Making Sense
An unnamed truck driver from Germany died and left 1.2 million coins to his family — mostly one- and two-penny coins he had collected over 30 years. They weren’t valuable collector’s items, just pocket change and pennies he had found: some were even stuck together. The family hauled the bags of coins — 2.5 metric tons (5,500 pounds) worth — to the bank in a truck. Because of the variable condition of the coins, they couldn’t be counted with a machine, so Wolfgang Kemereit of the Deutsche Bundesbank counted them all by hand in his spare time between customers. It took him more than six months. “The coins totaled around 8,000 euros (US$9,400),” the Deutsche Welle newspaper said, “an unexpected inheritance for the family of the deceased man.” (RC/Deutsche Welle) ...“Around”? After all that work the reporter couldn’t be bothered to ask the actual total?Original Publication Date: 07 January 2018
This story is in True’s book collections, in Volume 24.
This story is in True’s book collections, in Volume 24.
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