New Sun Rising

If you can ignore the Kool-Aid stain and look at her eyes, there is a surprise. The more detailed look that you can get at the pic, the more you can see it. Either her or I moved at just the right time. Sometimes mistakes seem like they were meant to happen. Oh, and she doesn't like mean people or wars.

pART

pART 1
pART 2

All coins used in pART are unaltered. pART is intended to be symbolic peace art made from spare parts and metals which, if need be, have actual usability and value. I will make pART until I starve or until the societal wars of aggression have ceased.


If you live in the Iowa City area and would like to have a special pART made for you, I may be contacted at marklar@earthling.net. I will accept payment in many forms including but not limited to cash, coins, decent coffee beans, unopened bags of unexpired rice and car repairs.

Loose Change: 1963-D Lincoln Cent

The penny pictured above is a 1963-D Lincoln. I got the '63 from the same gas station that I recently snagged my beautiful '68-S. I made no alterations to the photo. The penny is in great shape, almost uncirculated, and headed for my private collection. It may seem petty to be so enthusiastic about a penny, but in terms of percentage this penny is a stellar and essentially free investment. The metal content alone puts the real value of the penny at about $0.0262. The penny is also over 40 years old. Being is such great shape, and of such age, the penny could be sold to the right collector for twenty-five cents to a dollar or more. It's worth looking at your loose change.

If you aren't working with a lot, which is the best way to keep your $100 worth of savings? Is it best to have a nice crisp $100 bill? A wad of ones? Should it be in a savings account at the bank? How about 200 rolls of pre-1982 Lincoln pennies? Well, the base metal value of those 200 rolls of Lincolns would equal about $262. It'd take a long time for your 2% bank savings account to get that high. The purchasing power of those 200 rolls of pennies is the same as the crisp $100 bill and the fat wad of ones.

You cannot find anyone that'll pay you $262 in exchange for your $100 in cash. In those 200 rolls of Lincolns, you can sort out the best and sell them for a premium. You can easily get $5 for 100 wheat pennies. Out of 10,000 pre-1982 pennies, you'll get many more than 100 wheaties. Keep changing in the new pennies in order to save and/or sell the old pennies. It can be done as a hobby, as a methodical task, or just as you are going about your daily business. Cashiers are reluctant to give up rolls of pennies, but once they do it a few times without pain being inflicted upon them, then they realize that it's OK. It's not illegal to try to save your pennies wisely. It's not illegal to sell coins to collectors. Heck, it's not illegal to make art out of coins.

Oh BTW, I apologize if I come across as trying to tell you what to do with your life or money. Consider this more like thinking out loud. My new thing is to save or sell the old copper pennies while spending or making anti-war art with the new "Zincoln" pennies.

Loose Change: 1968-S Lincoln Cent

I got this beauty back as change from the gas station. It's a 1968-S Lincoln cent in really nice shape with some intense coloration happening around the edges. Hopefully my picture taking abilities will improve over time. The photo here really doesn't do the coin justice. This might just be the start of my new coin collection, and it came from my loose change.