Hi, I'm filling in for the child this week as he is pretty ill. Actually, he's on the road to recovery by now but is still resting peacefully. Oh, I should mention that I am his mother, hence my calling him “the child,” as I am known to do.

OK, thank goodness he had started giving information from a website and left off with number five on a list of ten interesting coin facts. I would never know what in the heck I was doing if I had to do a “real” coin column. Anyhow, here is the list from number 6 through 10.

6. In 1694, copper elephants lured people to America... How? That year, England minted "Elephant Tokens"—two half pennies meant to increase interest in the colonies. On the reverse one penny said, "God Preserve New England"; the other, "God Preserve Carolina and the Lord Proprieters."

7. You can hold a Ferris wheel in the palm of your hand... How? It's easier than you might think. So is turning cartwheels with your fingers. Both "Ferris wheel" and "cartwheel" are nicknames for silver dollars!

8. Long before the 1999 quarter, there was another New Jersey coin... What was it? The "New Jersey Cent." This copper coin was minted from 1786 to 1788—more than 200 years before the New Jersey quarter became the third coin in the 50 State Quarters® Program.

9. Honest, you'd be lucky to have a silly head! Here's why... "Silly Head" is the popular name for a U.S. cent minted in 1839. The coin got this nickname because most people thought the picture of Miss Liberty on the obverse (front) looked silly.

10. At one time, people used ant noses to buy food and clothes in China... It's true—in 600 B.C. China, people used ant noses to buy food and clothes. "Ant Nose" is one name for the copper money they used. (In case you're wondering, these coins are bigger than the name suggests!)

Well, that does it for the week. Spencer says “Thank you for reading Coin Corner and see you in a few weeks.” By the by, the next time the child pens a column, he will be 15!! Where has the time gone I ask you?