thedailypic•Yr6•051/365•1877•Heads or Tails

I am not sure how or why, but this coin came up in conversation while out to dinner with friends last week. Not exactly a framable photo, but I think an interesting story. I have no idea how old this thing is, it is a bit thicker than a 50 cent piece and about the same size around. I had a paper route when I was 12-13 and chasing people for money was the hardest part. There was one house in my neighborhood that had not paid in awhile. One afternoon I went to the door to beg for money, a man I had never met came to the door. I explained I needed to be paid, about a months worth of money and I would hope tips. He told me to come in and sit down at the kitchen table while he went looking for money.  Can you imagine that today, telling a random 13 year old kid to come in your house and sit down, it was the mid 80’s I knew I would be fine. I just wanted my money, and it looked like I was getting it. He came back to the kitchen table with what seemed to be a stack of cash, paid me for the weeks owed, then added a month ahead, then $10 for a tip. I was not exactly an outgoing kid, I could barely talk to adults back then, it was part of the reason I never got paid.  With other houses to deliver, it was time to go, as I started to the door he told me to wait. He disappeared again, then came back, asked me how old I was, then handed me this coin, said it was another tip. I remember he kept laughing and saying “See it’s got heads and tails, see.” he would show me each side waiting for a reaction. Then, “don’t go getting me in trouble, you just ‘found’ this OK?”. I was 13 and now I had the anxiety of a naked coin to deal with – I am not joking, I was horrified, what am I supposed to do with this? I could not take it home, I figured it would be found, so after my route was over I stopped at my bus stop and buried it under a rock. Now and then I would dig it up and show a friend, never letting them know where I kept it.  Once I took it to school with the intent of showing all the kids, but I chickened out and kept it in my pocket all day, by second period I was paranoid thinking all the teachers knew I had it and it was just a matter of time until I was in jail – because that’s what dumb kids in the 80’s thought.  No matter the crime, straight to jail. Anyway, now it is in a collection of coins I have, I was telling the story and a friend said it needed to be in the dailypic. Here it is, black bars added so I don’t go to jail… though if you really need to see the unedited version, I supposed you could click here. Just don’t tell my parents, they don’t l know I have this and I really don’t want to bury it again -I would never remember where this time.

tr/trp