Change.

We all talk about it. Well, I decided to do something about it. So I've been digging up change in my back yard with a metal detector. I don't expect to find anything valuable, but the post about "asparamancy" got me to thinking.

If asparagus can be used for divination purposes, why not change? I thought it over, and I put it in the back of my mind that it might be fun to utilize the classical principle of divination (or auguring) by applying it to change.

Divine change.

Ideas springing like magic from underground!

The denomination of the coin might not tell you much, as there are only a few variations -- your typical pocket containing only four (pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters).

The dates, however, are another matter. Much wider range, and therefore a far greater number of possibilities for divination purposes.

As it happens, the first coin I found and dug was a 1992 quarter (the one on the left above). Nothing special about it. Yeah, I remember the year, but I remember a lot of years. It was followed by a old key with a meandering pattern around the head and it is marked "ABUS." (Short for August Bremicker und Sohne KG, which "started making traditional padlocks in 1924.")

That key was followed by two pennies -- a 1977 and a 1980. Both in pretty good shape.

So far, no major significance. However, contrast the above pennies with the next penny I found -- in such bad condition that only by using a magnifier was I able to make out the date.

1992.

Bingo. The gods are obviously telling me something. 1992 is a repeated date. What are the odds of a date on a buried coin repeating itself within four coins? That must mean something. Surely the gods intend that year to be some sort of focal point.

And what's with the key? Is it the key to understanding? Should I look to 1977 and 1980 for further insight?

Let's start with the absolutely atrocious condition of the 1992 penny. The reason for its severe deterioration in contrast to the earlier pennies is not merely the acidity (or alkalinity) of the soil in my yard. Copper holds up quite well. The problem with later pennies is that they are no longer made primarily of copper, but since 1982 have been copper-plated zinc:

The alloy remained 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc until 1982, when the composition was changed to 97.5 percent zinc and 2.5 percent copper (copper-plated zinc). Cents of both compositions appeared in that year.

I think the important thing is not so much the deterioration of the later penny, but it's context with the repeated date of 1992.

Are the gods telling me that 1992 was a bad year?

What the hell happened in 1992? For me it was a horrible, horrible year. The only things that stand out were that Bill Clinton won the presidential election (yes I voted for him) and Silence of the Lambs won the Oscar for best picture, actor, actress, and director.

Oh, and the 27th Amendment to the United States Constitution was finally ratified. Considering that it took 202 years, that's probably something for people who believe in instant change to keep in mind.

I would feel a bit arrogant to declare that "1992 was a bad year," but I feel less arrogant knowing that it was officially certified as "Annus Horribilis" by none other than Elizabeth II:

1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an Annus Horribilis.