Month: April 2020

Busch Gardens Tampa – Part 2

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Just as a quick recap we were visiting Busch Gardens in Tampa Florida and had made our way about halfway through the park before we needed to stop for some lunch in a nice shaded area.

That Florida sun can really get to you if you aren’t careful.  But after our nice little break and we were ready to explore the rest of the park.

We found ourselves in the Pantopia section of the park which was very colorful and had some interesting looking buildings.  This is actually where we had stopped for some lunch at a food court style restaurant with different stations depending on what you were in the mood for.  They had Italian, American, Asian and Tex-Med which was a nice wide array of options.  But it was extremely busy inside and was hard to find a place to sit once we have our food.  After lunch, we explored this area a bit more, and there are quite a few rides for kids including a Carousel.

After we had walked through Pantopia we headed up some ramps to a higher ground level which was the Congo section.  There was a Train Station here but it was not open for some reason.

Nearby the Train Station was a set of Restrooms with a penny machine nearby.  The most common location for penny machines.

 

This machine has penny designs of a couple Giraffes, a Zebra, SheiKra and Kumba Roller Coasters.

Nearby this area were some interesting attractions like Ubanga-Banga bumper cars, the Congo River Rapids which from what I saw you get completely soaked on, and Kumba a pretty intense looking roller coaster.

The next area of the park is known as Jungala where they have a great area for kids called the Treetop Trails, then you can visit the Tiger exhibit and an area with Orangutans.

When you are visiting the Orangutans there is a building with large glass windows that will give you an up-close view of them.  My personal favorite was the larger platform surrounded by netting where you get a more wide angle of their exhibit.

Under here is also where the two penny press machines are found and are located diagonally from each other under this covered area.

 

The first machine I came across had Pantopia listed on its marquee so I’m guessing these machines tend to move around periodically.  The penny designs for this machine were fun with images of two Gorillas, a Giraffe, the Falcon’s Fury ride, and a couple Elephants.

 

Just on the other side of this platform is the second penny machine.  The designs here are of a Tiger and cub, the Jungle Flyer, an Orangutan, and a Tiger face.  After we said goodbye to the Orangutans there was a nice little pathway with not a lot going on but led us to the Stanleyville section.

This area had quite a bit going on as well, with a Skyride station, the Stanley Falls Flume ride (another one you get quite soaked on), and the SkeiKra coaster.  Be careful around this part of the coaster pictured above as they have some nice benches and shaded areas but you will notice the ground is pretty slick.  This part of the coaster goes through a pond of water and sprays it up into the air behind it as it zooms by.  Of course, your kids will love it, and I did find it a bit humorous to see the adults quickly running for cover when they realized what was about to happen.

Not too far away from the entrance to SheiKra is a gift shop called the Kariba Marketplace.  Part of this store is inside, and part is outside under a covered canopy and that is where you will find another penny machine.

 

This machine seems to be in its proper location as the cabinet is designed for the SheiKra coaster.  The images available at this machine include a family of Tigers, an Iguana, Ring-tailed Lemur and the SheiKra Coaster.

By this time of day, we were definitely starting to drag a little bit.  The hot Florida sun had taken its toll and we were ready to find the exit, but there was one last area to visit before we were back at the entrance/exit.  I’m sure you can guess by the picture above that it’s all about Sesame Street and is called the Safari of Fun.  This is really a great place for young children.  The buildings and rides are all themed around Sesame Street, there are meet and greet areas to visit with your favorite pals like Elmo, Cookie Monster or Grover.

As you enter and leave this area you will see a gift shop completely filled with Sesame Street merchandise.  The store is called Abby Cadabby’s Treasure Hunt and was so much fun to explore with my 3-year-old daughter.  Of course, the plush toys are what she headed for with their bright colors and cute designs, but they also had t-shirts, coffee mugs and so much more.

 

This store is also the location for the last available penny machine and had designs of some popular Sesame Street characters like Zoe, Cookie Monster, Abby and Elmo.

We waved goodbye to Elmo and my daughter decided it was time to crash.  She fell asleep shortly after in the stroller as I headed down the last section of the pathway heading towards the entrance.  I passed by a very beautiful area filled with bright Pink Flamingos but didn’t have the heart to wake up my daughter to see them.  We had such a great time that I know we will be back as soon as we can.

I get the impression it’s similar to SeaWorld (same company) in that the penny designs probably don’t get changed out too often.  But they do have some new coasters and attractions opening up soon, so hopefully, some new pennies may appear.  This was a really great park and far exceeded my expectations.

Busch Gardens Tampa – Part 1

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I never get tired of visiting the parks we have near out neighborhood like Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld, but every so often it’s fun to explore a new park we haven’t visited before.  Thankfully about an hour away in Tampa is Busch Gardens and gave me the opportunity to try something new.

Before I left on this visit I honestly thought that this would be similar to a Six Flags Theme Park which we had in New Jersey and various other locations around the country.  But after visiting I can say it’s so much more than that.  Sure it has some pretty advanced Roller Coasters and attractions, but they have shows, great food, and animals.  It’s almost like you combined a zoo and theme park together which is right up my alley.

Part of my SeaWorld annual pass granted me access to Busch Gardens as well so that was a nice perk I don’t think I realized when I had initially bought my pass.  You do have to park on one side of the street and then can either walk or take a tram over to the park.  Out front is the guest services buildings to help with your ticket purchases.  But to the left and right of this center walkway I encountered the first set of 4 (yes four) pressed penny machines.

The first two machines on the left side when facing the security area.

  

One thing I immediately noticed about these machines is the designs that were really unique.  The penny designs at this machine include an Alligator, Prairie Dog, Parrot, and Cheetah.

  

Just a couple steps to the right is the second machine.  The penny designs here were of the Sand Serpent logo, a Snake, a couple Apes, and a Toirtous.

If you spin around 180 degrees you find the second set of machines across the walkway.

  

The third machine has penny designs of a couple Elephants, Montu, Busch Gardens Logo, and Falcon’s Fury.

  

Finally the last machine out in this area has designs including Kangaroos, a Hippo, Peacock, and an African Dog.  Since these machines are located outside of the actual park you could access them without an admission ticket.  Although you would need to pay for parking or have someone drop you off while you used them.  Unfortunately, the rest of the machines are inside the park and would require paid admission.

After passing through security and scanning your park ticket you are transported into a Moroccan market.  The theming here was really great, and they also had performers walking around interacting with guests as they passed by.

As I mentioned at the beginning this is kind of like a zoo with a theme park mixed inside.  As we wandered through the Morocco area we came across a big area filled with some huge American Alligators.

We continued our tour through the park and came to the Cheetah area.  This was really interesting as they were doing a demonstration with the big cats and how they do specific exercises with them to encourage their natural hunting instincts.  It was amazing to see the Cheetahs get up to some pretty high running speeds.

Nearby is the Cheetah Hunt roller coaster which is pretty impressive.  A little too advanced for me, but I did sit on a bench and watch it for quite a while.

Inside the gift shop for the coaster was where I found the next penny machine.

  

The penny designs here are all themed around the Cheetah Hunt coaster.  I thought this was a really great set.

As we continued following the pathway we found ourselves in the Egypt section of the park.  This area was filled with a couple different coasters, Cobra’s Curse and Montu.

Across from the entrance to the Cobra’s Curse coaster was a quick service area called Serpent’s Snacks and was where the next penny machine was found.

  

The designs available at this machine were themed around the Cobra’s Curse coaster but did have one design for V.IS.E. (Viper Int’l Survey & Excavation) which is a fictional archeological group as part of the attractions back story.

Above is a picture of some of the track from Cobra’s Curse.  It’s another pretty amazing coaster with an elevator that brings the coaster cars up into the air and then attaches back to the track.  At one point the cars start to spin on the track and there are plenty of screams coming from the riders.

The next area we headed through was where more of the animal attractions started to appear.  Above is a picture of the Serengeti Plains that has quite a few different types of animals.

There is also a train that you can ride through that area for a closer look at the animals.

We were able to see quite a few different animals like Giraffes and Zebras.  They don’t get too close to the train, but it does give you a pretty close up view of them.

The train has a couple different stations around the park so it makes for an easy way to get around the large park.

We had decided to take the full tour around the park on the train so we had started and ended at the same point which was the Nairobi Station.  Just outside the station near the railroad crossing was a Mold-O-Rama machine that my kids love and we have quite a collection of them.  Right beside that was the next penny machine.

  

This machine had designs of the park Train, a Rhino, an Elephant, and a baby Gorilla for the Animal Care Center.

Not too far away was the Elephant section with quite a few of them.  By this time of day, it was well beyond lunchtime and we needed to find some food and rest for a bit.  We were about halfway through the park, but there was still plenty more to check out.  Stay tuned for Part 2 and the remaining penny machines.  Keep on Pressing!

2020 TEC Member Coin

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We all have certain things we look forward to each year, like a special birthday or holiday.  I suffer from this possibly more than most as I really enjoy most major holidays especially when it grants me an extra day off from work.  But one time of year I always look forward too is when the Spring edition of The Elongated Collectors (TEC) newsletter.  I do enjoy every issue I get, but the Spring issue is extra special as it includes the much sought after Membership coin.

This was designed by Paul Conner and Tyler Tyson both TEC members.  It was engraved by John Gusmano and rolled on nickels by Tyler Tyson.  This year’s design is a play on the classic Lucky Cent elongated.  I’m Lucky to be a 2020 TEC Member.

I really try not to bring this up too often as I don’t want to come off like an advertisement.  But this seemed like a good time of year to just review TEC and the benefits.  The membership fee is very reasonable and usually includes either a Digital Only or Hardcopy option.  Unfortunately due to our current worldwide situation only digital versions are being sent out but that should hopefully be temporary.  Plus you receive a few special elongated coins with each quarterly newsletter.  Fellow members are fantastic and always there to assist with any questions you may have.  Many sell supplies that you may need for your collection.  There is a lot of coin trading and special member meet-ups throughout the year that I would encourage you to take advantage of.

If your interested in learning more about TEC please check out the website www.tecnews.org.  You can even fill out a membership form directly on the website.  Feel free to list that you were referred by TEC Member #4237 (that’s Me!).  This won’t get you any special treatment (sorry) but TEC always likes to keep track of how all the members find out about the club.  Happy Collecting!

Disneyland Adventures XBOX Video Game – Pressed Pennies

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It’s been about a month since I was in a theme park and, to be honest, I’m starting to get the twitch that I need to get back for some magic.  I’m not sure how I used to deal in the past with long periods of time between visits to Disney.  But ever since we moved down to Orlando it just became part of our weekly routine and without it, I’m definitely missing it more than other things.  I’m also not the only one in my family missing the parks, and thankfully my oldest daughter has a much better memory than I do and asked if we could play the Disney video game.  It took me a bit to remember exactly what she was referencing and once I figured it out I couldn’t have fired up our the Xbox quick enough.

The game is called Disneyland Adventures.  It was originally released back in 2011 for the Xbox Kinect but I didn’t know about it at that time.  Then in 2017, they released the game with remastered 4K HDR graphics, updated Kinect support but also the option to not use Kinect and instead just use the standard Xbox controllers.  They also released this in 2018 for Windows PC users.

We did have a Kinect but who knows where it went, probably in some random box located in our garage.  Thankfully we have a newer Xbox One console and I had received this as a Christmas gift a year or so ago but never really got to play it, but now was our chance.

What is really cool about this game is the software designers recreated the entire Disneyland theme park in California.  Obviously, I’m more familiar with the Florida WDW park, so some things in this game seem a little out of place for me but the details they put into this make for a fun alternative during our current self-quarantine status.

I had watched a video from a Media Preview on this game when it was being released in 2017.  Something I thought was really interesting was that one of the creators said to get all the details as accurate as possible he spent around 5 months in the park and took over 50,000 pictures of buildings, sidewalks, textures, even trash cans, and park bench locations.

They even recreated Walt Disney’s quote on the arch as you walk underneath the Main Street Train Station.  You start by picking your character either a young boy or girl and can design their hair color, and initial outfit.  Then you can just start walking through the park.

This is what’s known as an “Open World” game where you are not forced to follow any specific story or path.  You can just wander aimlessly as I usually do and check out all the different lands of the park.

Walking down Main Street USA you can see Sleeping Beauty Castle in the distance.  Along the way are all the storefronts you have come to know.  Some you can visit to buy things like Autograph books, or Photo Albums which you will use later on in the game.  Some stores also sell new clothing to wear or even costumes if you prefer.  My favorite Princess is Jasmine so my daughter insisted we buy a Jasmine T-shirt for our character.

I was very impressed to see they even included the Partners statue with Walt and Mickey.  Plus check out that crows, wow I wish this was how things were in the actual parks.

Some of your favorite characters can be found throughout the park, like Mickey in front of the Castle.

Or Minnie Mouse near the entrance to Adventureland.  You can interact with these characters by having them sign your autograph book (if you purchased one).  Just like the real Disney, they want you to spend as much money as possible, so there are different autograph books for certain groups of characters like Princesses, Villains, Alice and Wonderland plus a few others.

You can also dance with the characters, give them a hug, or a high five.  It’s fun to try these with each one as the dances are different and how they sign your book changes.

The cast of characters is quite diverse.  There is, of course, the main cast of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Plus.  Then you can also find Chip and Dale, Stitch and even Br’er Bear or Br’er Fox.

Then you can also find many Princesses like Belle.  Be on the lookout as the Beast is also somewhere nearby.

We have also found Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, and Tiana.  I’m sure there are more we just haven’t gotten to them yet.  Another interaction you can have with the characters is they will sometimes ask you for help.  Tiana wanted to make some of her famous Gumbo and asked us to find the ingredients.  The game then will help you search the park for the required ingredients and once you have them all collected to make sure to bring them back to Tiana.

Did I mention Villians?  Yes, they are here too.  My daughter loves trying to hug the villains as they seem to horrified or cower away when you try.

When some people visit the parks they don’t go for the characters but instead for the rides and attractions.  Well, this game has most of them recreate like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride shown above.

Pirates of the Caribbean are also here and it’s fun to walk near the attraction to see other guests lined up in the queue plus the familiar attraction soundtrack can be heard.

My personal favorite is the Haunted Mansion.  I do kind of wish that you could virtually ride the actual rides with maybe some interactivity happening for coins or points.  But instead, when you head towards the entrance there are portals that will take you to a mini-game themed around that attraction.  They are fun but some seem to go on way too long and I just get anxious to exit back to the park.

I liked standing near Splash Mountain to hear the people screaming as they crest over the top of the drop.

Some of the rides unfortunately you can only watch and do not include any type of mini-game.  Like the famous Tea Cups.

The Matterhorn is also here and a nice plus is being able to watch the Monorail zoom around its beam.

Some attractions are not included in the game like Star Tours or the Indiana Jones adventure.  From what I read Disney did not own Lucasfilms at the time this game was being developed and licensing those properties would have been too difficult.  One thing I did find that I thought was funny was Captain EO.  That is definitely a throwback.

Of course, I couldn’t overlook It’s a Small World, just such a classic ride and I love the exterior of the attraction in Disneyland so much better than the Florida version.

We’ve visited most of the themed lands like Tomorrowland, Adventureland, and Fantasyland and eventually I did find Mickey’s Toontown.

This is another fun area of the game with lots to see and do, plus Mickey and his pals are also here for more autographs and pictures.

One of the areas of the park is Critter Country that has Winnie the Pooh and his friends.  While we were interacting with Eeyore I noticed something in the background.

Are those Pressed penny machines!?!?  Holy cow that is pretty cool.

I then had an idea that I wanted to see how many other machines were located throughout the park.  My next stop was the Penny Arcade on Main Street.

The last time I was physically in Disneyland was back in 2008 and I remember the Penny Arcade as being the Holy Grail of Pressed Penny machines.  Now years later I know that is no longer the case, but remember this game was released originally in 2012 so the creators were probably there a couple years before that taking all their pictures and is the time period the game is situated.

Ah, the good old days with so many penny machines all in one place.

Now if you are like me you are probably wondering if you can use the machines in the game.  So far I don’t think so.  In the hours we have played so far, there doesn’t appear to be a way to use them.  I’ve also read some online guides and forums but nothing seems to mention using these machines.  It’s too bad because that would have been awesome!  In the gift shops along with the autograph books, they could sell the penny booklets and let you use the coins you pick up around the park in the machines to collect a themed set.  My daughter is currently in love with this game so we will be continuing to play it for quite a while I’m sure and if I do find you can somehow use the machines I’ll post an update here.  However, one thing I did do some research on was I wanted to try and figure out which designs they were using on the machines.  They all look to have the same marquee with the same three designs.  Remembering when the designers were at the park I eventually found the set in my personal collection.

I did get a lot of help from my favorite Disneyland pressed penny resource www.ParkPennies.com. The information they had on these coins was a big help to ensure this was the correct set.  All three of these designs were initially released on October 18, 2006, and were removed on January 4, 2012, when the Penny Arcade was closed down for a refurbishment.  When it eventually opened up again the machines inside did not return and these pennies were considered retired.

The middle design was really what stuck out for me in the pictures from the game and helped me find the set.  Snow White I was also pretty certain of but the third design was tough to make out initially but once I saw the information on ParkPennies website the full set revealed itself.

I’m crossing my fingers that we can hopefully move passed the current self-quartine situation we have found ourselves in.  I am anxious to get back to the parks and to a bit more of a normal routine.  Plus I really need to press some pennies it’s an addiction you know.  But in the meantime, my daughter and I will be enjoying our Virtual adventures with this Disneyland game.

New Marquee on Spider-Man Penny Machine – Islands of Adventure, Orlando FL

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This will be a quick post on something I had meant to write about over a year ago and just kind of forgot about it.  It’s not a new machine, or anything really major but something I thought was kind of interesting.

One of my favorite attractions at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure parks is The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.  It actually took me years before I finally decided to try it.  It seems that as I’ve gotten older I’m a little more adventurous with rides, and I’m glad I finally tried it because it’s really fantastic.

Once you are done with the ride and just like every other theme park you exit into a gift shop, and if you are a Spider-Man fan this is the place for you.  On a quick side note, if you are not a ride person you can still access the shop from outside, it’s located just to the left of the attraction entrance as seen above.

In this gift shop were two penny machines.  One was a 4-design hand crank model, and the other machine was the newer 8-design digital touch screen version.  When I first used the digital machine was back in 2017.  I had then visited Universal numerous times since then and walked past this machine many times without noticing anything different.  Then in 2018, I was working on a video for our YouTube channel documenting all the machines throughout Universal Orlando and something caught my eye.  The machine cabinet was the same but the marquee at the top was different.

   

The picture above is my attempt at a comparison.  On the left is the picture I took in November 2017, and the one on the right is from July 2018.

The designs were still the same inside the machine, and nothing else really had changed just the marquee.  I know the newer marquee design is how most of the machines are displayed now with all the penny designs right at eye level.  Again this was nothing overly exciting but I thought it was interesting that they had taken the time to change this part of the machine.

Happy Easter 2020

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Happy Easter!!

Even though we are stuck inside and not able to enjoy our family’s company in person this is still a wonderful holiday to celebrate.  I always equate Easter with Spring that is one of my favorite seasons and signifies to me a fresh start with beautiful flowers in bloom.  However, if you ask my kids they will say it’s all about the Easter Bunny and of course plenty of candy and chocolates.  To each their own I guess.

I wanted to try and share some fun Easter pressed penny designs and found some that I thought were really cute.  Plus with my Disney withdrawals, these seemed to perfect choice this year.  The below are courtesy of Kuniaki Hiraki and his Tokyo Disneyland Souvenir Medallion website and is updated regularly.  Be sure to check it out as it’s a fantastic resource for these coins.

Photo Credit: Kuniaki Hiraki

These pressed medallions are from Tokyo Disney Land and were available in 2019.  I just really loved these and will be trying to get these for my personal collection.  Above has Donald and Daisy Duck as Easter Eggs.

Photo Credit: Kuniaki Hiraki

The above coin is of Woody and Buzz Lightyear as Easter Eggs.

Photo Credit: Kuniaki Hiraki

To finish this set is another design with the Little Green Men from Toy Story as Easter Eggs.  This entire set of 3 pressed medallions was available at the Tomorrowland Terrace.

Photo Credit: Kuniaki Hiraki

But wait there are a couple more I wanted to share.  Above is Mickey with some Bunny Ears on and cute little easter eggs running around.

Photo Credit: Kuniaki Hiraki

The last design I found for 2019 had Donald also wearing some Bunny Ears and is celebrating Easter in style.

As I continued to check out Kuniaki’s website I noticed that to my surprise the 2020 Easter Designs has been released just a couple weeks ago at a few of the Resort Monorail line stations.

Photo Credit: Kuniaki Hiraki

First was at the Tokyo Resort Gateway Station with Chip, Dale, and Usa enjoying some Easter music.

Photo Credit: Kuniaki Hiraki

Next was over at the Bayside Station and has Mickey and Usa as Easter Eggs.  I really like these character egg designs.

Photo Credit: Kuniaki Hiraki

The final two designs were located at the Tokyo DisneySea station.  The first image had Daisy, Donald, and Usa.

Photo Credit: Kuniaki Hiraki

The final medallion so far has Minnie and Usa as Easter Eggs.  This may be my favorite design of them all.

I’ve resisted starting a Tokyo Disneyland collection just due to logistics about trying to acquire them, but holy cow these designs are really gorgeous and they do seem to change them up with the different seasons and holidays throughout the year.  eBay here I come!

Happy Easter everyone and stay safe as always.  Keep on Pressing!

Penny Machines on TV – Part 2

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I’ve used this blog to post about all different types of places my family has visited and covered things like Walt Disney World, Zoos, Aquariums, Roadside Attractions, how to store your collection, how to prepare for an upcoming penny pressing trip, and so many other topics.  But of all the things I’ve posted the one that gets the most interest is the one I made back in 2015 about Pennies Machines on TV.  It received so much attention that once we started our Youtube channel I converted that post into a video and updated it with a few new shows.  Want to see that video click here to check it out.

Now it’s been about 5 years and I’ve kept a list on my computer of new machines that show up or that friends have shared with me.  I figured it was about time to write up a Part 2.

CSI Miami (CBS) Season 8 Episode 20 – Backfire:
Originally aired: April 19, 2010

In this episode, there is a house fire that the CSI team must investigate to see how it was started and of course who started it.  At one point they find that a fuse in the electrical box was “jumped” with a copper penny.

One of the team recognizes it as “one of those novelty pennies” and the pressed image gives them a clue as to who may be their suspect.

American Dad (FOX) Season 13 Episode 19 – Garfield and Friends:
Originally aired: June 6, 2016

The main character Stan brings President Garfield back to life to help teach his daughter Haley about History.  At one point during the episode, they a U.S. Mint and Stan spots a Penny Press.

Marvel’s Daredevil (Netflix) Season 3 Episode 10 – Karen:
Originally aired: October 19, 2018

One of the characters in the show Karen is being hunted by the villain of the show Kingpin (Wilson Fisk) and in an attempt to hide she goes to Fagan Corners Vermont (a fictional town).  This is where she lived with her Father and Brother helping to take care of their family restaurant called Penny’s Place.

As she walked into the restaurant you can see a Penny Press in the background with an out of order sign on it.  Before I realized this was a fictional town I started looking up online where this restaurant was so I could try and book a trip to visit.  But unfortunately, the town, restaurant and apparently this penny machine are all fictional.

The Bachelor (ABC) Season 24 Episode 9 – Week 9: Overnight Dates (Australia):
Originally aired: February 24, 2020
** Thanks to Justin for spotting this one and sharing it with me!

This episode has the Bachelor Peter heading to Australia where with one of his suitors they head up to the 77th floor of the SkyPoint Q1 Tower.  As they exit the elevator you can spot a coin press in the background.

Photo Credit: Pennycollector.com

I tried a few times to zoom in on the machine to confirm the designs but the quality of the video I have just didn’t allow for it.  I checked on my usual resource pennycollector.com and the above were the images they had listed for this location.

Well, that’s it for this Part 2 of Penny Machines on TV.  As always make sure to keep your eyes open for any other penny machines and be sure to leave me a comment below so I can start a new list for Part 3.  Happy collecting!

(Closed) Contest – Win a Set of 2020 Walt Disney World Pressed Coins

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** Thank you to everyone that entered.  The contest has closed.  Check back for future contests.

Congrats to Jason.  Enjoy the coins and keep on Pressing!!

With all of us cooped up in Home Quarantines, I figured it was a  good time to try and do something fun.  So I’m moving up our annual Contest!!

This is a chance for you to get a complete set of the 2020 Pressed Coins that I had written about in a previous post.   Click here to read all about them and get more details on each coin, or check out our YouTube video on these coins here.

This will include all 16 coins (12 Pennies and 4 Quarters) which also includes the elusive 2020 Spaceship Earth (Epcot) penny that was only available for a short time before being removed.

As stated above this is a FREE contest.  To enter just post a comment below with what your favorite Animated Disney movie is.  Simple right!

Post as many times as you like, and be sure to spread the word.  This is always a lot of fun when there is a lot of participation. The contest will end on April 30th, 2020.  At that time I’ll randomly select a winner and will contact you for your mailing information.

If you haven’t already, be sure to stop by our Youtube channel: davidscointravels and subscribe for videos all about pressed coins including updates on new Walt Disney World pennies.  Your support there helps us offer these types of contests.

Good luck!!

**Please note this is just for entertainment purposes.  This contest is not sponsored or endorsed by The Walt Disney Company.

The Great American Toilet Paper Shortage 2020 – Pressed Pennies

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I’m sure we are all starting to get a little cabin fever from our self quarantining, and this current situation we are all experiencing is definitely something to take seriously for our own health, and others around us.  It is a little hard to spend this much time all cooped up inside and is harder for some of us than others.

I did need to venture out the other day to the grocery store for a few items and the highway near our house was completely deserted.

 

Thankfully our house is nicely stocked with a reasonable quantity of toilet paper and paper towels, but when I got to the store those shelves were completely bare.  The stores even had a queue setup that you could wait in, just in case they did get a shipment that day but there was no guarantee.  I picked up the items we did need and headed back to our home.

With all non-essential stores and attractions closed, for now, it’s hard to get my pressed penny fix.  To try and help I have been scouring eBay for coins to help fill in some of my collection gaps.  But more often I’ve been going through the TEC Facebook page and other Pressed Penny related groups or websites.  Among all the different posts from fellow collectors, I did come across a few that put a smile on my face and wanted to share with everyone.

First was on the TEC (The Elongated Collectors) Facebook page which if you aren’t a part of the group you should check it out.  The Facebook page is free and open to anyone even if you are not an official TEC member.  It’s a great way to experience the club and see what other members are posting about the hobby.  Plus there is a lot of trading and buying/selling of coins.  Some of these designs are pretty unique and would be hard to find anywhere else.

One recent post was from Tyler Tyson who is not just a member of TEC but the current Vice President of the club.  He had been working on a light-hearted penny design commemorating the toilet paper shortage.  There were a few different progressions of this design that he posted over a week or so.  He did make these available in a limited quantity to anyone in the group that was interested in for a small fee.  This is another perk of being in the Facebook group as special designs like this will pop up for sale every so often.

Updated:
Shortly after I had posted about the above penny, Tyler offered to the Facebook group a special set of 4 pressed dimes.  Each dime had the progression of the design through each stage ending with the design on the bottom.  He was offering only a small quantity of this set so they are probably no longer available, but as I’ve mentioned it’s a good reason to be a part of the Facebook page for special items like these.

Another group on Facebook I follow and really enjoy is The Penny Depot.  They also have a website and online store where you can buy many of their pressed penny designs.  I’ve written about some of their other designs in the past and have quite a few of their designs in my collection.  They are really detailed and celebrate some special events that you just don’t penny designs for very often.

In a recent post, they had made available another fun design called “The Great American Toilet Paper Shortage 2020”.  As soon as I saw this design I immediately went to their website and ordered one for my collection.

This wasn’t to try and make like of the situation we are in, but I did think we need to look on the lighter side of things from time to time to keep our sanity.  Please be safe and happy collecting!