Benjamin Franklin's grave is in need of help

Benjamin Franklin is credited with coining the saying, "A penny saved is a penny earned," and that adage has led to the near destruction of his gravestone.

Franklin's marble gravestone is in the Christ Church Burial Ground across from Independence Mall in Philadelphia, and every year, thousands and thousands of pennies are tossed on top in honor of his famous saying. The Christ Church Preservation Trust says all those pennies have caused pits in the stone, and now, the marker has a large crack that needs to be fixed.

The trust has received some grants to use towards fixing the stone, but still needs to raise $10,000 to finish the project. Franklin gave us lending libraries, lightning rods, bifocals, and a little thing called the Declaration of Independence — the least you can do is throw more than a few pennies his way.

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