The History of Pressed Pennies

[@DistoryDan]

My daughter LOVES to flatten pennies. We have an album full of them... funny enough, TSA gives me a REALLY HARD TIME when I try to take a roll of quarters and pennies with me when I travel to make rolled pennies. Which is why I like the ones you can just swipe your magic band and it pops out the pennies for you.

[@MidwaytoMainStreet]

Wait is that really a thing? There are Magic Band pressed penny machines?!

[@DistoryDan]

Splash Mountain gift shop has a machine that you can pay like $5 for a pile of pennies. They have them in a few spots, Hollywood Studios has one for Star Wars, makes it easier but you dont get to physically crank, the machine does it all for you.

[@lohphat]

If the TSA takes away our rolled coins then only terrorists will have rolled coins! Security theater at its finest.

[@Elemiriel]

If she wants the action of actually cranking the coins, just break the roll into a ziplock bag before you pack it... a roll of coins looks a LOT like a bomb or concealed weapon in an X-ray scanner...

[@metropod]

if you guys think pennies are a problem at the airport, try living with two pin trading maniacs... TSA agent maning the xrat booth nearly needed a new pair of pants when he saw the blue blob of all that metal.

[@brycebitetti1402]

You know, those new button operated coin pressing machines at Disneyland simply aren't as magical ad the hand operated ones. Sure, the coin almost always comes out perfect, but doing it yourself always felt good.

[@DistoryDan]

but you get the added bonus of your pants staying up because your pockets aren't full of quarters as you go pressed penny machine hunting.

[@ryandennison57]

Wow! I've collected these pennies since childhood and have around 60 from WDW, but I had no idea that they have had such a long history. Thanks Rob for giving us another great vid that is both informative and entertaining!

[@DistoryDan]

TL:DW - Walt Disney had a distant third cousin named Penny who had oddly flat feet. She was also a coin collector and loved small arcade booth type things. When she passed away at the old age of 104, Walt decided to take all the things he loved about her, (Pennies, flat feet, coin collecting and arcade machines) and combine them into a special cabinet that rolled pennies flat for you to collect. Which is how we got pressed pennies.

[@GeeBri]

Disney Dan ❤️

[@vallejokid1968]

So is this where the penny arcade gets its name too?

[@disneycenter487]

Pressed pennies are great cheap souvenirs

[@Defunctland]

Hey Rob, good vid. Just submitted an application in your name to have the 2032 World's Fair at your place. I'm thinking a tropical theme? Does your landlord or HOA have any stipulations on exotic animals? I don't know, just spitballing. Get back to me when you got a chance. This is Kevin by the way.

[@ModernMouse]

I'll second this notion. -Josh

[@obviouslyweb]

I third this notion. ...2 years later.

[@MarkWayUp]

my daughter loved collecting a penny from each land - another in depth video, thanks Rob!

[@michaeltaylor9977]

I love giving these as gifts, especially for kids. I like the quarters because they are larger. The pennies are fun too, and more plentiful. I try and get the shiny pennies for a better presentation. It's also a souvenir that doesn't take up much space.

[@oldtimefreedom]

great topic and my favorite souvenir! one extra note: use pre '82 pennies with real copper, because the zinc ones just don't last decades...

[@kenbrand6005]

As kids, we would spit on the penny to stick them to the railroad track to flatten them and play with them. I kind of figured that this was the impetus for the flattened penny souvenir.

[@joannak4767]

My husband loves these. I dont really get it, but I'm excited to show him this video

[@DistoryDan]

I like them for the attractions that I love, but otherwise I'm not a crazy collector. But my daughter loves finding the machines in random corners around the park. I have to admit it's sorta fun.

[@Andy-eh8gt]

just a different kind of trinket for showing the places you've been.

[@dooleyknoted5951]

Joanna K YOU are a wonderful wife! Now, go make him a sammich!

[@Tryingtohaveityall]

My family does this at every touristy place we go. We have dozens. We keep them in little books designed for them.

[@lohphat]

Note the example pressed Mickey penny is from a post 1983 minting which is mostly zinc with a copper plating. You can clearly see the zinc under the broken plating.

[@Juichi]

Interesting. I got one in Tokyo DisneySea because it was the only souvenir they had with the nautilus. I didn't realize they had a long history. I thought they were a new thing in the 90s when I started seeing they pop up, but maybe it was just a resurgence.

[@jwilder47]

I once had a chat with the guy that maintained the penny press machines at our local zoo, according to him, the machines don't actually flatten the penny you insert into the machine, because modern pennies are not solid copper. Apparently they use slight of hand to replace your penny with a copper blank that then goes through the press.

[@8DAM]

100% yes for collecting press pennies

[@helloieeees]

1:32 - that’s a picture of Duke Ellington. He came about after the ragtime era, and was a JAZZ great. Duke was born in 1899, 6 years after the 1893 World’s Fair the video referenced

[@KevinKulasa]

My type of souvenir

[@zero65ss1]

Me and my daughter try get get as many as possible everytime we go.so much fun. Amazing video.

[@cybrunel1016]

They're great as banjo/guitar picks for some styles of flat pickin'. The '82 and prior pennies are made of copper which i prefer over the '83 & later pennies made of aluminium. My local candy store has a penny press. Love 'em.

[@smith9808]

Great video Rob, you always think of awesome ideas! Become a big fan over the past few months, keep it up 👍🏻

[@MidwaytoMainStreet]

Thanks!

[@tscream80]

I'll admit, I LOVE these little things. I always kick myself when I go somewhere, see the press, and don't have coins to get a pressed penny.

[@z-voices263]

This video got my brother and I to really go hog wild with penny collecting at Disney. We’ve been to WDW three times since this video came out and we are always looking for more pressed coin machines! So thank you for that :)

[@sburris65]

My favorite souvenir!

[@mariannec2516]

As always , another great video Rob! My kids always make pressed pennies during our Disney World trips.

[@artreject4293]

Cool! I love collecting them from all over, I currently have over 300 and still counting

[@bringbacktheKFCkrusher]

I once went to an aquarium and got a Club Penguin coin. I finally found it again, and now I want to collect them all.

[@Clarinetfanz]

I love collecting Disney pressed pennies! I have over 30 of them right now.

[@samjay9899]

Smashed pennies are my favorite kind of souvenirs!

[@princealarming85]

I work in the gift shop at Winchester Mystery House and we have at least 3 penny press machines, if not more, and I'm constantly making change for people who don't happen to have pennies in their possession.

[@DailyGinger]

Loved this video! When I was in elemtart school I LOVED collecting pressed pennies in fact I was a part of a few Pressed Penny associations 😂😂 I’m surprised I never looked into how the hobby came to be!

[@lelonfurr6197]

great video and site rob!all your work is just public facts with no extra hoopla or slant thanks ! SixFlags in arlington TX in the mid 60's had a badge maker turn a quarter into a sherriffs badge and a penny press in boom town

[@nairbpenguinlizard]

My parents have gotten super serious about collecting. They bring a list with all the ones we have and still need to get. And only use pennies before 1982 that have 95% Copper instead of copper plating

[@alixt.3090]

I'd never even thought about this topic, but the video was very interesting!

[@cShelby72]

I LOVE PRESSED PENNIES!!! Thanks for making this video, i thought it was super cool! 👌

[@RacinJsn]

The machine design from the 1994 patent holder was designed at my family's business. That same machine design is still found at attractions all over the US.

[@ChristianHaddad-d4i]

NICE VIDEO AND THANKS FOR THE INFO!

[@missybarbour6885]

I have pressed pennies from every place I went on vacation as a kid, including several from Disney World!

[@LifeWithTheBerrys]

wow great video rob! we have always wondered about this

[@deborahdesanto2313]

I always wondered what is best to use to make them shiny again?

[@ModernMouse]

I legit didn't know this one. Great video as always! -Josh

[@TheItachiIshtar]

So these were kinda the precursor to the Disney Parks trading pins, which would also make a great video!

[@biancabrooks280]

I have a pressed Quarter that I got at Dollywood. It’s rather plain tho, I wish the design was bigger, since there is much more room on a pressed quarter.

[@briansivley2001]

Wow I learned something new. I never knew that those pressed pennies were invented here in Chicago at The World's Fair.

[@kagerobraveninja]

I have a small collection of them at least two books full

[@killerontherye]

Every time me and my dad see a penny press machine we would get a pressed penny. We have a collection of about 100 pennys!

[@charlenem7395]

I love pressing pennies! I have a small collection! 💙

[@maeganmonster]

I made my family so mad on our last trip because I forgot *one* pressed Penny on my wishlist and made us all walk through the entire world showcase again to get it.

[@JeffFrmJoisey]

Who knew?? Very interesting video!! Thanks!!!

[@catmomjill]

Kids have been smushing pennies on train tracks for years.

[@markclason2717]

I have that Disney Mickey Starburst!

[@IanRubin2]

I love the video! Random question, though: what song is playing in the background? I heard “Daisy”, but wasn’t sure by who or what it’s from, unfortunately.

[@acowwithlegs]

I went on a trip to Florida and went to Epcot and AK and IOA and collected all the coins a could cause I’m go there again in probably 10 years

[@city_ofalexandria]

Good video as always

[@amber4051]

For those who want to join - TEC is The Elongated Collectors- a very awesome small community of folks with a newsletter and pennies sent to you during the year! A lot of history and knowledge from those newsletters and the website. I started when I was young, but have about 400+ pennies now, mostly all pressed myself, but occasionally will get them from friends and family who know my love or I'll buy older pressed coins from former fairs. I have one of those Columbian exposition pennies! There is SO much to the hobby! Just like collecting other coins, you can collect certain themes, or any that you like, and can press shiny coins or more popularly with us press older coins with a different make-up of the coin itself that won't give you zinc streaks (silvery streaks) when pressed!

[@seich-of-lacan-getter514]

I have a collection going of these, nothing big or notable yet

[@noreastdiztravlr6234]

Interesting video! Is that candle behind your head at 1:55 Rome Burning from Spaceship Earth? Looks exactly like one I have.

[@MidwaytoMainStreet]

Yup!

[@theannoyedmrfloyd3998]

Ever collect a Hillbilly pressed penny? Just put one on a railroad track and wait. ;)

[@ECamp8]

I literally asked for this video yesterday. Wow.

[@pjgray443]

Good vid!

[@fallingleavesag7280]

Me at Disney World: I wanna try and collect all of the pressed pennies After this video: Ok then... My DrEaMs ArE cRuShEd!!

[@ZeldaFeb]

Is the original starburst Mickey penny still available?

[@davids6898]

Do some people consider pressed pennies as strictly a Disney thing? I remember pressed penny machines for years before Disneyland at places like Knott’s Berry Farm, Marineland (boy I miss that place!), and the Natural History Museum Of Los Angeles County. I know they are at Disney Parks now but I don’t think they are particularly “Disney”. Rather they are just a nostalgic part of a theme park/museum experience.

[@MidwaytoMainStreet]

I think there are a lot of people who keep their collections exclusively Disney, but I don't think many people consider it a Disney-specific trinket. Personally I'd say they've become a classic park of the Disney experience but not an exclusive original park of the Disney experience. Similar to Dole Whips, which can be found in a lot of places outside Disney while still having a more focused fandom within Disney.

[@MattMcIrvin]

I think of them as a tourist-attraction thing. It's interesting that their history with Disney is actually relatively recent.

[@MikeBaxterABC]

All this is against the law in Canada ... The Canadian Currency Act clearly states, “No person shall, except in accordance with a licence granted by the Minister, melt down, break up or 'use otherwise than as currency' any coin that is current and legal tender in Canada.”"

[@patw.6567]

Lol i googled if they’re legal

[@UmmYeahOk]

Wow. I have several WDW pennies from 94. I didn’t know they were that special. I also have a few quarters from 1996. When were those introduced?

[@ScoopDogg]

when we were kids, we used to put penny's on train tracks and the trains would flatten em out rolling over them, i always thought that's where the idea was born]

[@freeridemtb2]

I got 434 different elongated coins from Disney world in 4 days..... costed me a fortune

[@Tatsumaki910]

I had no idea the Squire Boone Caverns had/has a pressed penny machine!

[@gagecat]

I travel a lot and keep a giant book of every pressed penny I've gotten. They even had some in Rome!

[@galaxymew5138]

My first pressed penny was one I got from the NASA Center over in Houston!

[@hannarae4311]

Is there a website for specific pennies at WDW? TheMouseForLess.com has a really good list but I don’t know how often they get updated.

[@patthesoundguy]

You don't see those machines in Canada these days as we don't have pennies in circulation anymore. 😢

[@troodon1096]

R.I.P. Canadian cent: 1858-2012. (I also kind of miss Canadian $1 and $2 bills.)

[@Manusmith]

Great video! You show a photo of Edward Ellington when mentioning Ragtime music. Although the "Duke" did write a few ragtime compositions, a better choice for iconic ragtime artists would be Scott Joplin or even Fats Waller. #jazznerd ;-)

[@RetroAP]

Manu smith might be a dumb question but is Scott Joplin related to Janis Joplin?

[@Manusmith]

Well, no. Scot Joplin is African American and Janis...well...isn't. :-) (They are also born 75 years apart).

[@gizz9947]

Go to penny collector dot com and they have list for every state to help you find the machines. Every time we travel we try to find as many machines as possible. Disney land and the surrounding area have about 72 different machines.

[@BertieFett]

Interesting video Rob. One thing I’ve wondered is why Americans call coins pennys when you dont have pence like we do in the UK.

[@MidwaytoMainStreet]

I think it's just a carry over from pence in the UK. Officially, our penny is actually called a "cent" or "one cent piece" since it's one percent of a dollar, but I guess the slang of penny just never wore off.

[@SaborAmericano]

Can you please do a video of all the characters they currently have and the ones the bring back for special events? Thanks in advance.. Mike 😊

[@Victoriasworld100]

my 4 year old loves them... and still waiting on my history of main st electric parade lol

[@kelsmister]

I use to LOVE collecting these pennies at disneyland. But I guess in recent years the fad has died off. It's hard to find one, let alone anyone using it.

[@Thestupidlittlegirl]

kelsmister There's still tons of them at disney, you just gotta do a little searching for them. You could honestly fill up an entire book of just disney pennies. I reccomend pennycollector.com to find each location

[@thulcandran]

Most of the machines in Disneyland are near the entrances to gift shops. There are usually two to three machines in each land and half a dozen on Main Street.

[@hoochrocks]

Very cool.

[@kittenlover-yk5hx]

I did the math in my head, and it's $883 for every pressed coin design, assuming they cost 51 cents.

[@MidwaytoMainStreet]

Some newer machines cost more unfortunately. Had to go through and figure out how many old machines and how many new machines they had.

[@kittenlover-yk5hx]

Jeez, for a flat penny? I guess I haven't been in a while.

[@deadletter4317]

“Failed orange grower from Florida” how is that possible

[@hopscotch5874]

I went to Disney this past week and I got 30 of them

[@inactive377]

Amazing video rob please bring back mc magic and re visiting Disney

[@jm745]

Always wondered, is it legal to press a penny?

[@evanredacted7977]

I don't like all these machines where you push a button and it presses it for you. Hand cranked is much more fun.

[@clown482]

Is there any truth to the rule that damaging US currency is a crime ? If so wouldn't this rule apply in the elongated penny being defaced or destroyed ?

[@ninjamaster3453]

Whatever happened to having world's fairs?

[@MidwaytoMainStreet]

They technically still happen, but they haven't been hosted in the US since the 1960s. The last World Expo was in Italy in 2015. I also suspect they're just not major events anymore because technology like the internet has made it easier to share innovations more easily. If you think about it, events like Musk unveiling the new Telsa trucks or Apple showing off the iPhone would be the kind of thing that you'd see at a fair, but today they can just live stream it.

[@drewaskeland6529]

History of pressed quarters in Disney Parks

[@GirlWhoLikes2Comment]

I have a book filled with pressed pennies from each area of the parks :-)) it was so exciting to collect them when I was on my first trip

[@G2drummer]

So much would it be to collect every pressed penny CURRENTLY available at the Disney parks?

[@MidwaytoMainStreet]

Haha great question! You're gonna wanna check back tomorrow for Saturday's video!

[@ryanmodjeski6967]

why are there different trashcans in different lands

[@workshard4mk361]

I don't get the facination, but I do think some of the press designs are cute.

[@cyanmanta]

It's honestly a better use for the penny than using it for currency. Still, I'd rather just get rid of them entirely.

[@SaturnCanuck]

Ooopps. The New York World's Fair was 2 years.

[@MidwaytoMainStreet]

Yes but it also technically wasn't an official World's Fair. It was independent of the Bureau of International Expositions.

[@SaturnCanuck]

Fair enough, Rob. Thanks for cleaning that up. Oh, I forgot to mention that these machines won't be found in Canada much -- we phased out the "penny" years ago.

[@taffysaur]

I call them squished pennies.

[@EmilyCheetham]

750 at Disney OMG.

[@jazztrombone]

Why do you show a picture of Duke Ellington when you mention ragtime music? Duke Ellington played jazz, not ragtime.

[@cooldude5611]

Notification squaddd

[@Taydar]

The penny that costs more than a penny