Category: treasure

Posted in treasure

Free money: a few cents here and there

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I pick up every coin I find.

I most often find pennies or dimes when I’m walking the dogs around the neighborhood or in store parking lots. While they check out the subtlest of smells along the ground, a reflection or a circular shape catches my eye. It’s not always a coin. Sometimes it’s a washer, a bottle cap, or some other piece of trash. But other times it is free money, waiting for me on the road.

I mostly find pennies and dimes. I know, these don’t amount to much. But for some reason, I love coming home from a walk just a little bit wealthier. Or, at least having found a treasure, no matter now small. Surveys report that over half of all Americans are like me, and will stop to pick up a penny on the ground.

Bus stops and house construction sites are likely places to spot a coin. Coins fall from the pockets of contractors who have been to convenience store for the day’s water and lunch. A few cents fall from the car as parents drop off children for school. Enough people still shop with cash to leave change behind in a store parking lot when they pull their car keys out of a purse or pocket.

If I were to add up everything I’ve found, it would only total a few bucks. But it’s still satisfying to find something of value, even if so very small.

Posted in treasure

Finding treasures on the trail

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Juliane Liebermann on Unsplash

We took two grandsons and our two dogs for a hike on a beautiful, sunny, Florida spring afternoon last week. I primed them for the experience, telling them, “You find all kinds of treasures on a trail. You might even find some money!” Their eyes lit up when they heard that last part. At ages eight and five, they have become quite the shoppers, mostly for Pokemon cards. We made sure we brought some bags for all the treasures (and cash) we would discover.

Railroad tracks used to run through this part of the county and now it is a six-mile paved trail. Signs warned against getting too close to alligators, but I’ll bet they rarely crawl out of the swamp onto the path. There’s just too much foot and bike traffic on the path and more food near the water.

For a long time, we didn’t find much in the way of treasures. The trail is well-maintained and I was pleased to see hardly any trash along the way. We found a few pieces of broken glass, which we counted as treasures and placed in the bags. The first real treasure that caught my eye was a small, black metal cross. I thought it might be something that I could put on a necklace for one of the boys, but I don’t think it had a hole in it.

We only hiked a mile in, and then turned around to head back to the trailhead. That’s when something shiny caught the younger boy’s eye: a dime! Now that’s a treasure. Before long, the older brother spied a quarter. It wasn’t much, but it made the afternoon a success.

After a stop at Starbucks for hot chocolate and a snack, we headed home. Later that night, I said, “It’s cool that they actually found some coins.” My wife confessed, “Actually, I planted them. The boys were losing interest, so I dug a couple of coins out of my purse for them to find.” Very clever. The next time we go out, I’ll be sure to bring more “treasure” for the boys to find.