Back in 2021 I had taken a trip over to Daytona Beach in Florida to check out the Daytona International Speedway and you can read all about that more detailed review here. I mentioned in that post that I’m not really a big Motorsport fan, and figured I probably wouldn’t visit this location again for awhile. However that just recently changed when I received a tip from a fellow collector that one of the penny designs was updated for 2023.
So I took this as an opportunity to visit the nearby Daytona Buc-ee’s that I have quickly become obsessed with, and then just a short drive away I visited the Speedway to check on this new penny design. I remembered the machine was located near the restrooms and small snack area just outside the gift shop. At a quick glance the machine looked identical.
Even thought I was told only one design had changed, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to press a full set just in case the others had been altered as well. Upon further inspection once I got back home I can confirm only one of the designs was updated. Can you spot which one?
I won’t keep you waiting, it’s the Daytona 500 designs. Now I will admit this slight difference took me a little while to see, my eyes aren’t what they used to be. The big difference is that the year 2023 was added as seen in the above Left close-up. The photo on the Right is of the previous version where no specific date was listed. There are some other changes like the dotted border appears different, and The Great American Race tag line is slightly lower.
This does seem like a bit of a strange change to make. I appreciate that this kind of forces the vendor to update this design each year however if that is the only main change I don’t know if I would drive all the way out there to get a new one year after year. Hopefully if this is the case we can cross our fingers that the design and not just the date will be changed. Enjoy and as always Keep on Pressing!
If you’ve been following my travels you know that I love a good zoo, and have visited a lot. Honestly I try to visit any zoo that I come across during my trips no matter how big or small. I’ve seen some really amazing ones and others definitely needed a bit of TLC.
On a recently trip to Jacksonville Florida I had a bit of free time before my appointment and figured why not check out the zoo, and am I ever happy I did.
The layout of the zoo was nice. One of my biggest pet peeves is when you find dead ends and have to turn around and retrace your steps. This was a nice flow to it, and I felt that it was very easy to experience all their exhibits easily.
Even the pathways throughout the zoo were nice, clean and well manicured. I always like these raised wooden walkways, I think it may be because they remind me of the famous Jersey Shore Boardwalks.
One of the exhibits I came across that kind of surprised me was their Stingray Lagoon. I think these are great little attractions, and of course a guest and kid favorite. It just seems that these are more common at aquariums than a zoo, but I’m not complaining.
Of course the zoo had to have the obligatory Florida section showcasing many different types of local animals, reptiles, snakes and more. I couldn’t resist visiting with this pretty big gator.
I eventually came a cross a beautiful raised covered platform that offered a nice close up view of the giraffes. During specific times of day they offer guests the option to feed them. This was definitely once of the nicest giraffe experiences I’ve even come across at a zoo.
By this time we had visited most of the zoo, and I came across this Jaguar area that did have some big cat habitats, but also some dining locations and plenty of outdoor seating.
On the day I visited most of these eateries were closed, but I did find tucked away near the door to one of the restaurants was a pressed penny machine.
This was a nice looking pennycollector style machine and it was only $0.50 to press plus I was able to use my own pennies. It’s crazy to think these are still available since we are so used to seeing the newer preloaded machines. The designs were of various animals from the park, and I always like that the name of the zoo is included.
It was getting a little late in the day and I was going to have to leave soon. There was still one last penny machine I was looking for and was informed it was back up near the entrance to the zoo.
Sure enough near the entrance / exit there is a nice gift shop called Mombasa Import / Export shop. To the right side of this shop was a counter where you could purchase photos from your visit to the zoo.
When I inquired about the machine with the staff near the photo counter they pointed to this sad looking machine behind them. It had been flipped around because they said too many people had continued to try and use it even thought it was broken. They told me the vendor was scheduled to come out and fix it but they didn’t know when that would be. It’s always a bit disappointing when this happens but it’s part of the hobby and we just have to roll with it. I ended my visit to the zoo but our story doesn’t there.
I waited a few weeks before reaching out to the zoo with an envelope containing a letter, and enough coins to press a set. In my note I tried to explain as best I could which machine and designs I was interested in, and included a self-addressed stamped envelope for them to return the coins. It did take almost a month and I had pretty much given up on them when all of a sudden my envelop had returned and was filled with the pennies I had missed. The staff member was even nice enough to include a photo of the machine back in operation so I could share it with everyone.
This zoo really blew me away, it was gorgeous, clean and the staff was unbelievably helpful not just during my visit but also afterwards with getting the missing pennies. I can’t wait to go back for another some time in the future, and maybe we will even find some new pennies at that time. Keep on Pressing!
I know we have already made numerous posts about the Disney 100th Anniversary and all the special elongated coins that have been released, but I finally got my hands on one other set. This time it’s from another international park Hong Kong Disneyland.
Thankfully I was able to get in touch with a very helpful collector named Alex L that was able to visit the park and help acquired these coins.
Photo Courtesy: Alex L
Unlike Disneyland and Walt Disney World here in the United States with their large number of available designs. Hong Kong Disneyland only has two 100th Anniversary designs available, thankfully however they are both in the same machine.
The first elongated along has a large 100 in the middle with both Mickey and Minnie Mouse popping their heads through the zeroes. Hong Kong Disneyland is printed along the bottom and the entire design is surrounded by a nice fireworks design.
The second coin has a similar design to the first this time with Chip and Dale on the left and right sides of the large 100 in the center of the coin.
It sounds like these will be the only 100th Anniversary designs released at the Hong Kong parks and they do seem to swap out their designs fairly quickly. I’m not sure how much longer these will be available so if you are able to get your hands on them I would recommend doing so in the very near future.
Many times in the past I’ve posted about a wonderful Facebook Group Pressed Penny Mafia – PPM of which I am a member, and I even have an official card to prove it. It’s filled with many fantastic like minded elongated coin collectors always trading stories, and helping to trade, buy or sell coins for everyone’s collections. Of course in my opinion the biggest perk is getting first chance and Boss Lady Amy’s latest privately designs pennies. She usually comes out with a few new ones each year.
If you search our archive for PPM or Pressed Penny Mafia you can find all the previous designs. But here is her latest called Steal Heartz. This immediately made me think of a tattoo shop and a design someone would get maybe even as an elongated coin tattoo. Now that I think about it, that’s kind of an interesting idea.
I always look forward to seeing what Amy comes up with next, and I’ve already heart that her next designs is about to be released so stay tuned to see what it looks like. If you are interested in this design or any of Amy’s other penny designs you can contact her through the Facebook Group. Membership is absolutely free, and the cost for the pennies are always very reasonable considering the work that goes into each of these designs. I also put together a fun little Tattoo Shop video showcasing this penny design on our Youtube channel. It’s link below so you can check it out, and if you aren’t already be sure to Subscribe as we release new Pressed Penny related videos each week. Keep on Pressing!
On this July 4th Holiday I hope you all have a safe and wonderful day. Enjoy your Barbecue with family and friends, hopefully you can end your day with some fireworks as well tonight. We will be back with plenty more pressed penny adventures very soon. Stay safe and Keep on Pressing!
David's Coin Travels 