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Counterfeit Penny put in Circulation
American artist Jack Daws puts gold penny in circulation
Los Angeles, California, March 29, 2007 - American artist Jack Daws put one of his sculptures in circulation this week at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). It is no ordinary artwork; it is a copper plated, gold penny.
Daws hired metalsmiths to make a mold of a penny, cast it in 18-karat gold, and then copper plate it. He carried the sculpture in his pocket for months, during which time it developed a brown patina. The artwork looks like a real penny, except due to the casting process, it's slightly smaller, and because of the gold's weight, it's almost twice as heavy.
Daws won't say where he spent the penny - just that he put it in circulation at LAX on the morning of March 28th. Who knows where it wound up at the end of the day? Perhaps it's in your pocket, or your purse.
Anyone interested in looking for the piece - since it has about $100 worth of gold in it - should look for a penny dated 1970, with no mintmark.
Whoever finds the sculpture could sell it for the value of the gold, but they might want to hold onto it. Daws has more of them, and his Seattle art dealer, the Greg Kucera Gallery, is selling them. Prices start at $1000.
When asked if he was concerned about possible criminal charges for counterfeiting, Daws replied, "If they're looking for criminals they should raid the White House and the Capitol."
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