Pressed Pennies - Use Old or New Pennies??

[Pirate Me]

We use new ones.

 

[kimsuenew]

I gathered a whole mini mnm case full of pennies. For some reason I thought that I had seen a post saying to use old pennies, because the new ones contain nickel or something and the image on the pressed penny doesn't come out nearly as well.

Now I am seeing what looks like people saying that they use new pennies because the images come out better than what they do on the old ones.

Which one is it? We have never done pressed pennies before and I would like to gather some at the parks. And not only do I have a mini mnm case full of pennies, I also have one full of quarters!!! I feel so prepared.

It is personal preference.

On our 2007 trip, we initially pressed four of each (clean older pennies and shiny new pennies). We liked the shiny new pennies so much better!

After the "experiment", we only used new, shiny ones and were quite pleased with the results!

We are going back in September and only taking new ones. Perhaps you should try a few of each type, decide which you like best, and then use those exclusively?!

I would recommend buyng a WDW "penny book"... ours is a quad-fold book with MM on the front. It is a bit larger than a standard postcard, it cost $6.50, holds over 60 pennies in see through pockets, and is a nice way to display them and keep them all together!

It (pressing pennies) is very fun, a terrific souvenier, compact (a great trait when it comes to souveniers ), and it doesn't cost a fortune!

 

[CanadianPaco]

Lots of good info!

 

[webster76]

i'm always the one that saves the pennies and quarters for our trips. I admit I save the new pennies, in fact I start saving the pennies from the current year, not that anyone will know that but me! I never use change either , when I shop. That's how I save for anything. Even if it's just a few cents, I always use another paper dollar.

 

[perkinsrose]

I have a job but yet I still manage to find time to shine pennies. Very easy to just soak them in a bowl of vinegar. The new shinny pennies will eventually tarnish too and when that happens, just soak them in vinegar.

When i was a kid, we used vinegar and salt to clean pennies for collection (I just looked up and it forms-- a mild hydrocloric acid! Google says you can also use lemon juice instead of vinegar).

 

[123SA]

This sounds fun. We haven't tried this yet. Is there a list of locations for the pressed pennies?

 

[JustMe+Three]

Also, when you insert the penny, make sure Lincoln's head faces to the right.

I usually put Lincoln to the right as well so the design is pressed on his head. The building on the flip side makes for a more difficult-to-see design.

I am hoping that this is something that I will understand when I see the machine and how you put the coin in!!

I've had one person disagree, but from everything I've read, only the older machines that operate by crank potentially cause the zinc core to show through. machines operated by buttons don't seem to suffer from this issue.

To be a little clearer, the change occurred sometime during 1982, so they generally advise to not touch 1982 pennies at all since you can't tell what the core is.

and I've heard ketchup cleans them up rather well

As bradk pointed out, the newer machines make a "softer" press, so that shiny, newer pennies look good and cut down on the zinc spread in the design. Cleaned pre 82 pennies also look great (I do a simple soak in vinegar, then rub with baking soda/water paste.)

Are there a lot of the older crank style machines at Disney? Or mainly new ones?

*Gasp!* I would never waste my beloved ketchup to clean a penny! Seems so wasteful...

Can I suggest filling your m&ms case like this:

quarter, quarter, penny, quarter, quarter, penny, quarter, quarter, penny--you get the idea. That way, you won't have to dig around for your quarters. I think I fit 10 sets (enough for 10 pennies) in a small case. More in a larger. If you don't have a book to put them in, you can find them at most gift shops--just make sure when you pick it up it is a book for pennies and not pressed quarters! I nearly made this mistake.

Have fun!
Blakely

Ooh. Thanks for that! I didn't think of that and you just saved me from pulling my hair out as I try to find each case and pull out the correct items.

They have pressed quarter machines too? Now THAT sounds expensive!!!

As far as the Pressed Penny Book, is this something that has a holder for each print that you get? Or it's just a "holding" type of book and it doesn't matter what print goes where? (did that even make sense? ) I am just wondering if we buy one and don't get all of the slots filled up, if it would get outdated by the time that we made it back to WDW again (which, according to hubby, will be another 5 years!!! )



So, it seems like the majority of people use the newer pennies. Okay. Now I am going to go home this afternoon and dump out both of my mnm cases and start analyzing my pennies!!! I think that I had gathered a bunch of old, dirty pennies and tossed the newer ones back - obviously not realizing that the design would come out really crappy. Can you tell that I have done this before?? Hhmmmm, maybe I will recruit DS4 and make him start scrubbing older pennies for inspection!! What are the child labor laws again?? JUST KIDDING!!

 

[disneyin2008]

This sounds fun. We haven't tried this yet. Is there a list of locations for the pressed pennies?

EDITED: Ooops http://www.parkpennies.com is actually the list for DisneyLAND and they only have a listing of the retired/current WDW pennies, which is a difficult list to carry with you. For a good WDW list see http://www.pressedcoins.com (Sorry about the goof up....we've done this in DL, and I knew I'd seen lots of info about WDW at parkpennies....but they link you to pressedcoins for the listing).

You can download and print a list of all known locations, you can read about the different ways to clean (and which type of pennies they recommend), and there are photos of pennies that people have collected, including some that aren't available anymore.

Beware though....this can SEEM to be inexpensive at only .51 for a cute little souvenior, but it's very very addictive, and most machines have 3 or 4 designs and of course you have to have them all, and then you have to have every pressed penny that you pass, and then you start seeking them out, and then you start planning your next vacation around the release of new penny machines...........

 

[DizzDoll]

Beware though....this can SEEM to be inexpensive at only .51 for a cute little souvenior, but it's very very addictive, and most machines have 3 or 4 designs and of course you have to have them all, and then you have to have every pressed penny that you pass, and then you start seeking them out, and then you start planning your next vacation around the release of new penny machines...........[/QUOTE]


Welcome to the Dark Side!!

 

[honeybee8200]

My pressed penny collection only consists of 3 at this moment. From the few times I've done it, I will also put in my 2 cents.....LOL

The newer pennies do have a better image on them. (Didn't try to clean any old ones)

With the building on the back, the design does come out better.

The old crank type does tend to show some zinc through the design. But even then it's not horrible. Like shadowing.

They are very addictive and I am going to print out an updated list from presscoins.com right before leaving for my trip.

 

[malcontent]

Ok, not to be mean, but anyone with this much time on their hands really needs to get a job.

Actually, this is a bit mean. I have an excellent job, but collecting pressed pennies is my hobby and I have an awesome collection to prove it. Frankly, I don't understand why you'd go into a thread that is asking for specific information only to be insulting to those in the know.

Oh come on! Lighten up!!

We all come to this board because we are obsessed. Nothing wrong with that. We're not hurting anyone. We have a great time. But think about it. We take pictures of our appetizers. Some of use even photograph the rest rooms. We have collectively spent more hours pouring over touring plans than was spent on the plan to invade Iraq. We debate which way Mr. Lincoln should face when we press pennies. We get up early in the morning to make lunch reservations at a restaurant that we won't be going to for another six months.

A good part of the world would consider this odd behavior. I don't care. I'm havin' a blast, and I assume everyone else is here as well!!

However, one thing we shouldn't do is take ourselves so seriously that we can't laugh at ourselves. I thought the comment was quite funny, in context!

Sorry if I am

 

[DizzDoll]

Just remember: Mr. Lincoln's head should be facing to the right. And his head should be on a shiny penny. Not that I'm cranky or obsessed - just anal!!

 

[bobbyshawatl]

From what I understand, zinc is a highly more reactive medal, and the exposed zinc will be far more likely to discolor or corrode if exposed to moisture or air.

That being said, I've had several pressed pennies for years without signs of corrosion or degradation. But, I DO have some post 1982 uncirculated pennies (non-pressed) in a coin collecting album that have started to bubble... where the zinc under the copper layer has started to corrode and break down.

 

[figmentfan2009]

I'm, personally, hording all of the 2017 pennys, dimes and quarters I can find for our upcoming trip. I know the debate, but (if I can't find 1983 pennys) I want to have as many of this year's pennys as I can. It might by my husband's last Disney trip (health issues) and I really want this year's penny's.