One Hundred Million Pennies For Your Thoughts

As the old saying goes “A penny saved is a penny earned,” but the children of New York City took their coin collecting to a whole new level. Hundreds of thousands of city students representing more than 800 public schools in the area spent their weeks between October 22 and Thanksgiving collecting pennies door to door. The outcome is being displayed in Rockefeller Center near the famous Christmas tree.”The Penny Harvest Field” was designed by architect James Polshek and is approximately 30 feet by 165 feet, or roughly as long as a city block. The value of their collection is estimated at around $1 million, or 100 million pennies plus a few other coins that might have slipped in. The exhibit is the outcome of the 17^th annual Penny Harvest hosted by the nonprofit organization Common Cents. Their national education program is designed to teach children about their contributions to society, and after the first of the year, the money will be donated to charitable organizations of the children's choice.