Bad Penny
Find a penny, pick it up. All day long you'll have good luck
The #MacroMondays #Superstition Theme
Pennies attract lots of folklore. Picking up a lost penny for luck is perhaps the most well known superstition, relating both to the value of the coin as currency and that back in the day metal itself was valuable in its own right. Pagan rituals valued small, shiny objects called pins.
Actually, a penny only gives good luck if found and picked up while displaying the head of the monarch. A penny found displaying the reverse, as here, should be flipped so the next finder gets the good luck. Picking up a reverse penny instead of one displaying the head of the monarch brings bad luck in an age old battle between good and evil.
Other folklore includes the proverb that a bad penny always turns up. Here the bad penny represents an unpleasant person or thing which always seems to appear at the most inopportune time. That's an expression of Sod's Law which many believe in. The Bad Penny proverb may originate from the practice of clipping coins to obtain their metal, so making the coin less valuable, even worthless. The bad penny created may then return to the person who clipped it. Taking a more optimistic tone, some believe that a discarded penny may be a gift from a recently departed loved one, hence the term pennies from heaven.
The figure depicted on this 1910 penny is Britannia, the Roman name for Britain. She was adopted by The British as a personification of Britain as a warrior goddess, usually depicted seated, gazing over the sea, the waves of which she rules. This coin is a little worn but The Union Flag design is clearly identifiable on Britannia's shield. She carries a trident rather than the spear similar Roman designs used. The trident symbolises the strength of The Royal Navy. The dotting around the edge of the coin is intended to make clipping obvious, preventing the clipper from passing on the coin.
The photo was taken as shown using a 12mm extension tube. The background is wood, with texture and a vignette added. Incidentally, Brits believe that touching wood itself brings luck. Touch wood is a phrase often used before or after mentioning a doubtful but hoped for prediction as a way of encouraging it to happen such as "The bus will be on time, touch wood."
HMM all.
Bad Penny
Find a penny, pick it up. All day long you'll have good luck
The #MacroMondays #Superstition Theme
Pennies attract lots of folklore. Picking up a lost penny for luck is perhaps the most well known superstition, relating both to the value of the coin as currency and that back in the day metal itself was valuable in its own right. Pagan rituals valued small, shiny objects called pins.
Actually, a penny only gives good luck if found and picked up while displaying the head of the monarch. A penny found displaying the reverse, as here, should be flipped so the next finder gets the good luck. Picking up a reverse penny instead of one displaying the head of the monarch brings bad luck in an age old battle between good and evil.
Other folklore includes the proverb that a bad penny always turns up. Here the bad penny represents an unpleasant person or thing which always seems to appear at the most inopportune time. That's an expression of Sod's Law which many believe in. The Bad Penny proverb may originate from the practice of clipping coins to obtain their metal, so making the coin less valuable, even worthless. The bad penny created may then return to the person who clipped it. Taking a more optimistic tone, some believe that a discarded penny may be a gift from a recently departed loved one, hence the term pennies from heaven.
The figure depicted on this 1910 penny is Britannia, the Roman name for Britain. She was adopted by The British as a personification of Britain as a warrior goddess, usually depicted seated, gazing over the sea, the waves of which she rules. This coin is a little worn but The Union Flag design is clearly identifiable on Britannia's shield. She carries a trident rather than the spear similar Roman designs used. The trident symbolises the strength of The Royal Navy. The dotting around the edge of the coin is intended to make clipping obvious, preventing the clipper from passing on the coin.
The photo was taken as shown using a 12mm extension tube. The background is wood, with texture and a vignette added. Incidentally, Brits believe that touching wood itself brings luck. Touch wood is a phrase often used before or after mentioning a doubtful but hoped for prediction as a way of encouraging it to happen such as "The bus will be on time, touch wood."
HMM all.