MEMPHIS, Tennessee
You don't find money growing on trees. And you certainly don't find it just laying around. That is, unless you happen to be seven year-old Memphis resident Tim Kapp.
Kapp's discovery of a shiny penny came during one of his daily searches between the seat cushions of his parents' Ford Windstar.
"I didn't see it at first, I just barely felt it with my fingers under the seat. I got really excited but I made myself stay calm because I'd been excited before only to realize I'd found a dime or a nickel."
"But then when I saw it was a penny I was so happy. It was really hard but I knew I could do it."
Kapp has liked pennies for as long as he can remember.
"I think they're pretty," says Kapp.
In addition to his penny, Kapp also found an empty 20 oz. bottle of Mountain Dew, a plastic wrapper from a cheese and cracker snack-pack and three severely bent drinking straws.
Kapp's penny is one of 10,257,400 minted in 1998. It's value has been estimated at one cent.
Described by Kapp as being "kind of a coppery-brown," the penny features a "picture of an old guy and a funny building"
"We're really proud of Timmy," stated his mother, Deborah Kapp. "He's always been so good at finding things in our car but he'd never found a penny before. Some days he'd say 'Momma, I'm just never gonna find that penny.' But I told him he just had to stick to it and it would work out. I'm really glad it has."
As a result of his discovery, Kapp's friends at school have nicknamed him "The Penny-Finder" and seek his assistance whenever searching for small coins.
"They may start a club," says Kapp's mother, "but I hope they don't get too serious. You know, children have to have time to be children. I don't want all of my little snickerdoodle's time to be spent hunting for pennies."
When told of his mother's comments, Kapp replied, "Okay."
