This story about the penny

May 16, 2001 1:40 PM

This story about the penny seemed to me to be strangely beautiful, for reasons I can't quite define. Money is so interesting. Maybe I should become a numismastist.
posted by jammer (12 comments total)

Drat. Numismatist, even. I suppose it would help if I could spell it.

I know how to spell "banana", I just don't know when to stop...
posted by jammer at 1:40 PM on May 16, 2001

Dear Jammer: I do not know your religious background but stay with it rather than becoming a Numismatist. They have odd rituals and secret handshakes and do strange things I have been told. Remain with that which you grew up with and can identify with.
posted by Postroad at 1:43 PM on May 16, 2001

"Congress made nails legal tender by size, which is why some are still called three-penny nails."

Aha!
posted by Outlawyr at 1:52 PM on May 16, 2001

Lighten up, Postroad. It's not like he's experimenting with *shudder* philately or something like that.
posted by harmful at 2:14 PM on May 16, 2001

thanks jammer! you might also check out galbraith's money. only $4.95 :)
posted by kliuless at 2:17 PM on May 16, 2001

I like the nickel story, myself.

Very liberally paraphrased, the word "nickel" comes from the german "Nickelkopfer" or something like that, which means "the devil's copper," because nickel was discovered during a quest for copper, and was a great dissappointment to the miners, etc., etc.

The practical upshot of which is that one of our most common bits of money that we usae in named after the devil.
posted by half-seraphim at 2:20 PM on May 16, 2001

The practical upshot of which is that one of our most common bits of money that we usae in named after the devil.

and i am flattered by it, so don't wonder.
posted by th3ph17 at 2:44 PM on May 16, 2001

1909 S VDB
posted by rodii at 4:22 PM on May 16, 2001

I just hope this penny story doesn't turn into a TV Movie.
posted by ZachsMind at 11:43 PM on May 16, 2001

Congress made nails legal tender by size, which is why some are still called three-penny nails.

That's a folk etymology, I believe. According to an article in the Montreal Gazette, 12 June 1994, which recounts a debate from April 10, 1894, between Canada and the US concerning nails:

"To protect this industry, duties were imposed on American nails, a move that had drawn criticism, as this letter shows. (Nails at the time were designated by the cost in pennies per 100. Thus a one- inch nail was known as two-penny nail a 11/4-inch as a three-penny, a 13/8-inch as a four-penny, etc.) "
posted by Mo Nickels at 2:09 AM on May 17, 2001

While searching on the subject of three-penny nails, I found this story:

It was a terrible day. My dad wanted to build a deck as an addition to the house. So he looked in the phone book under carpenters. Problem was, he hired The Carpenters. And they sucked. But they were cheap. All Richard wanted for pay was a tuna fish sandwich on whole wheat toast with a little mayo for Karen. Sounded like a good idea, but when she saw it Karen flew into a rage, running around on the porch and screaming "fat bitch fat bitch." Then she started hammering three-penny nails into her stomach to "let the fat out."

Never did get that deck built.
posted by Mo Nickels at 4:05 AM on May 17, 2001

ha - I've been a victim of the bananana syndrome too!
posted by roboto at 4:50 AM on May 17, 2001