A penny for your thoughts is the original saying. The actual saying has been dated back to as late as 1546 when John Heywood, who was born around 1497. A dialogue conteinying the nomber in effect of...
This expression is used when asking a musing or pensive person what they are thinking. It probably originated when a penny was worth something - perhaps a loaf of bread - and indicated that you were...
John Heywood, who is credited for first documenting the phrase "A penny for your thoughts" included it in his book "A dialogue containing the number in effect of all the proverbs in the English...