A little reason to celebrate
National Lost Penny Day
Fun ยท February 12
National Lost Penny Day turns attention to the stray pennies in jars, couch cushions and coat pockets, and what to do with them.
National Lost Penny Day falls on Friday, February 12, 2027. That is 108 days away.
Pennies have a way of going missing without anyone noticing. They slip between car seats, settle at the bottom of purses and collect in jars on dressers until the jar is too heavy to move. National Lost Penny Day is about those coins, the ones that are technically money but rarely spent.
The US penny is the one cent coin, worth a hundredth of a dollar. Abraham Lincoln has appeared on the front for generations, which means most households are holding a small, scattered collection of his portraits without meaning to. Modern pennies are mostly zinc with a thin copper coating, so the warm brown color is only on the surface.
Marking the day usually starts with a search. People check the couch, the laundry room, the junk drawer and the cup holders. Some roll their finds into paper coin wrappers, which hold fifty pennies each, and take them to a bank. Others count the jar just to see how much it was hiding, then donate the total or tuck it into savings.
Older pennies can be fun to sort by the dates stamped on them, and a magnifying glass makes the tiny details on the back easier to see. Kids often like this part best, especially when one coin turns out to be much older than the rest.
A penny on the sidewalk is still a penny. Picking it up is free.
Ways to celebrate
- Search couch cushions, car seats and coat pockets for stray pennies.
- Roll your penny jar into paper coin wrappers.
- Donate the total from your penny jar to a local cause.
- Sort pennies by the dates stamped on them with a child.
- Look closely at a penny with a magnifying glass.
Dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Thursday, February 12 |
| 2027 | Friday, February 12 |
| 2028 | Saturday, February 12 |
| 2029 | Monday, February 12 |
| 2030 | Tuesday, February 12 |
All national days on February 12
Also on February 12
Categories: Fun days