100 Million Pennies Displayed in NYC

Mon Dec 10, 2007 9:14 PM EST

us-news, odd-news, new-york, odd, pennies, silda-wall-spitzer, 100-million-pennies, million-pennies

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Children who helped collect pennies surround the "Penny Harvest Field" during it's unveiling ceremony Monday, Dec. 10, 2007 in New York. The approximately one hundred million pennies, gathered by by school children across all five boroughs of New York City, filled a 165x30 foot "Penny Harvest Field" in Rockefeller Center. The funds will be donated to various charities. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

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NEW YORK — One hundred million pennies for your thoughts on the latest display in Rockefeller Center. New York first lady Silda Wall Spitzer joined hundreds of public school children on Monday to unveil a mass of $1 million in pennies collected for charity. The display, called the Penny Harvest Field, includes an estimated 100 million pennies — plus a few nickels, dimes and quarters that slipped in by mistake.

The exhibit, 30 feet by 165 feet, as long as a city block, is the culmination of the nonprofit organization Common Cents' 17th annual Penny Harvest, a national educational program designed to teach children about their value as contributors to society. Hundreds of thousands of city students from more than 800 schools spent the weeks between Oct. 22 and Thanksgiving going door to door and collecting the pennies, which will be donated to organizations of their choice for causes such as protecting the environment and helping the elderly.

The exhibit was designed by architect James Polshek and will be on display in Rockefeller Center, near the famous Christmas tree, through the end of the year.

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On the Net:

Common Cents: http://www.CommonCents.org

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Regions: United States , New York

Public Discussion (8)

Pamela Drew

If everyone who sees the pennies would think of how raising single voices in unison could have the same power we may actually change the course of our history, for the better.

4 votes

#1 - Mon Dec 10, 2007 10:25 PM EST

DSMc2gal

Let's see. . .
One hundred million pennies.
That works out to ONE MILLION DOLLARS!
I wonder just how many collectible pennies were in that lot? Taken into account, those could push the total worth to well over one million one thousand dollars, I would think!
NEVER underestimate the power of sheer numbers!

3 votes

#2 - Tue Dec 11, 2007 1:36 PM EST

vicaxp

I know this is a sad thing to ask, but what kind of security is there? I know no one is thinking of a 100million penny pilferage, but handfuls being stolen could add up.

2 votes

#3 - Tue Dec 11, 2007 2:57 PM EST

Pamela Drew

but what kind of security is there?

Rockefeller Center? Why try for the pennies in view of security cameras when tourist wallets are far easier! Kidding aside if you look carefully the same police gates used to map out our free speech zones are around the perimeter and people have to file in and circle out. It isn't wide open and at night, especially during the holiday with the tree there the uniformed, private security are crawling everywhere.