"Find a penny, pick it up. All day long, you'll have good luck." Everyone has probably heard this rhyme, or some variation of it, at one time or another. You may have said it yourself. The superstition, actually, has been around for a quite some time.

Bad things can happen to good people when they least expect it. As a result people tends to fall back on ancient rituals which seem to hold back disaster. That is, they believe in superstitions. Many superstitions seem to revolve around the battle between good and evil, and these rituals were designed to swing the balance onto the side of good.

Finding a penny and picking it up is a relatively new spin on an old superstition. Many, many years ago, people believed that metal was a gift from the Gods, given to man for protection against evil. From that belief, we get the belief that metal brings good luck. In fact, it was widely believed that any form of metal was lucky. That is partially why people hang horseshoes over their doorways, wear charm bracelets, and carry a good luck coin.

The old-wives tale of putting a penny in the shoe of a woman on her wedding day comes courtesy of an old Victorian rhyme. "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence in your shoe." These were all superstitions that were requests for good luck for the bride. However, when using a silver sixpence became impossible to do, finding a penny was easier and so people made a substitution. Now the saying has changed to, "and a lucky penny in the shoe." The penny was intended to be worn in the shoe of the bride to ensure that the newly married couple would always have wealth. The tying of metal cans behind a newlywed couples car is another version of the metal protecting and bringing wealth superstition.

The old saying of "Put a penny wrapped in paper, keep it to avoid your debtors," is another way that protective metal was thought to bring you wealth.

Finding a penny is still considered good luck, but the superstition has been increased to include the change of position of the penny. If the penny is found heads up, good luck. If it is found heads down, bad luck. If you find one, and give it to a friend, you've passed the luck onto someone else. No matter what, finding a penny still makes people feel good, and hey, you are one-cent richer.