Friday, July 29, 2011

THE BROWN DOG AFFAIR - Eight

A short poem by William Butler Yeats. (13 June 1865 - 28 January 1939) 
He was an Irish poet and dramatist

Brown Penny

I whispered, 'I am too young,'
And then, 'I am old enough';
Wherefore I threw a penny
To find out if I might love.
'Go and love, go and love, young man,
If the lady be young and fair.'
Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny,
I am looped in the loops of her hair.



O love is the crooked thing,
There is nobody wise enough
To find out all that is in it,
For he would be thinking of love
Till the stars had run away
And the shadows eaten the moon.
Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny,
One cannot begin it too soon.

Today's pennies (since 1982) are made from coin blanks made of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper.
One coin  highly sought after by collectors is the penny dated 1930. Its rarity is so well-known amongst Australians, that demand for what is akin to a blue chip investment has pushed prices to approximately 26,000 Australian dollars for an average standard example. A proof  example of the same coin recently changed hands for over 620,000 Australian dollars, making it the most expensive copper  coin in the world.

Image by Mezza - Erosion 2011 Sandmines

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