Bluey had certainly become a worldwide phenomenon. In a previous post we took a look at a privately designs set of elongated coins featuring the Heeler girls Bluey and younger sister Bingo. This time we aren’t looking at elongated coins, and not even privately designed. Instead these are official coins created by the Australian Royal mint who teamed up with the creators of the hit tv show.

In April 2024 the Royal Australian Mint unveils a commemorative coin collection. In the show the Heeler kids refer to money as Dollarbucks, and now Blue has her own set of Dollarbuck coins… for real life. The initial release was a three-coin collection sold in individual coin cards each had a pop of color included as part of the coin designs. The first was Blue herself, the second of the main Heller family, and third features The Grannies. If you know, you know. As you can image the demand for these coins was immense and they sold out extremely quickly.

Later in the year another announcement was made this time in conjunction with the Australian Post. An all-new set of collectible Bluey Dollarbucks were being released. This time a set of 10 coins, and a stamp pack featuring fan favorite characters. Plus there was a chance of discovering one special-colored coin which is randomly placed 1 in 10 tubes when purchasing the Bluey 10-coin tube and collectible folder set.

I went back and forth on this quite a bit. I thought the coins looked great and was really intrigued by the possibility of getting a color version of one of the coins. There were none available directly through the Australian Mint or Post by that time. I talked myself out of a few different auctions, but I kept looking at photos of the coins and the collector inside got the best of me. I found one at a reasonable markup and placed my order.

Shipping from Australia did take a few weeks during which I continued to second guess my purchase. The package finally arrived all sealed as if it came directly from the Mint. Above is a picture of the collectible booklet and the sealed roll of 10 Dollarbuck ($1 Australian Dollar coins). Was my tube going to be one of the lucky ones to have a colored coin inside. Let’s take a closer look at the coins.

First let’s just take a quick look at the reverse side of the coin and we can see the effigy of King Charles.

It was interesting because they had the coins in the tube where the potential color coin was at the bottom making the suspense all the more fun or maybe nerve racking depending on the person. I was kind of nervous and not exactly sure why. Guess it’s just the excitement of the hunt that we collectors find ourselves in from time to time. Above is a photo one one of the non-color coins featuring the famous Grannies.

I was down to the last coin, the one featuring Bluey and her possibly red balloon. However, as I flipped the coin over I found that it was just the standard non-color version.

With the full collection unveiled I carefully placed them in the collectible booklet and above you can see the entire set. I kind of wish it had an extra location maybe at the top of the right page for that colored variant incase you were able to acquire it.

After I had all the coins stored away I put the booklet on my shelf with a bunch of other similar coin collections and tried to put that one colored coin out of my mind….. however, if you know me by visiting my posts here you probably know that was easier said than done. I just couldn’t get that coin out of my mind, the collector in me just wasn’t satisfied.

So I contacted quite a few different Australian coin shops online trying to find one for a decent price which after awhile I came to realize just wasn’t going to happen. Eventually I struck a deal with one of the shops that wouldn’t completely put in the poor house, but would probably have to town down the collection purchases for a little while.

Here is a side by side of both the non-color and color versions of the coin. I did some research on how they color the coins and it’s a similar process to how the Royal Canadian Mint produces their color coins. The coin is minted with these micro pores and then ink is printed onto the design and those pores help keep the colors from blending together until dried. If you look real close or under a microscope you can see the small little color dots, but from a standard viewing distance the design and color look great.

Ahhh, now I feel better with the collection now fully complete. My wallet may be worse for the wear but I really think this was a fun little collection to experience and am happy to have it in my collection. What will they come out with next? I can’t wait to find out. Keep on Collecting!

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Disneyland is currently celebrating its 70th Anniversary and we have been flooded with brand new sets of pressed pennies. The new designs available in both theme parks and in the Downtown Disney shopping and dinning area. Currently there are no 70th penny designs in any of the Disney Resorts. All of the new coins also include a special backstamp on the reverse side featuring the 70th Anniversary logo. Let’s take a tour around the property to help show you where you can find all of these new coins.

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Disneyland Park

Opera House – Main Street USA

The first machine can be found at the Main Street Opera House as you exit the attraction. This is an 8-design machine featuring the different Lands within Disneyland, including Tomorrowland, Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, New Orleans Square, Bayou Country, Toontown, and Galaxy’s Edge.

Candy Palace – Main Street USA

Continuing down Main Street USA we find the next pressed penny machine inside the Candy Palace. This is another 8-design machine this time featuring Walt Disney and his signature, the Disneyland Marquee, Sleeping Beauty Castle, Tinker Bell, Mickey & Minnie, Goofy & Donald, the Main Street USA logo, and the Partner Statue featuring Walt & Mickey.

Space Mountain Exit – Tomorrowland

Let’s head over to Tomorrowland and check out Space Mountain. The machine we are looking for can be found near the exit of the attraction. Don’t worry you can access this without riding Space Mountain. This machine has 8 new designs featuring Mickey & Pluto in a Rocket, Goofy & Donald on Space Mountain, the Star Tours Logo, a Disneyland Monorail, Mickey in an Autopia car, Mickey in a Submarine, Chip & Dale on a train, and the PeopleMover.

It’s a Small World Gift Shop – Fantasyland

After you take a cruise on It’s a Small World make sure you stop in to the Gift Shop for the next penny machine. Here we have another 8-design set featuring some Fantasyland favorites including Dumbo, the Teacups, King Arthur Carousel, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, It’s a Small World, the Matterhorn, Peter Pan’s Flight, and the Casey Jr. Circus Train.

EngineEAR Sourvenirs – Toontown

Next we are headed inside Mickey’s Toontown so we can visit the EngineEAR Sourvenirs shop. Here we find another 8-design pressed penny machine with a really fun looking cabinet. The pennies here feature some fan favorite friends like Pluto, Chip & Dale, Goofy, Clarabelle, Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy Duck.

The Court des Anges – New Orleans Square

Continuing our tour around the park we next find ourselves inside New Orleans Square looking for The Court des Anges. Here is where we find one of my all-time favorite penny machines that looks like it came right out of the Haunted Mansion. This machine has 8 new penny designs featuring some of the happy haunts like Madame Leota, Little Leota, The Hatbox Ghost, Tightrope Daisy de la Cruz, the Quicksand Men, Constance Hatchaway, the Dynamite guy, and the Haunted Mansion itself.

Bonanza Outfitters – Frontierland

Here we are inside Frontierland at the Bonanza Outfitters gift shop. The penny machine can be found right out front on the porch and this time features just 3 designs Pirates of the Caribbean Pirate Mickey, Fantasmic with Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey, and Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Rajah’s Mint – Adventureland

We wrap up our visit to the Disneyland park with Adventureland inside the Rajah’s Mint gift shop just across from the Indiana Jones attraction. This store has 3 machines we will be visiting. The first penny machine has 3 new designs featuring the Indiana Jones banner, Aladdin and the Cave of Wonders, and the Tiki Room.

Just a few steps to the side and we find the second machine (all three are attached to each other). This machine features 3 new designs with images of the Mark Twain Riverboat, the Sailing Ship Columbia, and Harold the Yeti atop the Matterhorn.

Third and final machine features, you guessed it, 3 new penny designs with images of the Jungle Cruise, a Jungle Cruise Elephant, and the Trapped Safari up a pole a classic scene from the Jungle Cruise.

Disney California Adventure Park

Trolley Treats – Buena Vista Street

We are now over visiting Disney California Adventure park and as you enter just head down Buena Vista Street until you find Trolley Treats. Inside there is a 3-design machine with new pennies featuring Mickey & Minnie, Chip & Dale, and Goofy.

Julius Katz – Buena Vista Street

Also on Buena Vista Street is our next stop the Julius Katz / Atwater Paint and Ink Shop. This location will have another new set of pressed pennies featuring Donald, Mickey and Minnie Mouse all holding some celebration balloons.

Rushin’ River Outfitters – Grizzly Peak

Heading into the Grizzly Peak area of the park we find the Rushin’ River Outfitters store for our next penny machine. Don’t let the cabinet fool you, this machine has 8-designs available featuring a few park attractions like Ariel’s Underwater Adventure, Grizzly River Run, World of Color, the Incredicoaster, and some familiar friends Chip & Dale, Mei as the Red Panda, Russell, and Dug….squirrel!!

Humphrey’s Service and Supplies – Grizzly Peak

Our last machine in this park can be found inside Humphrey’s Service and Supplies store. This is another great cabinet design. You can find 3 new pressed pennies here with images of Carthay Circle, Grizzly Peak, and Pilot Mickey.

Downtown Disney

World of Disney Store

One last area of property we need to visit and that’s Downtown Disney. First up will be the gigantic World of Disney store where we find an 8-design pressed penny machine. The pennies here will have images of Stitch, Dumbo, Buzz & Jesse, Juan Barker bird, Miguel, Tiana, Jiminy Cricket, and Merlin.

Wetzel’s Pretzels

Well I don’t know about you but I’m about ready for a snack, maybe something from Wetzel’s Pretzels and we can check out the nearby penny machine. This one features 4 new designs with Mickey Minnie Donald & Goofy on Pirates of the Caribbean, Mickey & Minnie on the Teacups, Donald & Daisy on the Haunted Mansion, and Goofy on the Astro Orbiter.

Tortilla Jo’s Restaurant

Near the former Tortilla Jo’s restaurant location is one final pressed penny machine. This one also has 4 penny designs with images of Aurora, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. I don’t know what it is but these maybe my favorite designs out of all the 70th set. They look absolutely fantastic.

Well that’s all of them, and I hope this helps you on your mission to collect all of the new Disneyland 70th Anniversary pressed pennies. As with any special anniversary at Disney these will not be around forever, but would anticipate they will be available at least through the holiday season. Then I’ll be curious to see if we just get all the old designs back, or will these all be replaced with another large batch of brand new designs. Keep on Pressing!!

On July 17th, 2025 Disneyland began its 70th Anniversary Celebration. As always there was special entertainment, food items, characters, and of course lots of merchandise.

Earlier in the year they had started to release some new medallions and pressed pennies for the 70th and we will be posting about all of those as soon as we acquire all the coins. However, on the 17th two special new sets of colored medallions were released and they have already become quite the popular item.

The first set is available at Downtown Disney inside the big World of Disney Store. The machine is tucked away up along one of the internal walls. It has a really nice looking new marquee featuring the Disneyland 70th logo.

Just check out these coins. When I first saw them I actually thought someone had just painted some of the coins and were showing them off. But that is not the case, they are preloaded inside the machines fully colored as you see above. The set includes coins featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Tinker Bell and Sleeping Beauty Castle. The reverse side is also colored and featured the 70th Logo (see below).

The second machine can be found inside the Disney California Adventure park at the Gone Hollywood Store. I almost like these coins better, the colors are gorgeous. This set features Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Pluto and Grizzly Peak one of the landmarks from the California Adventure park. You can also see the Disneyland 70th Logo which is the reverse image on all of coins from both sets.

The cost of these is a higher due to the color variation. You can pick these up for $8 each, or $30 for four coins (any combination). There is no word on how long these will be around, and from what I have seen online they are VERY popular and I’m sure are selling quickly. If you are visiting the California parks anytime soon you may want to dash over and grab these as soon as you can.

Keep on Collecting!

This is about a little day trip my family took quite a few years ago and I forgot to write about it. I guess that’s a good thing that I’ve been just so busy with new elongated coins that some of our adventures get passed over. However this was another great aquarium and you know I’m a sucker for an aquarium or zoo. This trip had us heading west to Clearwater Beach Florida.

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of sick or injured marine animals. As well as public education, conservation and research.

During our visit there was quite a bit of construction taking place which made things a bit hectic. There was no directly entrance from the parking garage and we found ourselves walking along the road with no sidewalk, around back to almost a staging area. Then we eventually got through security and inside the main building.

There were your standard exhibits with all different species of marine life, including tropical fish, an touch tank, and some other educational exhibits. This aquarium however is probably best known for being the home of Winter the Dolphin.

Winter was a female Atlantic bottlenose dolphin who was rescued in December 2005 by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium team members and other partners. She had been found caught in a crab trap. She lost her tail due to her injuries, but Winter developed a way to swim without a tail in an unnatural side to side motion. this unusual movement was was damaging her spinal cord, and to help a prosthetic tail was made especially for her by Kevin Carroll and a team of experts from Hanger, Inc. Winter starred in the 2011 movie Dolphin Tale which was inspired by her story. Winter can be a bit shy but does make appearance at the aquarium every so often during the day, and is a huge attraction with crowds all gathering around trying to catch a glimpse at this special creature.

We eventually finished up with the aquarium and headed back towards our car that was parked in the parking garage. I had been on the look out for the penny machine which online had been listed as being inside the aquarium. Due to all the construction for some reason they had moved the penny machine into the parking garage behind a cement pillar which I had completely missed on our way in. A standard 4-design manual machine with a nicely designed vinyl wrap on the cabinet. The coins pressed really nice and absolutely love the one with Winter and her tail on it.

Another machine I almost missed was for some souvenir medallions that was tucked in-between some vending machines.

The medallions were of the shiny gold color variety. The designs are great showing off Winter, her tail, Hope another rescued dolphin and both of them swimming together.

Unfortunately Winter passed away on November 11th, 2021 at the age of 16. The community was devastated by her passing, and memorials quickly popped up everywhere. I was happy that we were able to see her during this trip a few years before she died. We didn’t get to see much of her but it was still a very special moment that we will remember always. Keep on Pressing!

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If you have followed me for any length of time you know that I’m a sucker for a good zoo or aquarium. While we were visiting Sarasota Florida for a little family vacation we took a break from the beach to check out the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium.

The laboratory was founded by Eugenie Clark in 1955 and was known as the Cape Haze Marine Laboratory until 1967 when it was renamed in honor of major benefactors of the laboratory William R Mote, his wife Lenore, and his sister, Betty Mote Rose.

The aquarium displays more than 100 marine species across its expansive campus covering over 10 acres and multiple buildings.

One thing I thought was kind of unique and seemed like a very Florida thing, was that the aquarium had both indoor and outdoor sections. It was a different feeling to be exploring some of the animal exhibits outdoors under covered canopies and walkways.

There were separate buildings spread out all over their campus. Each with a specific speciality like the above section that was used to rehabilitation different species of turtles.

Another section was dedicated to alligators and many different reptiles, and my daughters favorite was the Manatee area.

Plus no aquarium would be complete without a shark exhibit and underwater viewing area.

Near that shark exhibit was a set of restrooms and as we hav just come to realize was the perfect location for two pressed penny machines. I guess it gives you something to do while waiting for your family.

Penny machine number 1 had a striking blue vinyl wrap that looked like water reflections and an intimidating shark at the bottom. The pennies pressed perfectly with images of some rays, jellyfish, a seahorse and a great white shark.

The second machine just a few steps away had a similar cabinet design only this time with a green tinted water color and a cute dolphin at the bottom. The set of four pennies available in this machine had images of some manatees, a few tropical fish, dolphins and a sea turtle.

There was a lot to see and do at the Mote Aquarium and I’m happy we took the time to explore all its different sections. We only had one more days left of our vacation but I still had plans to find a few more pressed pennies before we had to head home. Keep on Pressing!

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Our last full day of our little vacation had arrived and we spent it doing some shopping and just driving around checking out the sites. At one point we found ourselves heading into Bradenton Beach a nice little beach town.

There were plenty of beach locations we could visit, but by this time of our trip we were a bit tired of the sun and sand. Instead we drove into the little downtown area, found a parking spot and decided to walk around the historic Bridge Street section.

The streets got a little busy with cars driving through so you had to be bit careful. There were some really cute little souvenir stores and even some with all handmade beach themed crafts, and of course some interesting restaurants.

While my wife and kids were shopping I headed across the street to check out one last location that was supposed to have a pressed penny machine. It was called The Fish Hole Adventure Golf. Coming from the Orlando area we are very familiar with over the top themed miniature golf courses and this was calling my name.

Unfortunately there is only one course to chose from and while we were there they actually had a wait list of people looking to play. So instead I just wondered inside to take a quick look around.

The greens looked nice and there was plenty of great landscaping and water effects all over the place. It really looks like a fun little course.

Near the check-in booth where you would pay to play or put your name on the list is where I found what I eventually figured out was the penny press machine. If you weren’t paying attention you may just walk right past it.

Look at this thing it’s a work of art. There is so much to see and I’m just blown away by this. I’m putting it out there that this may be the most unique and themed penny machine I have ever personally used. When I complain about Disney not theming their machines it’s because I want them to do something like this.

The three penny designs available here are all labeled for nearby Anna Maria Island and have images of a Sea Turtle, Dolphin and a classic Florida Gator.

It was sad to see our last day of vacation end, however we were also kind of looking forward to getting back home to our own beds and routine. We had a great time, without having to go too far away from home. I was able to collect quite a few new coins, and once I’m settled back at home can relive some of these places as I work to document, label and store these coins in my collection. Thanks for following along and as always Keep on Pressing!

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We had spent some time in the Fort Myers area just enjoying the beach and some local attractions. Then as our vacation week went on we headed north a bit to check out Sarasota Springs. There would be another beach day but first after we checked into our hotel we wanted to check out a nearby attraction called Jungle Gardens.

This place was tucked away from the main highway, although there were quite a few billboard advertisements for it throughout town. That’s really was piqued our interested.

Jungle Gardens is home to more than 200 native and exotic animals including birds of prey, many different species of parrots and macaws, primates, small mammals, snakes, lizards and many other reptiles. Many of the animals are rescued or donated to the park. The property covers 10 acres of tropical landscaping all connected by winding jungle trails.

Their most notable residence are the pink flamingos. They are found all throughout the park and you can even purchase some food to hand feed them if you’re feeling adventurous.

The trails throughout the park were well maintained and kind of relaxing to just leisurely stroll around. The different animal exhibits had beautiful creatures on display and plenty of staff nearby to answer any questions. We also came across quite a few themed playgrounds that gave my wife and I a nice break to sit and watch as our girls worked off some extra energy.

Before leaving we found ourselves back in the main front building which is also where the gift shop was located. Near the front doors I found their pressed penny machine, and yes I did know it was here so that did have a bit of influence to our visit.

I’ve mentioned in the past that these style machines are not my favorite and I don’t always have the best luck pressing full designs with them. This one however was in pretty good shape and my pressies came out with their entire design visible.

The set of pennies found at the Jungle Gardens has images showcasing some of their residents including some Parrots, and Tiger (which I honestly don’t remember seeing at the gardens) and their famous Pink Flamingos.

This was another fun little local attraction that seems to have become the theme of our little trip. Since we live closer to the big theme parks like Disney and Universal it’s a nice change to visit some smaller venues with much smaller crowds and of course some fresh new pressed pennies. Keep on Pressing!

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It has almost been a year since Splash Mountain reopened with a new theme and name, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The lines are still incredibly long, and that big drop still elicits plenty of thrills and screams.

Back in 2024 when the newly rethemed Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened and we were greeted by some new pressed pennies, there was one that I noticed would not have a long shelf life.

As you can see from the above photo of the penny machine marquee one of these designs included the Grand Opening year 2024. I do love these types of designs as a great way to memorialize these big events within the park history. Plus, we know that it will be replaced before too long.

In an interesting move only this one design has been changed. For those of you that may have looked inside the window on the front of these style of machines to watch the gears roll. You may have noticed there are two separate die rings, each with four designs on them to make the full set of eight. That means you can’t just replace the one design, but need to create an entirely new four die ring. Some other collectors have been investigating the other three designs on this die ring, but only slight variations have been found however for the most part those designs are the same as before.

The new penny design features a few of the attraction characters, and states This Joint is Hoppin’ along the bottom. Noticeably the year has been left off of this design so my assumption is this design along with the others will be sticking around for quite awhile. Keep on Pressing!

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