickr:

Ornamental Change

Today I made an ornament for a friend. Well, I took a very basic ornament and "spruced" it up with some other loose change I had that I have collected from various daily purchases throughout the year. It was quite gargantuan and well, I hope it doesn't make her tree fall over. It's probably worth a couple $$$.

Today I found two pennies. One was located on the stairwell as I coming into the subway in my neighborhood. It was lying near a drain and I scurried to pick it up. I also noticed as I was coming to the subway about three homeless people sleeping outside. It was rather a sad sight.

The other one was in a Duane Reade as I was picking up certain supplies for the ornamental decoration. Once I get a pic available, I'll post it.

1 Penny

Days like these you just think: man, I gotta blog about one penny. I found this penny in front of the Citibank on Broad Street. I needed some cash for dinner and was meeting a friend, Eytan, to catch up and talk shop about the research community.

Weekend Re-Cap

Vampire Zombies. Quiet. Explosions. Magellan. Circumnavigation. Six Feet Under. Brenda's Birthday Party. Soda. Wine. Jim's texting and petting of Ellie. Wine. $30 Tip. Drunk math. More Wine. Hello. Cab. Nice Place. Morning. Headache. Fondue Dinner. Sleep.

Oh....right, coin collecting. Ummm.....nothing over the weekend. I found 3 pennies on Friday.

Developments

I found a dime last night in my neighborhood. And I went through the entire street change collection at the bar tonight. WHOOPS!!!

Just kidding. Closing in on $35. A very respectable amount considering it was all up to chance.

Here are two "temporary" new changes to the system:

A) I will count the money that was intentionally thrown down by my friends. I wasn't sure what to do with this because I didn't want it to skew the actual total since this was supposed to be a VERY RANDOM EXPERIMENT. The total is $1.57. That is fine. However, I will not count any additional coins that are thrown down by my friends. The limit is capped.

B)After conferring with my public relations manager, minister of change, and acting secretary of finance we have decided to "open the field up" as they say in the world of recruitment. Armed forces excluded. I am pleased to announce without the launch of any major sponsorship, advertising agency or otherwise markeing personnel, the launch of the new holiday campaign "Found it, Count it!". F*CK YEAH!

Give the power to the people. Between December 24 and December 31, I will add what you "collect". Each day I will post an entry and if you find anything, put the amount in the comment. I will add that to my total. That's right, you too can be a streetchanger. I'll send you a button. Well, not really. But your retrieval of lost and displaced change will serve a good cause. So for one week, if you see it, and pick it up, it counts. Just remember to add your total in the comment section. Watch for the first posting on December 24.

"The Kids Are Alright"

My friend Alicia forwarded me this link:
http://gothamist.com/2007/12/11/penny_harvest.php

I was really happy to see this. And no, I won't be going up there with a backpack and some suitcases. Way to go, kids!

In my collecting news, I can only add four pennies to my total.

Picture from an MSN article that my friend Lana sent me (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22201606/)

Reassessment of the Revolution

Ahh....so yesterday during my late lunch I found a quarter and a penny at Chipotle. Not the one where the meetup meets. I don't know if I'm being a traitor to the cause by still eating there or not. But we did achieve success earlier this fall. Is it all evil when some results lead to good? I.e. change for a worthy cause? I wonder what our fearless leader has in store for the second campaign of our revolution because it seems as though the new head of the group has resumed the old regime's ways. Like a hydra with one of its heads removed, the other newly grown ones seem to persist the old idea. Your thoughts, O Glorious Cho?

Other pick-ups that day included two pennies and a nickel. I'm getting good at picking up change and still walking. I was with two friends after attending "Nerd Nite" at this bar on 11th street. I missed the first presentation since I worked until 7pm and the other presentation was quite graphic. I can rest assure that the world of CSI is not for me. After the show and heading back to Union Square I picked up a penny outside Webster Hall. Quick. Fast. Efficient.

Charity Information

Okay, time to reveal the organization where the money will be going to. This is the charitable organization:
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Here is information about the charity organization:
http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=4414

To donate online please click this link:
https://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_donate?item_id=8072
Please add this when completing the form:
Chapter designation: OH - Northern Ohio Chapter

There's an address there too if you prefer to send in your donation.

Since the total so far is $34 and some change, it will probably end up around $35. To those donating before the end of the year, maybe some of you will find it in your heart to round up to $35.

Questions?? Just post a comment or email me.

Millions of People....Little Change

I have returned from my trip. It was a wonderful trip. Where did I go? China. Amazing country. Among some of the sites I saw: Forbidden City, Great Wall, Temple of Heaven, Tiannamen Square, Summer Palace, Xi'an Terra Cotta Warriors, Hong Kong, Guilin, Yangshuo, Shanghai. I found the Chinese people to be very friendly -- and it was kind of neat to be a "novelty" in terms of appearance. Now since this is a blog more about finding money than finding love, I was rather disappointed. Consider the populations of Beijing, Xi'an, Hong Kong and Shanghai. We're talking a total of probably over 60 million. And I did walk around quite a bit in these cities. How much money did I find? 2 coins. 2 Jiao's. 10 Jiaos equal 1 Yuan. 7.5 yuans equal 1 dollar to give you a bit of perspective. Not much to add to the total.

Marco?

Once...Twice...Three Times a Penny

Okay so I didn't find three pennies all in one place today. I did find two this afternoon by Hale & Hearty near the NYSE. At least they each had a buddy. Yesterday I found a penny also during my lunch break. I like getting out of work during the day. Not only to take a break from a hectic day of requests but I try and explore and see if I can find any money. You'd think near Wall Street I'd be finding bills left and right. Well, probably but someone must be quicker than me and pick them up before I spot them. Tomorrow I begin a grand adventure.

IV

Add two pennies to the pot. One I found outside Cafe Steinhof, this Austrian restaurant in Park Slope. The other penny I found yesterday in my work neighborhood.

Today marks an anniversary I'd rather not think about. And I've collected a few.

IV (Four) years.

Those who know me will know what that signifies.

The weird thing is that I've been through tougher things in my life and yet, this seems to affect me the most. I can't explain it.

I'll end it on a positive note because as with collecting change "You never know what's around the corner."

Wedding Bells and Coins

So this past weekend I went down to DC for a wedding. Not mine. A friend who I actually met at another friend's wedding was getting married. Before I made it to DC I found one penny on the way to the Chinatown Bus depot (mine did not catch on fire) and while I was sitting on the bus, I saw two pennies under a seat. Cool. Great progress.

I found some money in DC. Five pennies. Is that a lot? I was there from Friday night until Sunday afternoon. Some would say yeah. Others would say "Rotten luck, man." At that rate, it's probably more than I found in Denver and I was there for a week. I guess it's a change droppin' city.

Of course, what happens this morning? I finish my run and am about to cross the street when what's lying there? Yup. Change. Two dimes and a penny. Take that DC. Yeah, you know me.

I'd like to address Mike's comment:
I will be posting the name of the charity in early December and info on how to donate. That way you can make the donation during this calendar year. You can also approximate the amount at that time. Seeing how I'm at $34, I'll probably be around $35 in that month.

Completely Unrelated

Sometimes you just need to post something irrelevant.

How did I become "old-school"?

So USA Track & Field recently banned the use of headphones at its races. In the NY Times article, it describes two groups of people who do not wear headphones:
"Elite runners do not listen to music in races because they need to concentrate on their own bodies and hear their competitors, and some die-hard, old-school runners follow suit."

I don't listen to music when I run. Tried it twice. Didn't like it. And somehow I became old school. Damn. That just makes me feel....old.

This morning I picked up a penny when I went to get my favorite coffee. Lying near the street, the abuse of cars running over were clearly marked. In some ways, I rescue them. Ha, who am I kidding?

I can't make this stuff up (1st ever action shots!)

I met a friend, Alicia, after work tonight. It had been a long day. Our library is in the process of a move, in fact tomorrow is the last day for its present location. And I'm frustrated at work because of the reference situation. I need a reference co-pilot.

It was on our walk home that the magical discovery occurred. We were passing the new fancy luxury apartments on 16th street. It was about half way up the block when I just casually noticed a penny. Ah-ha! Alicia slows down and I pick it up. As I'm picking it up, I notice another one close by. Okay. Then Alicia, says, Hey, there's one over there. Before I know it, the sidewalk is scattered with pennies.

It's dark and the streetlamp isn't providing much light so I get out my flashlight.

Yes, I carry a flashlight with me. It's in my backpack (along with a first aid kit) and other essentials. Reminds me of a friend's online personal profile she saw recently where the guy has a "go-bag" in his closet if "something catastrophic befalls the city". Okay, I'm not that extreme. But yeah, I can see the comparison. Anyway, I'm pointing my flashlight around and finally recover every penny that I see. What's the total?

65 cents.

NICE.

I was pretty happy and also elated a friend was there to partake and witness the magnificent find.

Steady As She Goes

I found 11 cents on Halloween. One while I was walking on Vanderbilt into for me never before chartered territories of Brooklyn. Nearly lost the dime too. Some kid walked right over it and scraped it, I thought he heard it. No, kids these days, pay no attention. ;) The penny I found on PPW. Finding pennies in the dark is a wonderful exercise. I mean that in jest.

Prior to Halloween, I found a penny in the elevator where I work. That was an easy find and no one else was in the elevator making it less awkward. can't wait for that commercial to come out. I saw a lady standing in line drop a penny and she looked at it. When I was done with lunch about 30 minutes later, I walked over and picked it up. About 10 people had an opportunity aside from the dropper to pick it up. I consider that fair play.

Keep finding pennies. Some people call me the Penny Prince.

And we have broken $33, boys and girls.

Outreach

I came across an article that reminded me of my blog. You can read about the article here:
Collecting
Here's what I wrote to the guy:

Hello! I came across your article when I was looking at the web site Coinflation (http://www.coinflation.com/). I've been doing something similar this past year in New York City and have been blogging about it. Here's a link to my blog: http://streetchange.blogspot.com/ How much money have you found total? I'm rather curious.

So far this year I've found over $32. It's rather amazing how much money you can find lying around, right?

Anyway, at the end of the year, I'm matching what I've found and giving it to a charity. I've convinced a few friends also to match the total amount. A little change can go a long way.

Keep up the collecting!
Dagfinn

We'll see if I get a response.

In coin collecting news, I found a few pennies over the weekend. One I was coming home from the soccer game between the Red Bulls and New England Revolution. A playoff game and a tie. Go figure. Anyway, I was approaching Rector street when I saw the circular dark spot in the light.

What's on your street?

It had been quite a while since I had found any money in a subway car. I'm sure the homeless come through and scour to see if there's any change. And also possibly I have an arch nemesis somewhere out there. I have yet to see my rival in action but we all know this city isn't big enough for two street changers. ;)

Well, Thursday I'm the evening person at work and that means I work from 11am to 7pm. Oddly enough it takes me longer to get to work at this hour than it does at my normal time because there are less trains.

On my way to work there are two pennies in my car. Thankfully there aren't that many people at this time so I collect my pennies as casually as I can. Which when it comes to NYC, you can do a lot and nobody would give a....damn, for the PG-13 readers out there.

This morning I found change on the street. Literally the street. So yes, the blog does live up to its name. I wanted to cross the street but they've changed the light pattern at this intersection that makes it rather inconvenient for pedestrians. You have to wait much longer than necessary with no opposing traffic coming and then are given a brief 10 second window to cross. So I decide to jaywalk and have been keeping track since I moved to NYC. That was number 491, 432. JUST KIDDING. My lawlessness pays off. There's a beaten down, run over quarter near the sidewalk. Swiped by Street Change Meister himself.

Fight Girl Battle World

You know you're in for something interesting when a character in a play is called "Zimlek". Not only that, it's played by two people. Double the fun! Tonight I saw a play that is in development called "Fight Girl Battle World". Two weeks ago the director began working on it. Tonight I saw some of the first act and one of the fight scenes. WOW. It was enjoyable and he presents a unique perspective of switching scenes instantaneously. Ingenuous. I've seen his other plays and thought that "Living Dead in Denmark" was absolutely hilarious and amazing. The attention to detail in that play was thorough and every piece just added to the overall experience of the play. Tonight it was rather interesting to see a new play and I will be there in March 2008 when it opens.

Let's do a coin tally for the past few days. Over the weekend I found a few pennies and when I went up to the Oktoberfest at Bear Mountain somebody dropped a quarter. Score!

Yesterday I found two pennies in a rather improbably place. I was walking through the turnstile to get on the subway when I spotted the coins. Two pennies. The subway turnstiles have a slanted ledge near the bottom. I was wondering, how could someone lose two coins that would fall on that ledge or fall and then bounce up to that ledge and stay there. It seemed like the chances of that happening were pretty small. Especially since it was two. Not one, two. I also went on a date that night so if anything good comes of it, I'll have to come back and see that as "the sign".

And I've found some more pennies also today. yea!

When you seek, you don't find

I was awoken this morning by the sounds of my amorous neighbor. Ahh....love. I mean lust. Anyway, after going for a run this morning I decided to actually do some "change hunting". The designated route was 5th Avenue and 15th street down to Flatbush. Up to 7th Avenue and back to 15th street. Guess how much change I collected?

Nothing would be a good guess because I almost found nothing.
For the 5th avenue section: 1 penny near Douglass.
For the 7th avenue section: 1 penny near 8th street and 1 penny near 10th street.

Wow. I find more money just rambling and meandering around town. So I guess the moral of the story is, stop looking and you'll find it.

Street Change Heroes

After several months of negotiations it looks like things are finally moving forward with celebrities we had contacted earlier. Here is our first placement. Others will be featured in the upcoming campaign "If a celebrity can do it, why not you?"

Today the hero in me found 17 cents.

Six Cents More the Richer

A man rushed up the steps from the entrance of the subway as I was walking down. I heard that clink of a coin dropping. Someone else heard it too. By the time I looked around the man was gone. I scanned a few steps for the coin. It was a nickel. "Oh well, guess he was in a hurry" said the other person. I picked up the coin.

A penny. Just waiting for me to pick it up and deliver it to more of his friends.

Six Cents. All the Merrier.

Stay tuned for a spectacular announcement later in the week!

Bills (The Kind We Like)

I found paper money tonight! There were two single dollar bills lying on the sidewalk on Prospect Park West and Windsor Place. I've now found $9 in bills this year. And this latest find brings me to $32. Money's all around. You just gotta look.

I Am Legend

I found six pennies over the course of yesterday and today. Pennies remind me of the slogan "Keep Truckin'". Just keep plugging along and you'll get there. The lonely pennies I kept finding earlier in the week now remind me of a book I recently purchased. I bought a book yesterday called "I Am Legend" written by Richard Matheson. Another movie adaptation has been made of the story starring Gettin' Jiggy Wit It, Will Smith. Didn't know the story was writtin in 1952. Story takes place in the 70s. We'll see how far in the future this latest movie reincarnation takes place.
Just think, "I Am Legend" could've been with this guy:

30-something

Yes, I'm 30-something. And I just made it to $30. The next day after I found that lonely penny, I found another lonely penny. Maybe it was the soulmate for the first lonely penny. Who knows. But what I do know is that you don't try and pass off a $1 million bill at a grocery store.

I also found another single penny on Friday.

But the monotony of the single penny ended late last night. After enjoying some homemade nutella at a friend's place, I was walking along 6th avenue. I've got great coin vision -- even at night. Ha. Well, I picked up a quarter.

And ladies and gentlemen, readers of the blog, intrepid hikers and idiot savants, I have reached $30.00. Break open the champagne. Jim?

Single

Well I found one penny today at the 4th avenue subway station. One single penny. One. Makes me wonder about my own life sometimes when I just find one coin. Sigh....normally don't bring in certain aspects of my life into this medium but I guess I'm just feeling it tonight. Part of me thinks I'll stop being single when hell freezes over. Who am I kidding? Global warming, hello! And the other part says, don't give up. It's a close fight.

Brauhaus

Some friends and I went camping over the weekend up to New Paltz. It was a blast! Excellent weather (even if it did rain Saturday night). We did the Gertrude Nose hike and went to a few wineries too. I have to recommend the Mountain Brauhaus restaurant. Delicious tasty food. Guess what was under my chair? A dime. Didn't think I was going to collect any money on a camping trip.

I also found 5 pennies today. Good ol' reliable New York.

$29.45

This is what $29.45 looks like:

3rd Quarter Financial Statements

StreetChange (streetchange.blogspot.com) is releasing their 3rd quarter financial results as of 9-30-07:

Total amount US Currency collected: $29.45

Total amount foreign currency (derived from spot rate of day of collection): $.20

Coin Breakdown:
Pennies 740
Nickels 25
Dimes 73
Quarters 26

Bills:
2 $1 bill
1 $5 bill

Top amounts found in one setting:
$5 (Prospect Park West - $5 bill)
$2.58 (Prospect Park West -- all coins)
$2.00 (Prospect Park -- 2 $1 bills)
$1.19 (Water Street -- all coins)

Highest Number of coins found in one place:
261 (Prospect Park West -- on 7/7/7)

Forward looking statements:
It is fairly assured that Streetchange will break the $30 mark for the fiscal year of 2007. Summer produced the most profilic rate of collection with over $10. As the seasons change so we assume will the frequency and rate of people being outdoors. With just over 50 cents to go to surpass $30 and with three months remaining analysts are forecasting a projected high of $32. Risk factors such as weather, random acts of carelessness by people and the volatility of the U.S. economy remain present and highly unpredictable. As always, these figures are estimates.

Twelve

Great Bar Harry. Something almost out of Hogwarts. And the Mystery Marzen on tap. Guess it and you win a pint for free. I guessed incorrectly.

I found twelve cents yesterday. My recent streak of finding money went from 9-12 through 9/25. I couldn't find anything on 9/26. But boy, $6 in a little over a week was phenomenal.

Looks like the penny will be undergoing a design change:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5het_daiqpVlw58pVg2L59NWah4eA

This weekend I'll be releasing my 3rd quarter financial statement and hosting a conference call. Transcript will be available on FD Wire. :P

Nickelfound, not nickelback

I found a nickel at lunch today. They're not getting it back.

Psychic Vacuum

On my way to check out this exhibit I found 7 pennies. You can check out my shots of this weird installation. It was like walking through an abandoned haunted house. Floor boards would creak and the rooms were dimly lit. Perfect horror movie setting. After my Shining Experience I found a nickel and another penny.

Birds of Prey

If I were a bird, I'd probably be a Harris hawk. At the Audubon House in Prospect Park yesterday they had a program on birds of prey. The speaker had brought live examples of four different birds. Earlier a friend and I had been feeding the ducks/geese. You know, once you throw one piece of bread, they just surround you. Almost like "The Birds" in a different sense.

Moneywise, I picked up five pennies. Pennies are my prey.

Raccoon Lodge

Resident Evil: Extinction was a life-changing experience for me. Okay, not really, but hey, I had a good time. One of the songs in the movie they play is In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly. Afterwards Mike and I headed over to a bar in the neighborhood. We chose the Raccoon Lodge to pay tribute to Raccoon City from the Resident Evil series. Cool bar! Lot of WTC recovery workers and construction workers frequently visit this watering hole. Nice old wooden bar, great jukebox and that instant feeling that you're welcome here.

And for the second time in a row, Mike and I heard a song that was played in a movie at the bar we went to afterwards. These aren't your "typical" songs you'd hear what with all the Fall Out Boy barrage out there. After Balls of Fury (I know, such a great choice -- what am I saying, I wanted to see Resident Evil), someone played a Def Leppard song.

This time it was a bit more surreal. A little after we got there In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida started playing. Of all the songs that someone could play. Resident Evil. Raccoon City/Lodge. Same song. Hmmm.....trippy.

At the bar I found a penny. On my way home picked up another penny and a dime. Payday.
This morning I found a penny. I've broken $29!

Bring it on Umbrella Corp.

And 9 makes.....

Penny Thursday! I found 9 pennies throughout the day. On my way to the Chinese consulate, at lunch, coming home from work and going out to get some dinner. What does 9 make?

An even $1.00 in coins for the Gauntlet.

So with the $5 bill, I picked up $6. Unreal.

Steady

Wow. 11 cents today. Sure, doesn't seem like much but it keeps adding up.

I've found 91 cents in coins since the gauntlet day (the 12th) (and minus the $5 bill in the park). That seems above average and I'm finding about 13 cents a day. Pretty steady. In fact I've found money on every day. That's a pretty good streak. Kinda like a baseball hitting streak.....

On A Tear

Damn. 13 cents today. One dime and three pennies. I found the dime near Farrell's. Guess some drunk dropped it. At lunch I found two pennies and this evening there was a penny in the laundry room.

The past week has been really good. People must be doing some summer cleaning with all the change they're dropping.

March of ones

Yesterday was a productive day. I found a nickel on my way to work. Didn't I just say how I didn't find nickels? Anyway, throughout the day I found 5 pennies. They're everywhere, man.

RE:E Tally (broken down by street change money type)
Bill: $5
Coins: $.77
Total: $5.77

77 cents in coins in less than a week is pretty damn good. Shoot, if I could find nearly a free dollar each week, I'd be happy.

Keeps rolling in

This evening as I was walking over to a friend's house I picked up a dime near Farrell's. Then after a fun evening I picked up a penny outside the apartment.

And Mike has agreed to come to the movie.

So much for honor

Mike said the bet was "in change" and won't go. On my blog "Street Change" is defined as money. Bills or coins. I found over $5 of street change. Guess I can't win even when I try.

So much for honor in modern times.

Touche, Mike

The Gauntlet was thrown and I defended my honor.

This morning I did a "long" 7 mile run. I write "long" because that's not really long for me -- at least when you've done 2 marathons, 7 is SHORT.

But I did this at a slow pace. Well....

Midway through my run, I'm on Prospect Park West coming up to the theatre. Between 12th and 13th street I notice something that looks like a leaf but isn't quite. I almost pass it when I take a second glance.

It's a $5 bill!

Hell's yeah! I snatch it and leap in the air. A few people see me and I shout to them "I make money on this run!" as I wave my newly found bill in the air.

Needless to say I felt elated and the rest of my run went superb.

So, Mike, about that bet. You initially stated $5. I have surpassed that. See you this Friday. I'll send you showtimes.

Sore....

Man am I sore from yesterday.

Yesterday afternoon I was walking around my neighborhood and found four pennies in one block. All I can say is people hate pennies. Worthless, annoying and "insignificant."

Last night I found a dime and two more pennies. Is it because dimes are smaller than nickels that I find more of them? I'll have to check but I think I have more nickels than dimes.

The RE:E tally: 56 cents. Fairly decent but obviously way off track the initial $5 mark that was set.

Homage to William Tecumseh Sherman?

On Thursday I found 4 pennies. Two on my way to the Chinese Consulate. And two more at lunch.
This morning I tried a "Bootcamp" session. Now I consider myself to be fairly fit, I run regularly. But boy was I in for a shock. All the other exercises (push-ups, sit-ups, squats, dips, etc) just did me in.
We met at the William Tecumseh Sherman statute by 59th and 5th avenue. There lying around the various steps were 1 dime and 14 pennies. I took them. Perhaps they were a tribute to the general.....

RE:E (The Gauntlet)

So I'm going to see RE:E next week and I want to drag my friend Mike to see it. He hates these movies -- all the more reason for him to be the victim.

Well, he put it to me this way: If I find $5 over the next nine days, he'll come to the movie with me. The Gauntlet has been thrown.

How am I faring?

I found a dime and a penny during my lunch hour. Only $4.89 more to go.....watch out!

The Puffy Chair

Yes, I saw a movie called "The Puffy Chair." For a description, click.

Today was rather interesting. On my way to work this morning I found what I thought was a Canadian dime at first glance. It turned out to be five pence from good ol' England. Where was the Brit who dropped that?

When I went to get money after work at the ATM, someone left 15 cents. I'll take that as my fee.

Saw a good friend this evening visiting town and had a few drinks at Yuca Bar. The fries are great! Afterwards, I picked up a penny and a nickel. Good day!

No change outside NYC....

So I went back to Ohio for a few days to visit family and relax. While I was there I made a few visits to the mall. Now I'd think that the mall would be a pretty good place to spot some loose change. But no. I didn't find anything. Nor in the parking lots when I ran other errands. Change-less city. Similar thing happened when I was in Denver. Just did not find that much change. Are people in this city careless? Is it something in the water? Are the MTA metrocards people? The cards are people! Soylent MTA cards. Whatever.

No sooner had I come back to NYC for an hour and I found a penny at the 42nd street subway.

Also found a penny this evening outside Blue Water Grill.

Labor Change Day

Had quite a productive Labor Day. Took a walk around Park Slope with my friend and I spotted a dime and 3 pennies. She helped spot a penny for me too. She says I've developed quite an eye. Before I met up with her I had already picked up another dime.

This evening I picked up a quarter and three pennies. All told over the weekend and today, I found a total of 53 cents.

Baseball breaks the $22 mark

My friends and I headed down to see the Cyclones play yesterday. Outside the stadium, I found a dime. Earlier in the day I had found a penny and was closing in on another dollar milestone. Game was fun, though the Cyclones lost. Afterwards some of went on the Wonder Wheel which provided some thrilling views of Coney Island.

Last of the Summer Comedies

So the past two weeks I've seen the last summer comedies that are going to come out this year. "Superbad" and yes...."Balls of Fury". "Superbad" was funny and charming. "Balls of Fury" was nonsensical but with its own enjoyment. Perfect after a stressful week at work.

The change pick-up the past few days has been:
A dime on Thursday and also two pennies.
Yesterday, I got a dime by a Mister Softee truck near the movie theatre and after the movie I found 15 cents on 2nd avenue.

This is what I'm looking forward to in a few weeks: Meerkats

Trampoline boy swallows £2 coin

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/6966041.stm

In other news, on Tuesday on my way to work, I picked up four pennies at my subway station. Three were right by the steps to the entrance. And one lone up in the walkway.

Last night I picked up a penny near my hairdresser.

Saturated

I guess when you dream about picking up money, you know you've reached a turning point. No going back now. Yes, I dreamt I found a couple of dimes as I meandered and journeyed. In reality, I found 3 pennies yesterday.

The Collecting Never Stops

Despite the lack of posting activity, the change is still being collecting. Fear not, Laura, o' reader of the street change blog. Your streets are being scanned, your public areas are being watched for any neglected change. They will find a new home. I guarantee that.

Since my last post, I've found 21 cents. 1 dime and 11 pennies. It was almost like finding a penny a day. Still tends not to keep the lawyer away.....those of you who know what I do will know what that means.

Nemesis or Ally: http://www2.theclarionnews.com/Opinions/67817.shtml
Just don't enter NYC turf or else. ;)
I may just send an email with a link to my blog to her.

The Gowanus Yacht Club

My friend and I went down to Smith street today to check out the new skateboard shop Homage that opened up.

I had picked up two pennies on the way and at the Bergen station I found the penny that marked $21.00.

We looked at some skateboards and then went off to the Gowanus Yacht Club. Hmm. First time there. Bartender was a bit zombie-like and it wasn't the most congenial and well-kept space. I think I'll go to the Friday nights at 4th Avenue Pub to sit outside and enjoy the free grill food.

But I did find a quarter on one of the benches. Damn. It's been a free-wheeling, change lovin' past two days.

Think and You Shall Receive

So as I walking to my coffee shop this morning, I thought: Wow, I'm pretty close to $21 if I found a quarter. That'd be almost $1 in one week. Not a bad rate.

Well....at the coffee shop what was lying on the floor: A quarter.

Hmm..is this what that book "The Secret" was all about?

""What we do is we attract into our lives the things we want, and that is based on what we're thinking and feeling," Rhonda says."

Williamsburg! The Musical

Yesterday I saw the production Williamsburg! The musical.

Humorous play about those hipsters living in that borough of Brooklyn.

Anyway, throughout the day, I was finding a lot of change. A lot meaning occurrence. Not really in value.

Before I went to the play I had found 4 pennies walking around my neighborhood. On my way to the play, I found 2 dimes. One of them near the subway turnstile. It had actually been some time since I had found some money near the turnstile. Then throughout the rest of the evening, I found 7 more pennies. Pennies from not heaven....but, everyone!

For a second....

Last night the weather wasn't so great and instead of heading to Prospect Park to see the bollywood movie, a group of us had Indian for dinner. I found a penny on the way. Then after dinner we were at Loki and played this fun little game called Wastebasket. Afterwards, as our group began to embark on their separate ways, there was a penny right outside the bar. I tried to pick it up. It was stuck. Huh? Did someone really glue change to the sidewalk? I tried again and finally managed to pry it off. It was stuck to some tar.

Tag:
streetchange

Night Change

I got home today around 8pm and went running. Then I stretched and showered. (Wow, this is what blogging is all about -- mundane details) Anyway, I had to find something to eat and as usually nothing was stocked in my kitchen. So I headed out. In the middle of one of my intersections I found a quarter and on the sidewalk I found a penny.

And is a "change" a-coming?
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Business/FunMoney/story?id=3461721&page=1

I broke $20 fools!

Ha! Change. And yet, it sort of adds up to something meaningful. I surpassed the $20 mark tonight.

Yesterday I found a penny and that would've been 1982.

At lunch I found a dime in Chipotle. Then after lunch, my friend saw me pick up 4 more pennies in the span of ten minutes. Hey, I was on.

After work, I went to a meetup event that wasn't cancelled and had more than one person show up (aside from me). As I was going to the meetup I saw a Mister Softee truck. There's gotta be change around there. YUP. A dime and a nickel. I know my spots.

Then I also picked up two more pennies later in the evening. All told: 31 cents.

So more than $20....let's see: 2 movies. 4 beers with tip. Or all to charity....arrggh. ;)

The Stash

This is the first dollar I picked up. It's in its own container. Ahh, memories.

So here's what the rest of my stash looks like.

1981

Yesterday I found 19 cents. 1 penny in the subway. 3 pennies in the laundry room. And while I was getting my dinner and picking up some beverages, I heard some change drop. It was pretty late at night and it was across the intersection. Well, the group didn't care about the dropped change, crossed the street and continued on their merry way. It took me about a minute to find the dime and nickel in the dark.

This morning on my way to work I found a penny near the entrance to the subway station. Then during lunch I picked up a dime in the middle of the intersection. Thankfully there were no impatient motorists!

So up to $19.81. What were somethings that occurred back then:

The European Cup for the 1980-81 season was won by Liverpool FC.

Prince Charles and Polo. (abstract only)

And Ronnie fired all those people who push tin.

Across The Pond

Well, it looks like I have a counterpart across the pond:

http://streetchangeuk.blogspot.com/

Same name. Same concept more or less.

I'm pretty psyched about that. I recently posted on his site. The coins he picks up look cooler!

And I'm going to try and post some more (how about any?!?) pics of what I collect. I realize there's not much imagery on the site....

After this year is over, I'll think of something else to continue the streetchange habit. As they say "Once you pick up, you can never drop it."

Perhaps all the money goes to a party or a savings account.....open for suggestions.

1951

I picked up a penny today before I headed off to the Cyclones game. They won 12-6.
My total is now $19.51. Well, what happened back in 1951:

There was a pretty severe flood in Kansas.

Who can forget Pär Fabian Lagerkvist?

Humphrey Bogart won Best Actor in "The African Queen". That's a pretty funny movie.

here's what the NYC subway system looked like in 1951:
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/caption.pl?/img/maps/system_1951_a.jpg
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/caption.pl?/img/maps/system_1951_b.jpg

And if you went to Washington High in Fergus Falls, you better head down to your 56th reunion later this week! Call Becky (715-735-7878) if you're still making arrangements.

The Heat is On

While I was at Loews trying to find some support braces for my air conditioner I found a penny and a quarter.

And I also found a penny in front my building. Hmm. Curious.

Rough Week

So first I wasn't finding money. Then I found a Canadian penny after a run on Tuesday. And then my friend threw down a quarter as I was tying my shoe. Talk about a rough week!

At last today I had a little luck. During lunch I found a penny and this evening by the 4th avenue station in Brooklyn, I found another penny. It all adds up.....

Every Cent I Take

Every Cent I Take
Every Coin You Place
Every change You Lay
Everything you forsake
I'll be picking up

Every Time I Find
Every Coin Is Mine
Every cent left behind
Every Penny Or Dime
I'll be picking up

Oh can't you see
Your change belongs to me
How a poor heart aches
With every change you forsake

Every Day Is Great
Every cent I stake
Every time you mistake
Every time you make haste
I'll be picking up

Since this year I've found a lot of change
I blog my results and it's rather strange
My friends wonder if I am deranged
All I know is that I keep finding street change
I keep picking up a penny, penny, please....

Every Cent I Take
Every Coin You Place
Every change you mislay
Everything you forsake
I'll be picking up

(Well, it was about time I took that song and made it my own. 2 pennies collected after work. 1 penny yesterday after seeing the movie Ratatouille.)

The Reliable Penny

Well, what can you say?

You can always find a penny.
They're really plenty.
You can always find a penny.
There are so many.
You can always find a penny.

Penny Row

On Thursday and Friday I found 3 pennies in the subway around my work.

Yesterday I went to Atlantic City for the first time. I didn't pick up any money there -- winning or otherwise. Glitzy veneer and what's the deal with the carpeting in the casinos? Does someone have a monopoly on the market? Just simple variations in the pattern.

At one point I was at a slot machine and looked over. There was a old gentleman betting away money. He had an oxygen tank with a tube leading up to his nose. I guess time was running out for his big money.

When I got back to NYC, I went to my subway at Bryant Park and found a quarter. Pretty good! Then yesterday evening, I was walking along 8th avenue and managed to find four pennies in 15 blocks.

Coin Ads

Here are some links to videos for/about coins or coin-related (and not so related) products:

Coin Clock: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZx-gIMVYbY
US Coins: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIY542kcJwY
"It's So Money": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOqJNkeaSoY
Coinstar Machine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9G3Qw24EYU
"Coin Slot" Cream....uhh...never mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzvAdUO0Gjo
Coin Dominoes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLbME-pNbds
Bank Iowa Penny: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJLIrtvsROA
Penny Racers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmft-uYIZEQ
Owl on Dollar Bill: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpYAZE8o5s0
Australian Conversion to Dollar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZVEEs-RJpw
The Lodge: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7svhp3omhHw
Axe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEY5BEYuC6A

The Crappy Dollar

Wow, the US Dollar sucks. Against the Euro. Against the Pound. Against the Canadian dollar???

"It rose to 96.51 U.S. cents at 4:35 p.m. in Toronto from 95.52 U.S. cents yesterday, reaching the highest since February 1977. One U.S. dollar buys C$1.0362."
Bloomberg article

I found two pennies today. Hopefully those will still be worth something by the end of the year. ;)

"Street Money"

So the blog for a day should be called "Street Money". I was reading in Prospect Park today and was walking back to the circle near the theatre. In the pedestrian lane, I came across two $1 bills. Yep. Paper money. The first time all year I've found some bills.

Oddly enough, it's not the most I've found at one place. That still belongs to July 7th when I found 261 pennies. A rather odd incident. But the money found today ranks as the second most I've found at one place.

Overall, I've found over $5 in the month of July. HOT SUMMER for COLD CASH.

Three's a crowd

I found three more pennies today. Two after I picked up a pizza and one after I had dinner at this new restaurant, Sidecar, which opened up on 5th avenue.

Clean and Easy

Yesterday I came across three pennies. All in subway stations.

Then this morning I found a quarter in my building's laundry room. That was easy. And clean.

At least I use legitimate currency to wash my clothes. Can't say that for everybody.....gives new meaning to the term "laundered currency"

2 and 2

Today I found 2 dimes and 2 pennies. Toodles!

Copper: The New Precious Metal

So I found 4 pennies during the day today. It's quite the going commodity:
"Take a penny out of your pocket and you’ll see what the national theft-fighting fuss is about.Copper.Thieves want it so desperately that they’ll take it from heating and air systems."
http://www.chattanoogapulse.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2007/07/18/469d1681c1022

After dinner at Steinhof, I came across a quarter that someone dropped, looked at it and then decided not to take it....and then later a dime by this deli. I owe all my money to lazy people. Face it, people who drop change, look at it and don't make the effort to recover their own money and don't pick it up are lazy. Like the person who dropped about $3 worth of change. L A F'ing LAZY. But hey, more money for the charity. Guess it's not so bad. :)

It's not a Cypriot coin

I found a coin today. It was not a Cypriot coin.

But a penny.

Recovering....

Still recovering from last night. It was my birthday yesterday.

So I picked up some change before I got to the place I had chosen to have my little shindig. I found two pennies and a dime.

As I was walking over to the bar, I thought, wow, that would've been funny if they had left a trail of pennies to the bar.

The party was a blast and yes, they dropped some change: 3 dimes and a penny. All in good tidings.

This morning I found a penny that was roasting in the sun on the sidewalk. It was pretty hot when I picked it up.

It's Gonna Be A Lovely Day

July 14. Best Day of The Year.

Yesterday I collected 3 pennies. 1 in the morning at my subway stop and two more during my lunch break.

This morning I found two pennies.

It's Gonna Be A Lovely Day.

What exactly are they drinking in Canada?

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_10630.aspx

When is a dime not a dime

when it's worth $1.5 million dollars.

Now it's the nickel

Well...penny, move aside. Looks like the nickel is having its own problems too:
A nickel is worth more than a dime

Cool site to check out to see how much your penny, nickel, dime, quarter, etc is worth (if you melted it down for the metal -- note the years of the coins):
http://www.coinflation.com/

And I found a penny today from 1981 at the Whitehall station. Oddly enough it's actually worth almost 2.5 cents.

Careless person.

Governors Penny

I took a bike ride with Time's Up today over to Governors Island. It was pretty cool. It also happened to be the day of the Figment imagination island festival. Consider it the after after party for the Mermaid Day parade in some ways. Lots of different activities, cool bands and odd assortments of artists.

As I was waiting for the ferry back to Manhattan I saw a penny.

"Scraps"

Before 7/7/7 ended, I found 10 more pennies. All near the W. 4th area -- previously dubbed as a "Money Zone". It's still holding up to its moniker.

And normally 10 pennies would be a pretty sizable amount. Except when you find 261 other coins in one spot.

All told, I found $2.83 cents yesterday. That is the most amount I've found on one day. And unlikely to be surpassed unless I found some paper money worth $5 or more.

And I almost added to that. After midnight, I found a quarter near my building. Falls upon today's count but hey, the "change mojo" was still working.

LUCKY 7/7/7 ! ! !

Boy did this day turn out to be LUCKY. However it started pretty normal.

I went on a bike ride from my place over to the West Side Highway and up around Herald Square. During my short trip I spotted 3 pennies at two intersections. Yes, I'm a geek and got off my bike and picked them up. Nothing special about that.

After I had gotten back home and rested a little, I went out for some pizza. I picked up a dime by the bus stop near the corner. Cool. While I was approaching the Catholic Church on PPW and saw about 5 pennies on the sidewalk. Hmm. Odd. Usually I see one or two but a group means something's up. Then I noticed a few more in the street.

I started to pick them up.

A kid sitting on the steps to the Church said, some lady had a bag and it broke. All these pennies fell out. And I looked around. It was like the sidewalk was covered in pennies. I gasped.

So I started picking them up. There were a lot! I stopped counting at 60. I maneuvered around the sidewalk and tried to pick them up as fast as I could. Someone came by and saw what I was doing and started picking up the change too. Oh, damn! I'm not going to get the total amount. Oh well.

BUT!

Being a GREAT Samaritan, she hands me what she had picked up. I said Thank you!

My pockets were bulging. With pennies, ahem.

So I went and got some pizza. Found a penny there and moseyed on home with my treasure find.

I counted the amount at home: 258 pennies. 2 Canadian pennies. 1 Bahamian penny.

Biggest find of the year!

Biggest find for one day for the year! Today's total adds up to (not including foreign currency) $2.73.

258 Pennies. Now that's some missing change, ladies.

Removed

I guess the "legacy" is over. The one sign at Connecticut Muffin was taken down. I noticed it wasn't there this morning.

Oh well.

Last night I managed to find 8 cents (a nickel and 3 pennies) after hanging out with a friend at a "Park Slope" pub on 4th avenue. My how boundaries change.

This morning I found a penny. Yay me.

The Wall

I was at a fine establishment yesterday celebrating the fourth with drinks and a bbq. And I just happened to sit at this one corner where part of the wall was covered in pennies. My friends had to restrain me or it could've been disastrous.

During the course of the evening, my friend was explaining my blog to the other one and dropped a quarter. Actually she tried to drop it, it fell into her umbrella and she shook it out. Sigh. It's going in the "friends" category.

But at least I did find a penny yesterday.

Include or ignore?

So for the few readers out there of this blog, I want to pose these questions. On numerous occasions, I have seen coins, primarily pennies, embedded in the street, pavement or some hard surface that would make it impossible for me to retrieve it. Does this get included in the tally or do I just say "tough luck" and have to pass on it? In a related question, I have often seen a penny that is within someone's personal comfort zone, say on the subway or sitting down at a table and it would be rather odd for me to approach them to retrieve the penny. To this day, I haven't included either of these occurrences simply because I did not get the penny. Should I alter my policy?

The missing MISSING sign

On my way home tonight after getting a rather cryptic clue as to where the final sign for the missing change could be I peered into a store and saw it posted on the wall. Obscure but not inconspicuous. Refrained but not hidden. Well placed. I won't take it down. In fact, I want to see how long it will remain there. It will become part of the legacy. Thank you AA and LR.

Prayers Answered

This evening I found a dime. A DIME! I was so overjoyed I sang Broadway songs throughout the streets. Well, not really. I actually spotted the coin a few blocks away and it was on the sidewalk amongst a few people milling about. There for the taking. And yet, no one did. Until, I showed up.

Rate of Change

Halfway through the year so I decided to figure out how much I collect per day.

My "rate of change" is about 6.7 cents a day.

That's right. Everyday, you may pass by about 7 cents.

Feel guilty, huh?

:P

2 for the money

During the day at lunch I found two pennies. Tonight I'm going to pray that tomorrow I pick up something other than a penny. It feels so monotonous to keep posting: picked up penny. picked up a penny. Sigh. I can't create money, guys. Just stuck with what I find.

Evening Constitution

My evening constitution of about an hour in my neighborhood yielded two pennies. Somebody drop something else. Please.

Sunday Dime

I found a dime at my bagel place.

Top 3 Amounts

The top three amounts I've found at one time are:

$1.19 along Water Street in this odd niche between two buildings during my lunch hour
$0.75 along 5th Avenue after I helped one of my friends move
$.0.63 at the CC ("Peniston") Village East Cinemas before DayWatch

Mid Year Audit

So I decided to count up the money that was lying in my plastic bag and on my desk that I've been collecting since the beginning of the year.

This does not include the 1st dollar that has been set aside in a separate container (i.e. a plastic cup). You always want to remember your first...dollar.

Here are the figures for my audit:
Pennies: $2.68
Nickels: $0.65
Dimes: $3.90
Quarters: $4.00
2 Canadian Pennies
5 Swiss Centimes

If you add that up, you'll come up with $11.22. Add the first dollar and that's $12.22. My tally indicates $11.67 (that was through yesterday). The difference is $0.55 over. I haven't included the money my friends have thrown down.

So why the discrepancy? A)My storage of the change isn't scientific and rather lax. B)I can't add when I do my daily total. C)"Penny drift". I may have accumulated some pennies here and there that were not dutifully recorded.

I acknowledge the accounting error of about 4.5%. So I will match my contribution at the end of the year and tack on 4.5%. I will also do a quarterly audit at the end of September. My other executive decision is to set the tally at $12.22 based on the findings of this investigation.