A Coin on the Pavement-Do You Pick It Up?

If I see coins on the ground, I always leave them for the next person to find. I never pick them up. Other people get so excited about it. I'd rather let them have that joy. 😉
 
Probably not anymore.
I used to collect coins a lot before using a debit card was such a common thing, and I'd go to coin machine and get between 20-40 from the coins I've been collecting. Since I'm not using cash as much as I'd used to, it doesn't seem worth it. You would have to collect many coins before it's worth going up to a machine.
 
When I was a little girl in the 1950's, I asked my grandmother why she always picked up pennies. She said, "If God sees you walking past money; he will think you don't need any, so he won't send you any more money".
 
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I still pick up coins when I see them, but I rarely see them nowadays. But these days I also keep my eyes peeled for discarded store and restaurant receipts. I have an app on my phone called Fetch which allows users to upload paper AND digital receipts for points, which can then be redeemed for gift cards and other rewards. I’ve found discarded receipts almost everywhere I go, all of which are recent enough to be eligible for uploading. They’ll take pretty much any paper receipts. Last week I went to see two different doctors, and had to make an insurance copay each time: uploaded the receipts from both offices, and they went through! I got 25 points per receipt just for making an insurance copay. 😮
 
I mean given the scenario as presented: Pick it up, Asides it's more unhygenic to leave it lying there anyway.
 
I pick them up. Picked up 35c a few days ago in front of the store. Like some others I won’t if it’s in an obvious pile of ick, because I don’t want that in my pocket. Or if there are people following me so close that stopping suddenly is gonna get me hurt.

The world is a dirty place with viruses and bacteria. So I don’t worry about germs on coins more than anything else. I just make sure my hands are disinfected before putting anything in my mouth. I keep benzalkonium or hydrogen peroxide wipes for stomach virus, and regular sanitizer for everything else.
 
Most religions and moral codes have a prohibition against stealing. In Buddhism, the wording is a little unusual: I will refrain from taking "that which is not given". The person who dropped the coin did not give it to me. It was not their wish that I have it. So I refrain from taking it.

If someone else wants to pick it up and keep it, that is their business. I will not scold them for it. But it is not mine to take.
 
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