penny

1956

Posted by Jeff

What was happening in the U.S. when this penny was made?

President: Dwight D. Eisenhower
Vice President: Richard M. Nixon
Population: 168,903,031
Life expectancy: 69.7 years
Homicide Rate (per 100,000): 4.6

US GDP (1998 dollars): $438 billion
Federal spending: $70.64 billion
Federal debt: $272.7 billion
Consumer Price Index: 27.2
Unemployment: 4.4%
Cost of a first-class stamp: $0.03

  • Autherine Lucy, the first black student at the University of Alabama, is suspended after riots (March 1).
  • U.S. tests the first aerial hydrogen bomb over Namu islet, Bikini Atoll with the force of 10 million tons TNT (May 21). Background: nuclear weapons

Makes Cents

Posted by Jeff
Copyright Jeff Ball 2010

A few years back, I bought some vintage Russian bellows for my my DSLR. I also found a beautiful 2.8/50mm  Carl Zeiss lens that combined with the bellows,  makes these beautiful macro shots. This image is from a simple 1970 (the year I was born)  U.S. Penny.  I love the clarity of the scratches , the depth of the shadows and the vibrancy of the color.

I wonder how many people have held this penny? Where has it been? What has it seen? What has it purchased?

We rarely get to see this much detail on a penny. Who really looks at pennies any more. They’re almost useless. I remember buying  penny candy when I was a kid at Christies Candies in South Toledo. Personally, I hope they’re here to stay. There’s just something so symbolic and nostalgic about a penny. Besides most of them are made right here in Denver and I always try to support the local economy.