At age twenty he accepted a scholarship to attend the Atlanta College of Art, but dropped out before completing the first semester.
"[3] Other works have addressed the September 11 attacks (Two Towers, 2003), the Florida election recount in the 2000 U.S. presidential race (Serfs Up!, 2004), police brutality (Better You Than Me, 2007), the war on drugs (Misdemeanor Sculpture, 2001, Anywhere But Here, 2002, Ceci N'est Pas Une Bong, 2004), and Israel–United States relations (King of Israel, 2007).
Wanting to see how it would age, he carried the sculpture in his pocket for six months, during which time it developed a brown patina just like an ordinary penny.
It was discovered in Brooklyn two and a half years later by Jessica Reed, a graphic designer and coin collector.
It seems that either the copper plating had begun to wear off, revealing the gold underneath, or it had oxidized in such a way as to give it a golden tint.
Reed carried the 'coin' in a change purse for months before doing a quick Internet search for "gold penny 1970."