Change I Can Believe In

Here is something most Hosers probably don't know about me. Everyday when I get home I sort my change into a few different jars. I don't sort by denomination, however. What I do is sort pre and post 1975, with a couple of little wrinkles. To read the most amazing story every, see me after the jump.
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1975, of course, is the year I was born. So, post 1975 coins go into a big jar on my dresser, which every few months gets taken to the bank and becomes beer money. Pre 1975 change goes into a different jar, which sits on the shelf next to my cookbooks. This change never goes anywhere. Then there are 2 special categories: wheat pennies, and bicentennial quarters. Bicentennial quarters were released in 1976 of course, so they are my lone exception to the 1975 rule. These go into a piggy bank I have had since I was very young. The bank was made in 1976 by a bank my grandfather used to run. It is in the shape of the liberty bell. All of my bicentennial quarters go in there. It's almost full. Wheat cents I separate because I love the look of them, and because they are old. They were minted from 1909-1958. Every now and then you get one from the 1920's or so, and I really like that. I like to think of all the transactions they have been part of - all the lives they have come into contact with. It think it is really neat to come across things that have been in daily use for almost a century. It's like stumbling on a Model T driving down the highway. Anyway, these guys go into a different jar that sits next to my cereal.

So, this is a long introduction to say that last week I had the perfect change experience. I went to a Duane Reade before work to buy some Slim Jims for a meeting that morning and paid with a $5 bill. The Slim Jims + tax came up to $4.74. For change I received both a bicentennial quarter and a wheat cent!!!! Amazing.

Sometimes I go weeks without getting either of these in a transaction, but in this case I went 2 for 2. I'll let Sparks figure out the odds of that, but I was pretty pumped.