There are two main reasons for my always wearing Levi's 517 jeans.

First is their strategically placed belt loops, which allow the ever present multi-tool and Gerber knife to ride properly on the outside of the hips, never sliding back under your butt, nor forward to block access to the pockets.

The one time I needed to, the loops worked just fine for a 9mm, too.

The second reason is the small coin pocket inside the right pocket.

The perfect nest for the ever-present Sacajawea dollar, nicely stained from her too-infrequent immersions into the waters of Lake Yellowstone.

But today, and today alone, she has company.

My favorite mint coin, just above the Buffalo Nickel. With my favorite Founding Father on the face, the Liberty Bell on the tail.

Growing up, this was the coin to have. If you had Ben in your pocket, you were rich.

With a George Washington, well, you just had half a Ben.

And yes, I agree with the decision to replace Ben with JFK. And have a few of his coins saved up somewhere, too. But the passing from Ben to Jack was also the passing from innocence into the modern world. From an era of practical thought and inventions into the Cold War and the era of modern technology.

A good passing to make, but a passing just the same.

So, today, the real silver coin comes out of its protective envelope, and once again spends a day in the pocket of a grateful American.

Happy 300th, Ben.