It was just an ordinary trip to run some errands. It was not a special shopping sprees except that it included essentials to get through the next week. After all, it was the weekend and I really wanted a little rest. I was not expecting to find anything remarkable.

In the first store, I was handed three very brilliant Lincoln Cents. I looked at the one on top and it was dated “2011.” Thinking that the establishment must have received a roll of 2011 cents from the bank, I dropped the coins in my pocket and went to my next stop.

After paying for my items at my second stop, I did not look at the coins as I dropped them into my pocket so I can get this trip over with.

One more stop before going to the grocery store. Grab some essentials, something nice for dinner, and then pay for my purchase so I can hurry home to put the perishables away. As I am handed the change, I noticed a very shiny Jefferson nickel. Since it was tails-up, I did not see the date.

That evening, I empty my pocket and place the coins on the top of my dresser. There they stayed until last night when I started to sift through my finds. When I looked at the three brilliant cents, I found the 2011 but the other two were dated 2012, making it the first 2012 coins found in 2012. This is the earliest I have found 2012 coins this early since the start of the current recession.

That shiny Jefferson nickel was dated 2012-D. Not only was it the first 2012 nickel of the year, but it is from Denver. Since the Washington, D.C. area receives its primary deliveries from the Philadelphia Mint, finding a D mintmark was an unexpected pleasure.

Recently, I have been finding quite a few quarters from the 1970s, but this time I found something different: an El Yunque National Forest quarter! While I have been finding quite a few 2010 quarters in change, I cannot recall finding any 2011 quarters and definitely not the latest release.

Also found in the change was a 1995 Canadian Cent, which at the current exchange rate is on par with the U.S. one cent coin.

There are still interesting finds in pocket change!

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