Tuesday, November 9, 2004

Not-So-Small Change

1. "Man uses 32,000 coins to pay for goods"
   <http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1122218.html>
"A Brazilian man has paid for goods in an electrical shop with more than 32,000
 coins"

2. "Couple paid by Paramount in 100,000 pennies"
   <http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=2469483>
"[A] Paramount producer paid them one-thousand dollars to stop trimming their
 tree while he filmed an outdoor scene in their Brentwood neighborhood. But
 instead of writing the Roths a check, producer Ronald Schwary sent over 100-
 thousand pennies in 20 bags -- two weeks later"

3. "A million pennies saved, nothing earned"
   <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5334880/>
"A California man who collected 1 million pennies for a bet is having a hard
 time cashing in on his $10,000 fortune"
   "Store chain scents publicity in million-cent problem"
   <http://smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/09/1089000357450.html>
"The frustrated collector of a million US one-cent coins has found a buyer to
 relieve him of his burden: the supermarket company Safeway will buy the coins
 and donate half to charity"

4. "School has collected 1 million pennies"
   <http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2004/06/04/
       school_has_collected_1_million_pennies/>
"Students started saving pennies in 1996 as part of a math project by fifth-
 grade teacher Dave Jorgensen"

5. "To give a lifetime of pennies"
   <http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13153512>
"After nearly half a century of piggy banking his pennies, West Warwick resident
 Roland L'Heureux has decided to donate his savings to the West Warwick Senior
 Center improvement project"

6. "Boy swindled out of piggy bank money"
   <http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/06/15/500689-cp.html>
"Police said Tuesday a 13-year-old boy offered to befriend an eight-year-old
 schoolmate in return for a video game, game cards and piggy banks. The younger
 boy returned to school later in the day with the items, including two piggy
 banks filled with almost $1,000"


It appears emulating item #1 wouldn't be possible in Australia:
   <http://www.rba.gov.au/CurrencyNotes/LegalFramework/legal_tender.html>
1c and 2c coins were withdrawn from circulation, but they remain legal tender.
The Currency Act 1965 limits use of such coins coins to pay up to 20c of an
amount owing. But it does let you pay off up to $5 using 5c, 10c, 20c or 50c
coins. A warning to anyone wanting to try this: check for any payment conditions
which may apply.