A Boy Called Duct Tape Read Free

coins.”
    I thanked her, then went over and sat at one of the dozen or so computers that lined the far wall.
    I was dying to know more. Was Pia’s coin worth $20? I knew that $20 in 1879 was probably worth a lot more today. Maybe even $50. Maybe more.
    I did a Google search, my fingers nervously tapping the keys. There were thousands of sites, and I scrolled down the first page of results. My cursor stopped at a site called VINTAGE COINS. I muttered the words on the screen before me. “Vintage gold and silver coins can be traced as far back as the Greeks in the years before …”
    Not this one , I thought.
    I clicked on the next site: COLLECTIBLE COINS. I read the summary under my breath. “Collectible coins dating back to the Middle Ages are thought to be …”
    Nope .
    Then it hit me. What are you thinking, dude?
    I changed my search words to $20 Gold Piece.
    The screen flickered before my eyes. The first listing read : A GUIDE TO U.S. COINS.
    The website was divided into seven categories. Each one showed pictures of various antique coins. I began reading CATEGORY 1, which described the many coins that had been minted during the English colonial days of the 1750s. There were pictures of each coin. A chart listed the value of each coin based on its condition. There were four classifications : GOOD, VERY GOOD, FINE, and VERY FINE.
    My eyes widened. Many of the coins in VERY FINE condition were worth hundreds of dollars, and a strange tickling of excitement crawled over my skin.
    I continued to scroll.
    CATEGORY 2: QUARTER DOLLARS
    CATEGORY 3: HALF DOLLARS
    CATEGORY 4: SILVER DOLLARS
    The faster I scrolled, the faster my heart thumped.
    CATEGORY 5: $3 GOLD PIECES
    CATEGORY 6: $4 GOLD PIECES
    When the cursor reached CATEGORY 7 the flesh on my arms bubbled up. The title jumped off the screen at me: $20 GOLD PIECES.
    Yes!
    There were pictures—front and back—of different $20 gold coins minted from 1848 until 1933.
    I glanced around the Media Center. It was occupied by several other students, but none of them were paying much attention to me. Besides, there was no one at any of the other computers. I pulled Pia’s coin out of my pocket and held it up to the computer screen.
    Looking for a match, I began to scroll down CATEGORY 7.
    Pia’s gold piece didn’t match the first picture, and I compared it to the second. It wasn’t a match, either. The third one was a bust, too.
    When I compared Pia’s coin to the fourth picture my breath got stuck in my throat like a wad of bubblegum. On one side of the coin on the screen were the words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA written around its rim, and an Eagle with its wings spread. Beneath the Eagle were the words TWENTY DOLLARS .
    Just like Pia’s coin!
    A second picture showed the opposite side of the $20 gold piece, and I turned Pia’s coin over, hoping it would match the one on the screen.
    The computer picture showed an engraving of a woman’s face. She was wearing a crown. The word LIBERTY was written across the front of her crown. Tiny stars circled the rim of the coin on the computer screen. I counted thirteen.
    Just like Pia’s coin!
    The $20 gold piece began to tremble in my hand.
    I directed the cursor to the bottom of the page where the value of each coin was listed by date and condition. I took a big gulp of air and scrolled until I found a listing for Pia’s coin: $20 GOLD PIECE – 1879 – VERY FINE.
    I stared at the dollar amount for the longest time. I thought maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me. I looked away for a few seconds, and then turned back to the screen.
    No, my eyes were not playing tricks. The amount read: $6,250.
    I tried to draw a full breath, but all the air had been sucked out of the room.
    That was more money than Mom made in four months.
    My mind spinning out of control, someone came up from behind and whispered in my ear, “Hey, Duct Tape!”
    I flinched and jammed Pia’s coin into my pocket.
    It was Jimmy Coleman, captain of the