Penny Venetian Red of "POSTAGE" and "ONE PENNY" that its predecessors bore. It was decided that a new colour would also be desirable to defend against improper re-use; a fugitive lilac ink was used that would run and spoil the stamp if one attempted to wash off the cancellation. The Lilacs broke the tradition of using corner letters and instead had either fourteen or sixteen dots in each corner. Penny Venetian Red The Penny Venetian Red was a British postage stamp equal to the value of one penny. Issued in 1880, it was designed and surface-printed by security printing company De La Rue.
Take a penny, leave a penny purposely made container, perhaps with an advertisement or with text advising the customer to "take a penny, leave a penny". It is not uncommon to occasionally see nickels, dimes, and even quarters in a penny dish; a cashier short on pennies but nearing the end of their shift may swap one of the higher denomination coins for the equivalent number of pennies, especially if a large number of pennies are present in the dish. Take a penny, leave a penny Take a penny, leave a penny (sometimes Give a penny, take a penny, penny tray, or penny pool) refers to