Pressed Pennies?

[ttfn2u2pooh]

Was told about pressed pennies at DLR, but person was there almost 10 years ago so is not sure if they are still there. Do they still have them? If so, where? All over in different locations? Does DCA have them? Anyone know the cost of them?

I think this might be a fun little thing for my 3 year old to do while there. If you get the pressed pennies... how do you store the money used to make the pennies and where do you keep them once collected?

Thanks so much.

 

[Mabel67]

Was told about pressed pennies at DLR, but person was there almost 10 years ago so is not sure if they are still there. Do they still have them? If so, where? All over in different locations? Does DCA have them? Anyone know the cost of them?

I think this might be a fun little thing for my 3 year old to do while there. If you get the pressed pennies... how do you store the money used to make the pennies and where do you keep them once collected?

Thanks so much.

I have heard that the plastic tubes M&M's come in are good to hold the coins prior to pressing. It costs 50 cents (2 quarters) per penny, plus the penny.

I have also heard that the US pennies changed their composition around 1983 (? not sure of exact year). Pennies prior to this do not have the same alloy composition...so these older pennies do not get the dark streak thru them that the newer ones sometimes do. Maybe someone else can explain it better.

Also, to shine up your old pennies, soak them in a glass of coke....it works beautifully!!

Have fun!

 

[FlameGirl]

They're everywhere. This link provides a list of where you can find the machines, but really, you'll see them all over the place.

Last time I checked, it was $0.50 plus the penny that gets smooshed.

There are even a few nickel and quarter machines, I do believe.

 

[Liat]

We love doing this. My kids each get to make one penny at every machine that we come across. There is a whole bunch of them in the Penny Arcade (is that right?) on Main street otherwise they are scattered.

Disney sells pressed penny books that you slide the pennies into. They make it easy to see which ones you have. But in previous years we have just thrown the pennies into a jar and the kids would have fun digging through it and separating them into different characters.

 

[ttfn2u2pooh]

Oh wow... thank you all so much. I had no idea there would be that many of them to choose from. I will print off one of the listings and one even had maps of the parks and the locations marked so that's perfect. I'll have to look for one of those books to keep them in as that sounds like a great place. I just checked the Disney Store online and there was nothing listed. Might check ebay.

Question... is this something you all think a 3 year old would be able to pick out? Are the machines pretty visible in their locations?

Guess I'll be making sure I have a couple rolls of quarters and some older pennies with us.

 

[Disney Dreams]

The machines are throughout the Resort. I'm not sure what you mean by a 3 year old "picking out," but the machines are big and in stores, outside, all over.

They also sell a little book you can buy to fill with your pressed pennies, creating a collection / souvenir / activity for your 3 year old... and you.

- Dreams

 

[FlameGirl]

I'm not sure what you mean by a 3 year old "picking out," but the machines are big and in stores, outside, all over.

I took it to mean...are the machines easy to spot.

And yes, you can't miss them. Ride exits, gift shops...we even found one in a convenience store across Harbor Blvd.

 

[Disney Dreams]

I took it to mean...are the machines easy to spot....

Phew! I took it the same way.

Just a little after-thought for the OP: Every penny you choose to press adds up to 51 cents. A nice, cheap, souvenir. It can add up to $25 or something like that if you really get into it.

- Dreams

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

We got them representing favorite rides and such. There are usually a couple of designs per machine to choose from.

 

[ttfn2u2pooh]

Phew! I took it the same way.

Just a little after-thought for the OP: Every penny you choose to press adds up to 51 cents. A nice, cheap, souvenir. It can add up to $25 or something like that if you really get into it.

- Dreams

Hehehe... yes, I did mean would it be easy for my 3 year old to spot machines around the park. I do agree that at $0.51 a pop it could quickly add up, but this is something she can really get involved with. She likes little treasure hunts around the house so this is a great alternative to a $25+ t-shirt.

 

[Liat]

The other nice thing about them for the 5 and under crowd is there are usually three options and a nice big button to push. That and watching the penny get smooshed was almost the favorite part of the trip for my 3 and 2 year olds.

 

[Disney Dreams]

... and watching the penny get smooshed was almost the favorite part of the trip for my 3 and 2 year olds.

- giggle - I like that part too! (Much to my DH's entertainment!)

- Dreams

 

[nemofans]

My DS got into this during our last WDW trip when he was 4.5 yrs old. You can find the pressed pennies souvenir books at most gift shops around the parks & resorts. We bought him one while at WDW after he got a few pennies. The machines are scattered all over. We didn't have a list, but we would just run into one in a store or near rides. There are 3-4 choices to pick from in each machine.
Now he gets a pressed penny from anywhere that has them (zoos, aquariums, etc).
I have started collecting quarters, pennies, as well as a few dimes & nickels for our upcoming DL trip. Right now I have them in a ziploc bag, but I have heard of the mini M&M containers too.

 

[ttfn2u2pooh]

The other nice thing about them for the 5 and under crowd is there are usually three options and a nice big button to push. That and watching the penny get smooshed was almost the favorite part of the trip for my 3 and 2 year olds.

Well who doesn't like watching a penny get smooshed.

Glad to know others with little ones have found that this is something entertaining for them. We're not sure how she'll react to the characters so I was hoping to have something in my pocket that could be special for her. And now, I know it needs to be a pocket full of quarters and older pennies.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Well who doesn't like watching a penny get smooshed.

Glad to know others with little ones have found that this is something entertaining for them. We're not sure how she'll react to the characters so I was hoping to have something in my pocket that could be special for her. And now, I know it needs to be a pocket full of quarters and older pennies.

1 roll of quarters and 1 roll of pennies from the bank will get you 20 pressed, errrr, smooshed pennies for her to enjoy!

- Dreams

 

[sophies*mom]

I collected pressed pennies the last couple trips (back in '07) and I purposely took the really clean, shiny ones. They look a lot better and they still look nice even a few years later.

So, if you wash the older ones in coke, it's supposed to make them shiny?

 

[LavenderPeach]

The other nice thing about them for the 5 and under crowd is there are usually three options and a nice big button to push. That and watching the penny get smooshed was almost the favorite part of the trip for my 3 and 2 year olds.

Yes, my DS (who is 5) loved to push the button and watch the pennies being smooshed too. And yeah, it's great that each machine has 3 choices but we had the problem that DS thought he needed to get all 3 at each machine. I was thinking that we would just get the ones that had a picture of something he liked but no, he needed to press all 3 buttons (which i think was what appealed to him more than the actual pennies, lol).

 

[Mabel67]

I collected pressed pennies the last couple trips (back in '07) and I purposely took the really clean, shiny ones. They look a lot better and they still look nice even a few years later.

So, if you wash the older ones in coke, it's supposed to make them shiny?

Yes, it does! But make sure the coke contacts all surfaces...if they are stacke on top of each otherm in the glass of coke, it won't be as noticable where they are touching another penny. I believe it is the citric acid, but not sure...I also read that coke is good for cleaning toilets for the same reason..though I've not tried that one personally!
The coke won't make the old pennies shiny and light colored like the new ones, because they have a different chemical composition.

As to the content, Wikipedia says:
"The penny's composition was changed in 1982 because the value of the copper in the coin started to rise above one cent.[9] This was mainly caused by inflation. Some 1982 pennies use the 97.5% zinc composition, while others used the 95% copper composition."

It is the zinc that causes the streaks in the penny after it is pressed. You can actually tell the difference, as the new pennies are much lighter weight than the older ones, and sound different when dropped.

The new ones might stay shinier longer, but they will often have the dark streaks running through them after pressing, which may diminish the appearance of the pressing effect. This is because the copper is only a coating on the outside of the coin, and zinc is on the inside.

Too much information? lol

Whichever issue of penny you choose to use, it is always a fun thing to do at the park and doesn't cost a lot.

 

[Eeee-va]

I collected pressed pennies the last couple trips (back in '07) and I purposely took the really clean, shiny ones. They look a lot better and they still look nice even a few years later.

So, if you wash the older ones in coke, it's supposed to make them shiny?

I've gotten some noticeable silver streaks in my post-1982 pennies...the pennies are overall shinier than even the older ones I polished before pressing, but the silver color is noticeable. And if the copper gets dark, I don't know of any good way to fix it (I tried on some non-Disney pennies and it ate away at the silver colored portion!).

But some people prefer to press pennies from the current year, for instance. There's really no right or wrong way to press a penny.

I don't think I've tried Coke; hm. I had some success with putting some pennies in an empty 16.9 oz water bottle, and putting in some Del Taco hot sauce and some pepperoccini juice (anything vinegary should be fine) and then shaking a while. Some pennies would not come clean (I put those aside to spend), but the majority came out shiny or turned shiny with a little work from a (dedicated) toothbrush.

 

[GoofyDuck32]

I love the pressed pennies, about 2 years ago i went to DL with some friends, and they were pressed penny collectors, at first i thought it was annoying to always stop and wait for the to look for machines and press the pennies, then they said, it is fun to try to collect them all and try to find the machines, plus it is a very inexpensive and fun souviner, i could not have agreed more, and the next day i started my collection, NOW every time i go to a disney park i add to the collection.