You would think that in the Central Florida area, with all the theme parks we would have enough Disney stores to shop at. However back in 2022 Disney decided to open yet another store, this one was a bit different by being off property and actually just down the street from the Universal Studios parks which seemed a bit bold. When it originally opened there was no news of a pressed penny machine but that has recently changed, but let me put a bit of a caveat on this “new” machine.

This new Walt Disney World Store is located near the corner of International Drive and Sand Lake Road.

It’s a nice tall building, with the Disney store only taking up the bottom right corner. The outside of the store has the familiar styling of other Disney stores. The ones over at the Orlando Airport immediately come to mind.

Inside has a nice simple theme to it. I will admit that this store is much smaller than I thought it would be.

Even with the small footprint, there is still quite an impressive selection of merchandise. Much of it I’ve seen before in the theme parks, and Disney Springs. I’m guessing this is just an attempt to make Disney merch a little easier to some guests not visiting Disney or maybe even some Universal visitors staying at nearby hotels.

Now remember I said the machine at this new Disney store is actually a relocated machine. Originally the machine had been located near Disney Springs inside the Bonnet Creek Resort area. There are a few different hotels in this area, with the Hilton being the home to the penny machine.

Here’s a quick look at the original machine cabinet, which I only mention because you will see shortly that it has changed. The penny designs however have not. If you want to take a look back you can check out our visit to the Hilton Bonnet Creek Hotel here.

Above is a photo of the updated penny machine at the Walt Disney World Store. It is located just inside the main set of doors near a cute photo op with a large Goofy statue.

The penny designs available at this machine include a cute one of Mickey and Minnie with a couple Mickey balloons, Simba from The Lion King, and the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland. These pennies are the exact same designs as were in the original machine which honestly was a little out of the way for most guests. If you weren’t able to acquire this set previously, this is probably an easier location to visit and press a set for your own collection.

Keep on Pressing!

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SeaWorld Orlando has been adding a lot of new coasters in the past few years. Not too long ago we posted about their (at as of the writing of this) latest coaster Pipeline and you can read about it here. However before that they had opened Ice Breaker in 2022. Now even though I’m not technically a roller coaster fanatic, I still enjoy visiting the openings of these new attractions in the hope that there may be a new pressed penny or collectible medallion. Unfortunately each time I’ve been disappointed. That is true when I visited Ice Breakers grand opening but on a recent trip to the park I came across a New limited edition collectible coin. Honestly I don’t know if I just missed this back then, or if this is a new release. In any case today I’m going to bring you to the park for a tour of Ice Breaker, and what I’m calling labeling a New-ish collectible coin.

Once inside SeaWorld if you are heading over towards the Orca Stadium you will see Ice Breaker looking in the distance.

Now being used to the House of Mouse having excruciatingly long lines for all its attractions, SeaWorld often has very short or much more reasonable wait times. They do also offer a paid “Quick Queue” upgrade to your ticket but I would say if you go during the week it’s probably not needed.

Ice Breaker has a bit of a unique launch system when you first are loaded on. The track slides to the right, connecting to the main track. Then you launch backwards up this vertical section of track, then you head forward towards the high hat.

However the first time you don’t quite make it over, and roll backwards all the way to that vertical section of track in an effort to gain a bit more speed. Then on the second attempt you make it over and get to experience the rest of the track.

It’s not a very long ride, but does have some thrills with that reverse launch, and plenty of twists and turns. Once the ride is over you exit out near this small gift shop which is also where you can view and purchase your on-ride photos.

They also have plenty of themed merchandise with both the Ice Breaker logo, and the Coaster Capital of Orlando logo. As you would guess they have plenty of t-shirts, sweaters, cups, mugs, lanyards, pens and…

this is where I just recently found this collectible coin. I love the little acrylic case it comes in, with the concept artwork of the coaster track covered in snow. The coin has the Ice Breaker logo and Opened 2022 on the front.

The reverse side of the display case includes all the details of the coast, who created it, the total length, height, speed and even info on total number of riders. The reverse of the coin has the same color art work on the front of this case in the center of the coin, and then SeaWorld Orlando, FL around the edge. It does state that this is a 39mm Minted Coin Limited Edition of 2022. It’s not numbered so not sure exactly how limited this is. There were quite a few available for sale but at a cost of $34.99 it’s definitely a costly souvenir. Thankfully they don’t release too many of these as my wallet wouldn’t be able to take it. There is a new Penguin coaster set to open later this year so I’m curious to see if a similar coin will be available when that attraction opens.

Enjoy and Keep on Collecting!

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Earlier this year a whole slew of new collectible medallions were released all over Walt Disney World property. In a previous post we review the dated 2024 Medallion Set that you can read here. There are a few other non-dated mini-sets that we are going to be reviewing, starting today with the Winnie the Pooh numbered set. Below we will explain where each of the coins can be found, photos of the machine and of course beautiful photos of the medallions themselves. Enjoy and Keep on Collecting!

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#1 Piglet – Disney Springs Pin Traders

The first coin in this set is of Piglet and can be found at Disney Springs in the big Pin Trader store near the carousel. There are quite a few pressed penny machines in this store, and the medallion machine is towards the back of the store (although this depends on which entrance you use). If you walk around the circular store you will find it pretty easily.

#2 Rabbit – Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

The second coin in this set is of Rabbit with the machine being located over at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Head up to the second floor of the main lobby and the machine is next to the doors that lead out to the Monorail station.

#3 Kanga & Roo – Disney Springs World of Disney

Here we have the third coin with a cute design of Kanga & Roo. For this one we needed to head back over to Disney Springs inside the big World of Disney Store. There are a couple machines here, and this specific one is near the big T-shirt section of the store. We will be back shortly to find the other machine.

#4 Tigger – Magic Kingdom Hall of Champions

Tigger is the design on medallion number four of this set and to acquire it we need to head inside the Magic Kingdom. Head straight down main street and just before you get to Casey’s Corner you will find a store called The Hall of Champions. You can also access this by entering the Emporium and just heading back in the direction of the castle. All these stores are interconnected.

#5 Gopher – Animal Kingdom Ziwani Traders

Coin number six is an interesting choice with Gopher on it. This machine can be found over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park. Head back into the Africa section and near the Kilimanjaro Safari is a gift shop called Ziwani Traders. The machine is outside the store but near one of the doors.

#6 Eeyore – Disney Springs World of Disney

I told you we’d be back at Disney Springs inside the World of Disney store. This time we are looking for the second medallion machine which can be found near the large wall of checkout registers in the seasonal area that is in the general direction to the Lego store.

#7 Owl – All Star Music Resort

To wrap up this wonderful little numbered set of medallions we have wise old Owl. His coin can be found at the All-Star Music Resort. Head inside the main lobby building, walk straight back towards the Note’able Arcade and the machine will be right along the hallway wall.

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I have mentioned this many times in the past, the Haunted Mansion is my favorite attraction at Walt Disney World. I have experienced the Disneyland version and honestly I personally like the Florida version better, but I may be biases since that’s the one I’ve been able to ride most often. Even though the Ghost Host mentions that there are 999 Happy Haunts inside, there is one spirt that can be found in the California Mansion that has never appeared in Walt Disney World. That is until now.

Back in September 2023 at Disney’s Destination D23 Expo, Josh D’Amaro the Chairman of Parks and Resorts announced that the fan favorite Hatbox Ghost would be materializing in the Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion later that year. Sure enough towards the end over November he appeared for all guests to enjoy.

There has been some concern about his placement in the Mansion, but that’s a conversation for other park enthusiasts to get into. I love seeing the Hatbox Ghost and the effect of his face moving from the Hatbox to the top of his neck and back again is an amazing effect. Seeing it in person is a must, but there are many videos online (including one from our own Youtube Channel you can see below) that show off the effect quite well.

Now for us coin collectors I was hoping to see a new design released immediately after his grand release inside the Mansion, however as with many new things at Disney we had to wait. Thankfully it wasn’t too long into 2024 when a whole slew of new pressed penny designs were released to replace the previous 100th Anniversary designs, and sure enough that Hatbox was among them.

So this machine is not the easiest to find and I’ll try my best to explain exactly where it is located. First off it’s not really close to the Haunted Mansion. There is a Haunted Mansion themed machine with 4 penny designs but that is not the machine we are talking about today. This machine is still inside the Liberty Square area of the park so I guess that’s kind of connected to the Haunted Mansion. There is a quick service restaurant called Sleep Hollow and this machine is behind that. Technically this little breezeway pictures above is right outside the Hall of Presidents exit. Why they thought this was a good place for a machine I’m not sure.

The machine cabinet is nothing to special, dark paint on the wooden cabinet. There are three designs available at this machine, each will cost $1 and the machine supplies the penny to be pressed. I’ve mentioned before but get some questions about this periodically. If you only want one or two designs then you must pay with cash. That is the only way to press individual designs. If you use your credit / debit card or a digital form of payment like ApplePay or Google Wallet you will automatically be charged the full $3 and get the full set. If that’s what you want great, but I do see this happen often where someone swipes there card, and just gets one coin and walks off while the machine is still pressing the other designs.

Here he is the brand new Hatbox Ghost pressed penny designs now available at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. I think the design is fantastic, I love the Haunted Mansion font at the top, and of course the classic Hatbox Ghost pose in the middle.

Let me know in the comments, what is your favorite Disney attraction, and if you enjoy the Haunted Mansion of the 999 happy haunts which is your favorite? Maybe Madame Leota, or the Hitchhiking Ghosts. There are so many good ones to choose. Stay spooky and Keep on Pressing!

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On February 11th, 2024 the NFL held Super Bowl LVIII in Paradise Las Vegas at the Allegiant Stadium between the San Francisco 49ers, and the Kansas City Chiefs. The game came down the the wire with the Chiefs becoming the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since the Patriots did it in 2004.

Then once the team was back home, on February 14th Kansas City held a Victory Parade for the team through the downtown. Unfortunately during the parade, a day for celebration suddenly turned to tragedy. Gunfire broke out injuring 22 people who were shot, and 43 year-old mother of two Lisa Lopez-Galvan was killed.

Following the tragedy, the Community showed just how Kansas City Strong they are with Fundraisers for the victims including one by Elongated Coin Designer and Collector Paul Conner.

Paul created a special elongated coin proudly states Kansas City Strong, and features images of the Kansas City skyline, Chiefs logo, Union Station and the team’s coach Andy Reid.

There are also denomination sets available with the same image pressed on a US cent (penny), Nickel, Dime and Quarter.

Above is an image of the fundraiser form created by Paul. All funds will be sent directly to the United Way. You can submit your donation directly through PayPal to Paul’s email listed on the form, and just include in the note the item(s) you paid for and your mailing address. Or you can use the above QR code to submit your donation directly to the United Way. Then just email Paul a photo of the donation receipt and he will send you the coins. You can click here to access a PDF file of the fundraiser form.

I always want to help showcase special elongated coins that are created by friends in our collecting community. This is another wonderful coin to add to your collection and it helps a great cause for the victims of this very unfortunately event. Thank you all for taking a few moments to read about this and I hope you think about making a donation.

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Recently I had a quick trip up to Canada for my cousin’s wedding. This was a fun little getaway for our family. We flew out of Orlando and into Toronto, then had about an hour drive to the Kitchener-Waterloo area. This is where most of my dad’s side of the family are located and has been quite a long time since I last visited. We were only there for a couple days, and most of the time we had scheduled for the different family events and wedding. But I did find a little bit of time early one morning to venture out to nearby St. Jacobs Ontario to find a couple penny press machines.

It was a short drive from our hotel but it quickly turned from urban to rural which I absolutely loved. All the sprawling farm lands, livestock, and crops was not just beautiful to see what kind of relaxing in a strange way. I’m a city person through and through so maybe that’s why this is such a nice little change of pace. The slow moving giant harvesters on the road however I could have done without.

As I pulled off the highway towards and into the village center I found my first stop a place called Fudge Sakes. It was a cute little candy and ice cream shop. Unfortunately I was here so early in the morning that they were not yet open for business. Thankfully for me however the penny machine was located out front on the deck allowing use at any time of day.

This was nice clear acrylic cabinet, with a large marquee on the top with the coin designs available. In the middle of the machine on the right side there was even a manual hold punch that you could use to punch a hole through your penny to turn it into a necklace or bracelet which I don’t think I’ve seen before.

The machine cost $1 which in Canada is a coin affectionally known as a “loonie” because of the Loon bird that originally appeared on the coin when it was first released. The machine also preloaded with a large stack of US Cents. Thankfully I had enough loonies to use the machine, especially since the store wasn’t open. It pressed the coins wonderfully and I loved that it included St. Jacobs Ontario on each one.

Just a short drive away from the Fudge store was the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market. Thankfully this place was open bright an early. There weren’t too many visitors there when I arrived which was fine with me. Outside were all different stands with fresh fruit and other produce as well as things like honey, preserves and canned food items. The selection was seemingly endless.

There were some large buildings that housed more permanent looking merchants and included a large food court. After wondering through almost all the buildings I ended up near the information office where I found the penny machine. It has a similar cabinet design to the other once I found earlier, and even included the hole punch attachment.

Once again this machine pressed really nicely and the coins dropped out in all their glory. The details on these designs was fantastic and I noticed afterwards that they even had little maple leafs on the right and left ends.

Unfortunately these were the only two penny machines in the area that I had time for during this trip. As much as I love collecting elongated coins, I must admit I was more looking forward to spending some time with family that I hadn’t seen in quite some time. The wedding was such a fun time and we were so happy we could attend, and I even got a few pennies along the way. Keep on Pressing!

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During the summer while our kids are out of school my wife and I alternate taking a day off each week to take the girls out and do something a little different. Otherwise they seem to be drawn into their rooms with iPads in tow only showing their faces when they need something to eat or have to recharge their electronic gadgets. Recently it was one of my weeks and I thought it would be fun to head over and enjoy an afternoon at our local Dave & Buster’s Arcade.

Located in Orlando just off of the notorious International Drive, Dave & Buster’s is basically a huge arcade. I think of it as a Chuck-e-Cheese just for older kids and adults. They can be found all over the United States. Some have bowling alleys included, while others are just the arcade games.

They can be a bit noisy with all the games, and especially the guests playing the games. Unlike arcades from when I was young there is no need to bring rolls of quarters, everything now is done by a digital card. There are kiosks along the wall where you can activate a new card and load it up with certain dollar amounts.

Each game has a scanner on it that will display the “cost” to play that particular game, then you just swipe your card and that amount is deducted from your balance. Whenever it gets low you can just reload it with more funds to continue your fun.

They also do have a restaurant with standard items you would find at any other chain sports bar. There are plenty of large screen TVs around showing all the different sporting events going on that day.

We certainly made the rounds of all different games during our visit, but one my kids became quickly obsessed with was this coin pusher style game. There were a few other versions where the coins were preloaded in the machine and after swiping our game card a set number of the coins would be dropped into the play area hoping to then push the stacks of coins in the winning area giving us lots of credits we could later use in the shop. However this one version I have shown above was Nascar themed, but must have been an older version. As we swiped our card to play, the machine actually dispensed a handful of physical tokens for us to then insert ourselves.

While my kids kept playing I grabbed one of the tokens and saw it had a Dave & Buster’s logo on it and opted to keep one for my personal token collection.

When we got home I was curious about the size and did a quick comparison with a United States Quarter, and the token had a slightly larger diameter.

The same logo is on both sides of the token, and I would have really loved it if they had included the location on these somewhere. My guess is these will be the same at any Dave & Buster’s location at least until they update that machine and do away with the physical coins.

Keep on Collecting!

In a previous post that you can read here, I went over all the new collectible medallion designs that were released at the beginning of the year. However, not all of these coins were part of the “2024 Dated” set. Some of the others were new “non-dated” designs, or part of separate mini-sets that we will review in future posts so stay tuned. In this post I’m going to show off just the 2024 Dated Medallion Set. Here is a look at the 2024 design that appears on the reverse side of all coins in this set. Happy hunting!

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All-Star Movies Resort

All-Star Music Resort

Animal Kingdom

Ziwani Traders

Contemporary Resort

Disney Springs

World of Disney Store

EPCOT

Disney Traders Gift Shop

Port of Entry Gift Shop

Fort Wilderness Campground

Meadow Trading Post

Hollywood Studios

Celebrity 5&10

Tower Hotel Gifts

Magic Kingdom

Hall of Champions Store

Adventureland Breezeway

Polynesian Village Resort

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In a previous post that you can read here, I went over all the new pressed penny designs that were released at the beginning of the year. However, not all of these pennies were part of the “2024 Dated” set. Some of the others were new “non-dated” designs, or older previously retired designs that were brought back. In this post I’m going to show off just the 2024 Dated Pressed Penny Set. Here is a picture of all the pennies in this set, and below that I’ll explain where each one can be found. Happy hunting!

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Animal Kingdom

Discovery Trading Co.

Chester & Hester’s Dino Treasures

Dawa Bar

Hollywood Studios

Oscar’s Super Service

POP Century Resort

EPCOT

Disney Traders

Norway Pavilion – The Fjording

World Traveler Gift Shop

Port of Entry Gift Shop

Disney Springs

Disney Pin Trader

Magic Kingdom

Main Street Train Station

Tony’s Town Square Restaurant

Main Street Emporium #1

Main Street Emporium #2

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