When I was a young boy, I discovered that the local dry cleaner would pay half-a-cent for each wire coat hanger returned to him.

Being the brilliant (and geeky) kid that I was, one day I went though my family closets at home and took (stole?) dozens of unused coat hangers. I took them down to the dry cleaner and collected 25 cents. It occurred to me, even at that young age (7 or 8 years old I think)... what would the dry cleaner do if I returned 51 coat hangers instead of only 50? How would be pay me my half cent?

I imagined there might have been a special half-cent coin or something. Or perhaps he would have rounded up and paid me 1 more penny. I should have tried that.

Of course, my mother was pissed at me because there were no more unused coat hangers.