Over the past few months Florida has been doing it’s best to distribute Covid-19 Vaccines to it’s residents as with all other states.  Of course it started for the those at high risk, the elderly and front line / health care workers.  Then as the weeks went by the age requirement would change, along with some other groups like school works being added.  It was only a matter of time before the age dropped to my bracket and I jumped at the opportunity to schedule my appointment.  My time slot was for 8am on a Monday, and I got up nice and early to make sure I was there in plenty of time.  I wasn’t sure what the situation would be like, or if there would be a crazy line but to my surprise it was very well organized and I didn’t even have to get out of my car.

The location I was able to get my appointment for was over at the Orange County Convention Center.  Once you entered at the North Concourse parking area it was nice and spaced out with plenty of markers along the way to ensure you were heading in the right direction.  There was a check point where they ensured you were there during your correct scheduled time slot, then after driving a bit further we headed down into the underground parking area of the convention center.  I was checked in again, and given a sticker with a barcode on my sleeve, and then was directed to a numbered location along the side wall where I was to get my vaccine.  The first healthcare worker came up and verified my information and ensured I didn’t have any current covid symptoms.  While she worked on my paperwork the second nurse came up, opened my car door and administered my vaccination.  It was over before I even realized it was happening.  She applied a bandage, closed my car door, and then the first nurse came back with my vaccine record card and explained I would need to park in the outside lot for 15 minutes to ensure I didn’t have any reactions to the shot.  Overall it was a very pleasant experience and I will have to do it again in a couple weeks for my second dose.

In a very serendipitous situation, shortly after I had booked my vaccination appointment, fellow penny pal Cindy Calhoun posted online about her new pressed penny design.  As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted it for my collection, plus just as another way to document this unique time in history we have found ourselves in.  The penny showed up and it is really fanatic.  As you can see from the image above it says “I go my Covid-19 Vaccine!” and has a pretty happy looking needle.

At the time of this writing Cindy is currently the President of our TEC club, and I have had the pleasure to meet Cindy in person a few times.  First was quite a few years ago at the World’s Fair of Money convention in Philadelphia, and then again the last few years at the FUN conventions here in Florida.  Cindy owns and maintains quite a few pressed penny machines around West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland.  She also runs the Elongatedpenny.net website where you can see all her coin designs, and even buy some of her custom designs like this one.

Not only does she create all her own designs, but she also rolls them by hand so she can control how the reverse image is oriented.  For example to have the date side shown on the back of the pressed coins which you can see in the picture above the 1971 can be seen.  You know us pressed penny collectors love our Copper pennies!

Whether you have already received your vaccine or are still waiting to get it, be sure to head over to Cindy’s website and checkout this coin.  Then you can proudly let everyone know you are helping to stay safe from COVID-19.

I also put together a fun little video about my trip to get vaccinated and also showcasing this wonderful pressed penny.  It’s available on our YouTube channel which you can check out here.  Be sure to subscribe to our channel or all new videos, it’s completely free to subscribe and helps show your support for our wonderful community and this amazing hobby.

Stay safe and Keep on Pressing!