I sorted through a bunch of coins in my desk drawer the other day — mostly pennies. And what is a person to do with pennies today? A handful of them won’t even buy a Tootsie Roll. For the most part, pennies are a useless coin. But, if you are looking for cheap entertainment — or a bit of nostalgia — read on.

I clearly remember my elementary school classmates and I learning the art of “coin snatching” in the 1970s. We were inspired by a 1977 episode of “Happy Days,” the must-see TV sitcom of the generation, seen every Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. central on ABC. Most all of us tuned in to learn what Richie Cunningham, Ralph Malph, Potsie Weber and the Fonz were up to. In season four, we were introduced to Fonzie’s cousin, Angelo Fonzarelli. Angie, as he was called, had an incredible skill to catch coins stacked on his elbow with his hand.

After this episode aired, kids across America were practicing “coin snatching” in an effort to see if they could break the world record. For those of you not familiar with how this works, here is a quick description: Coins are placed on the elbow, the hand of the same arm is placed on the arm's shoulder, and the hand is swung forward to catch the coins. Easy enough, right? Check out the YouTube clip and see how Angie fared.

Well, like most things in life, the devil is in the details. While the Fonz’s cousin was attempting the world record of 40 coins on TV, those in the real world learned to do many more.

Chris Redford snatched 39 coins in 1973, only to be out-snatched by Dennis Cole with 60 in 1976, and then Andrew Gleed with 62 in 1978. Then it got complicated. Dean Gould set the world record of 328 coins in 1993 in accordance with British rules specifying that the coins must be 10 grams or heavier, that they can be arranged in multiple stacks, and that the catcher is allowed to drop some of the coins, counting only those remaining in the hand.

Well, that’s cheating. In my third-grade class at St. Cecilia’s Catholic School, we used pennies, as none of us had that many quarters. We also required that the coins be placed in one stack on the elbow. And the contestant had to catch them all for it to count. The legendary Johnny Cotten set our record at 26.

But those were our rules. The official rules for coin snatching — and the world records — can be found here for those of you who wish to explore this further.

In the meantime, hang on to those pennies and give it a try. Just be ready to pick up some coins.

Have a marvelous Monday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305

CITYVIEW announced its 2022 Best Of Des Moines readers' choices Feb.1. You can find all the results from the poll in the February issue of CITYVIEW magazine!

Best Local Convenience Store
1. Casey’s General Stores
2. Kwik Star
3. Kum & Go

On the Road

Iowa Living magazines feature people who drive for a living.

The trucking industry in the U.S. employs millions of workers, including Anthony Keenan, who drives for Liquid Trucking out of Omaha.

“The best part of the job is I get to see all over the country, and the pay is good. The worst part is being away from my family,” says Anthony Keenan.

It's also physically hard to sit for long periods of time. Keenan says you have to find ways to get out of the truck and walk around as often as you can or it can be hard on your back and knees. Truckers have a greater incidence of musculoskeletal problems from sitting, including back and shoulder pain and arthritis. They also have to be careful as prolonged sitting also increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis, which happens when a blood clot forms in a deep vein. 


“I wish people knew how much truck drivers sacrifice for the job and that, when you see one on the road, it's important to be courteous. But it's the right job for me, and I do plan on driving until I retire.”

From the April issue of Johnston Living magazine.

Happy Birthday to these celebrities: Kourtney Kardashian, Conan O'Brien, David Tennant, America Ferrera, Eric Roberts, Maria Bello, Britt Robertson, Chloe Bennet, Alia Shawkat, James Woods, Rick Moranis, Melissa Joan Hart, Jeff Dunham, Moises Arias, Hayley Mills, Nathan Sykes

SUBMIT: Send your birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to:tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com