Sooo, Nobody at work cares about or collects coins at all, but everyone knows that I like them and several times folks have brought some old inheritted coins to work for me to look at. We have a snack bar, with open change drawer and you are basically on the honor system to pay and take change as necessary. I decided to try an experiment. I took a couple of old worn common buffalo nickels and several commom 50's wheat penny's and used them in making a purchase. I wanted to see if anyone would notice them, and how long it would take if someone did...maybe they would wind up in someone's hand in another town and plant a collecting seed. Well, today, about 2 days later, my boss comes screaming down the hall, "OMG...someone raided grandma's coin jar! holy cow!", and he comes to show me what he's found. He was so excited that he found those in circulation, and I just didn't have the heart to tell him that I intentionally spent them for experimental reasons. I feel kind of guilty, but it is true that he found them in circulation. I mean, just because I spent them, doesn't take away from the fact that it's a circulation "find"..right? I feel a little sneaky, but it was amusing and it made his day.
cool experiment johnny! I wouldn't tell him. you made him happy and may of made a new coin collecter!
LOL....yeah, I don't think I would get fired for discretely spending a couple of buffalo nickels; but it may take away some of the joy out of his find if I told him and he may think I'm a bit nutty. Especially since he kept saying stuff like, "some stupid idiot with eye problems must have spent these, cause I've NEVER seen those in circulation!".....:whistle::whistle::whistle:
Funny story, perhaps a wee bit deceitful, but of course in a good intentioned way. You seem to have made the boss' day by planting the coin there. Too bad s/he didn't want to give it to you since you're the collector at work and you might have retrieved the coin. Now, what if the boss joins CT sometime and introduces himself as a new collector, blah blah blah, gets around to this story about how he found an old buffalo and springs the old "what's this worth?" AND then runs across this thread? LOL! Hopefully nothing hits the fan and the boss still decides to become a collector.
Years ago my office window faced the walkway to the entrance of the building I worked in. Each day on the way in I would drop a few cull IHCs along the path and wait for the fun to start. This went on for a couple of weeks. It was really funny watching folks search the path each day as they came to work. Folks were talking about it all over the building. Everyone had a different idea of how they got there. I only had about a roll and almost felt guilty when I ran out. Folks were still searching for months. No one ever found out it was me. I had a great time.
Good on ya! :high5: I do something similar with kids. I buy rolls of worn, no-date buffalo nickels or worn indian head pennies on eBay. When I walk my dog near a school or little league park, I drop a few in hopes some young kid will find them and become the next Walter Breen. Crazy...but it could happen.
