A Counterfeit Penny Made of Gold
Seattle artist Jack Daws made eleven pennies by casting them from 18 karat gold and plating them with copper. One of those pennies was sold for $1,000 as a work of art. Another penny was spent at a news stand in Los Angeles. Yes, Daws sent one of the pennies into circulation in 2007 as a counterfeit -on purpose. He expected never to see it again. Over two years later, a graphic designer from Brooklyn noticed a golden gleam on a penny she was given as change. She put it away to investigate later, as she was a fan of unusual coins.
Then recently, while doing research about a 1924 Mercury-head dime, she remembered the penny and typed “gold penny” into Google, which returned information on science experiments to give a penny a gold color. She added “1970” and found an item about how Mr. Daws had put a 18-karat gold penny, dated 1970 with no mint mark, into circulation. It was heavier and smaller than a real penny.
In disbelief, she weighed the penny on a digital scale. It came in at three grams, one gram more than similar pennies from 1970. And it was slightly smaller than a normal penny, owing to the shrinking after the casting process.
She traced Mr. Daws’s phone number through the gallery and left him the message. When he called back, he knew it had to be his penny as soon as she described it to him.
Reed will keep the penny as a work of art. How many other hands did the gold coin pass through before she found it? We will probably never know. Link -Thanks, Bill!
(image credit: Lynn Rogan)
Comment (11)
Permalink
Please share:  email
this 
|
| Neatorama Shop » Toy & Games » Giant Microbes | ||
 |
 |
 |
See more Giant
Microbes »  |
||
Iron Age Gold Treasure Found in Scotland
A young man, using his metal detector for the first time, walked about seven steps from his car and got a signal.
The four gold Iron Age neck ornaments, or torcs, date from between the 1st and 3rd Century BC and are said to be worth an estimated £1m… The find is the most important hoard of Iron Age gold in Scotland to date.
Neatorama has previously posted stories about a Viking hoard and an Anglo-Saxon hoard found in the British Isles. One factor that favors the discovery and preservation of these archeological treasures is the Treasure Act of 1996, an Act of Parliament that requires treasure hunters to turn in their finds to local authorities, but then guarantees them monetary compensation based on a market value of the treasure. In many countries without such laws, finds such as these would be sold on the black market or melted down for bullion, destroying the remarkable artistry of the pieces. The Treasure Act does not apply in Scotland, where this was found, but indications are that this fellow will be richly compensated in order to encourage others to report their discoveries.
At the BBC link the other pieces can be seen in a brief video.
|
Comment (4)
Permalink
Please share: email
this
|
Dead Prankster: 1 Treasure Hunter: 0
Patty Henken thought she’d found more than a bargain when she tore the seat off an old chair she’d recently bought. Taped to the back was a key, and a note titled “Finders Keepers.” The note, typed but signed by a Chauncey Wolcott, described a vacant lot in Springfield, IL where a chest containing $250 worth of gold coins could be found.
Henken’s story attracted the attention of another woman, Betty Atkison Ryan, who knew a practical joker (long deceased) named John Slaven, who often used the fake name, Chauncey Wolcott.
Atkinson Ryan told the newspaper that Slaven was her boss in the Journal-Register’s classified advertising department decades ago. She said Slaven often used a typewriter to compose some of his jokes and signed them “Chauncey Wolcott.”
Ms. Henken has admitted to being had, but still thinks there must be something buried there. She luckily still has use of a donated backhoe; unfortunately the property owners have pulled the plug on her efforts.
Link Photo: Associated Press
|
Comment (2)
Permalink
Please share: email
this
|
11 Unbelievable Glittering Golden Objects
Gold is a precious metal so you would, understandably, assume that it is used sparingly and wisely. However, that’s not always the case. Some people have more money than wit, as you can see from how one of the most expensive metals on earth is used to quite literally increase one’s self worth by ingesting a golden pill. Shown are statues of the ex-President of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, who loved gold almost as much as he loved seeing his own image. See more golden bling at Money Hacker.
From the Upcoming 
ueue, submitted by 
|
Comment (3)
Permalink
Please share: email
this
|
Cash4Gold: Is It For Real?
Times are tough, and money is spread pretty thin, so you probably want to sell some of your stuff. If you decide to sell your gold jewelry to Cash4Gold, who has been running a lot of late-night TV and radio ads, read this article by Rob Cockerham of Cockeyed first:
Cash4Gold is nice enough to admit when they were trying to rip you off.
Since I saw the first commercial, I had a feeling that Cash4Gold might be a rip-off. They advertise during late-night cable television programming and on sports radio. This time slot is pretty crowded with what I call “red-flag” advertising. Another hint is that their DBA sounds more like a text message than an actual business name.
You are encouraged to send your “scrap” gold in a plastic bag, and to trust they will handle it securely and send a reasonable, near market-rate payment for the precious metal therein. They’ll take whatever gold items you have, so maybe it would be too complicated to offer actual prices posted on their website.
From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by 
|
Comment (33)
Permalink
Please share: email
this
|
| Neatorama
Shop » Computer
& Office » Road
Mice |
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
Road Mice is available in various Chevy, Chrysler, Dodge, and Ford models. It's the perfect gift for the auto-enthusiast in your life! |
|||
See more Road
Mice » |
|||
Treasures Found in One Year
Here’s an end-of-the-year list you haven’t seen a dozen versions of -ten discoveries of money and treasure in 2008. Gold and silver coins, jewelry, antiquities, things that make you say. “I wish I’d found that!” Shown are gold coins bearing the image of Carausius, who declared himself the emperor of of Northern Gaul and Britain (AD 286-93). They were found by Derrick Fretwell in a field in Ashbourne. England. Link -Thanks, Brand!
|
Comment (3)
Permalink
Please share: email
this
|
Gifts You DON'T Want
MSN and Marie Claire have paired up to bring you a fun list of gifts you don’t want. While some of them are actually kinda cool, like the beta fish book ends, there are certainly some wonderfully terrible gift ideas listed as well.
The gold pills shown to the right sound exactly like an old Dave Chapelle sketch, as they’re supposed to bling out your “leavings.” I have to agree with MSN on this one, I certainly do not want this as a gift, even if the person giving them spent oer $400 on my present.
|
Comment (10)
Permalink
Please share: email
this
|
-
Your purchase helps support the blog - Thank you!
