Hard Rock Cafe Pressed Pennies | Universal’s CityWalk Florida

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We have spent a lot of time in the past reviewing all the different CityWalk pressed penny machines, and even the more recent collectible medallions. I’ve eaten at pretty much every restaurant in CityWalk, and that includes Hard Rock Cafe. But one thing that never really crossed paths were pressed pennies and the Hard Rock until now.

I last visited this Hard Rock Cafe a few years ago with friends. Since it’s a chain I find the menu options nothing extraordinary so we really just used it as a last resort when we couldn’t get into any other CityWalk restaurant. During that last visit however I can confirm that there was no pressed penny machine. Just recently however I received a message from our friend and fellow collector Joe W who informed me that there was a pressed penny machine inside. So you know what that means we had to head over and investigate.

I did make a reservation for lunch just in case it was busy, but since my friend and I were there mid-week for lunch the place was pretty much empty. Once inside I remembered just how much memorabilia they have on display there. This place is basically a big music history museum. After we were seated at our table our server said we were free to wonder around and check out everything they had on display.

Being the Bloggers / Vloggers we are you didn’t need to tell us twice. We first headed upstairs for our self guided tour and it’s truly amazing what they have there.

Items from The Clut, to The Cure and even Smashing Pumpkins.

I found some clothing from Slash with Guns n’ Roses and even Joe Perry’s jacket from Aerosmith.

These few wall displays I showcased here is only a small smidgen of the things you can find here. Now I will say that we were lucky it wasn’t busy inside and that allowed us to really be able to see these things up close. The only issue would be if it’s busy inside, these items hang along the walls where all the booths are located and would have patrons sitting there eating their meals while you are trying to snap a picture of Eric Clapton’s guitar. Could be a bit awkward, but wanted to mention this so you can plan your visit accordingly.

After we were done exploring it was perfect timing as our food had just arrived back at our table. I started with the “One Night in Bangkok Spicy Shrimp” which were crispy shrimp tossed in a creamy spicy sauce and topped with scallions and served on a bed of coleslaw. These were nice a fresh, big shrimp that were perfectly crunchy. The sauce was not to spicy but had a nice kick. These are very similar to versions I’ve had at other chain restaurants but I was pleasantly surprised with this version. For my main entree I had the “Original Legendary Burger” which is labeled as a steak burger with applewood bacon, cheddar cheese, crispy onion ring, leaf lettuce and vine-ripened tomato. Similar to the shrimp this was a nicely prepared burger, the patty was fresh and cooked perfectly to my liking, the veggies were crisp and the bacon was crunchy. Overall it wasn’t anything I hadn’t had before, but I really enjoyed it and would order this again.

Since we were planning to head into the parks after our lunch we decided to skip dessert (I had a Crepe in mind for my sweet snack later on). We paid our tab and headed back towards the front of the restaurant where the Rock Shop was located. The pressed penny machine is just outside the shop actually very near where you would check in to eat at the restaurant. Due to it’s location you do not need to actually eat here to use the machine, you can just inside the doors to press your pennies.

Quick note on this machine, it is $1.00 to press your penny but the machine takes four quarters instead of a dollar bill. Thankfully I always bring extra change just in case.

This was a pretty standard machine, and the cabinet had a black and chrome looking style around the bottom which I guess is kind of “Rock-like”, but that could just be me grasping for some type of theming.

The penny designs available here include the Hard Rock Cafe Orlando logo, the Building Facade, a Guitar and a T-Shirt. I always love when these types of designs are created for a specific location and makes for a fun little sub-set to collect when visiting other locations.

Our experience at the Hard Rock Cafe Orlando was really great. The atmosphere inside is really amazing and if you love music history or maybe even just have a favorite band or performer they probably have something inside for you to check out. The meal was much better than I remember having the last time and I would put this on my list of places to visit again soon. Of course the pressed pennies were a great find and thank you again to Joe W for letting us know about them. I will say I’m a bit embraced that it took so long to find these, and we may need to explore a little more thoroughly in some other places in CityWalk. The Chocolate Emporium is another spot that I’m amazed does not have any pennies but maybe we will find them soon, or who knows they may already have one there and I’ll have to go check it out. Have a great week, Keep on Pressing and Rock On!

Pressed Penny Machine Model

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If you’ve been hanging out here with us for any length of time you may notice that periodically I post about some unique items. I’m obsessed with anything even remotely related to pressed pennies or elongated coins. In the past we have reviewed jewelry, art work, videos games and most recently a pressed penny Christmas tree ornament. Just recently I came across another item we can add to this unique list.

One of my daily routines is scrolling through my Facebook pressed penny group pages to see what people have posted throughout the day. One post that caught my eye was from fellow collector Florian from Germany. He had designed and crated a 3-D printed model of a pressed penny machine. The pictures he posted looked pretty cool but I was certainly intrigued and wanted one for myself. I reached out to Florida, placed my order and a few weeks later my package arrived.

As you can see it’s pretty large and stands a little under 7 inches tall. I love the elongated coins that are attached to the “cabinet” of the machine.

The details of the internal mechanics are pretty impressive as well with the coin slider, die and gears. The hand crank does turn but obviously this does not actually press anything. I have this sitting on my desk next to my computer and just love seeing it there. Maybe future versions will have some of the internal parts like the gears actually turn, but for now I’m really happy with this model. I don’t know anything about 3-D printing but I’m sure designing this took quite awhile and many prototypes. A huge thank you to Floridan for putting this together and making it available.

If you know of or come across any unique items related to pressed coins or the machines please be sure to leave me a comment below I’d love to hear all about it. Have a fantastic week and as always Keep on Pressing!

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway NEW Pressed Pennies | Hollywood Studios

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One of the latest attractions to open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Now for those of you that have been visiting the parks for awhile may remember the previous ride known as the Great Movie Ride. Many guests were hoping that original attraction would just get a bit of TLC and a bit of updating. Instead Disney decided to just close it down completely and replace it with Mickey Mouse’s first ever attraction.

Back in March 2020 I was there on opening day when this brand new attraction had it’s grand opening. I had to get to the park very early in the morning along with thousands of other fans all with similar ideas. The wait time for the ride immediately skyrockets to multiple hours once the park opened, but everyone was in high spirits and how could you not be when there was a new ride to experience. It was a long day, but we had lots of fun, the ride was amazing, the merchandise was great but something was missing. There were no new pressed pennies!

Well here we are about two years later and that is all about to change. Disney has finally released a new set of pressed pennies themed for this new attraction and we are here at Hollywood Studios to “track” them down.

But first I thought maybe we needed to set the stage and get into the proper frame of mind. What better way then to hop aboard this crazy train for a refresher then we will work on those pennies afterwards. Please note there will be some spoilers below about the attraction but I’ll try to keep them brief. Once you enter the park, basically you just need to head straight down Hollywood Boulevard towards the large theater looming in the background. If you are lucky enough to be here at night, just follow the mesmerizing neon lights that just seem to drawn you inside.

After you wait in line which usually starts outside, then winds inside past various movie posters along the walls showcasing different Mickey cartoon shorts you will find yourself in one of two movie theaters to watch the latest cartoon Perfect Picnic. Be warned that the music is very catchy and even as I’m sitting in my office writing this I have the song playing in my head. The cartoon is cute and had Mickey and Minnie packing their car for a picnic at the park. After some unforeseen events Goofy crashes his train into the barn which tears a hole into the movie screen. We are prompted to head on into the cartoon for a very special tour.

We load into train cars led by Engineer Goofy as he attempts to take us on a guided tour of a nature park. We come across Mickey and Minnie on their way to their picnic when we hit the track switch and Goofy goes one way while the rest of us head out of control through various scenes including the Wild West, a Carnival, Daisy’s dance studio and eventually in a large factory where we narrowly space the smasher thanks to Mickey and Minnie saving the day.

Miraculously we are reconnect with Goofy who is none the wiser that anything was amiss, and we get to see Mickey, Minnie and Pluto finally able to enjoy their picnic. Now it may be hard to tell from the above pictures but Disney toted this attraction as having 3 1/2-D basically it is a 3D effect but with no need for those crazy glasses. It’s a mixture of projected effects and a really great paint design that really makes you feel like you are moving through a Mickey cartoon. I think they did a fantastic job.

Once you exit the train, and head outside you will come across a small little souvenir booth. There are some attraction themed shirts, sweaters, ornaments and plush toys. When I was here on opening day there was a lot more items available but now it seems pretty scarce. More importantly however note that the pressed penny machine is nowhere to be found. You would think that it should be right here or at least near the theater but that is not the case.

Instead we need to head down Sunset Boulevard which is the pathway you would take heading towards the Tower of Terror. You only need to go about halfway down when you will see a little side street that dead ends.

At the back of this side street you will find a set of Restrooms and as we know Disney loves putting pressed penny machines near Restrooms which honestly drives me a bit crazy.

This machine has been in this location for quite a while, but used to have different designs that were pretty outdated at this point. Thankfully they have now been updated with this fun new set of designs. The machine does supply each penny to be pressed, and will cost $1 each.

The designs on each penny include Mickey & Minnie, Engineer Goofy, Angry looking Donald and Grumpy Pete. All are designed to look just like the attraction and the newer style of Mickey Cartoons found on Disney+. When I first started watching these new cartoons I wasn’t a big fan of this new style, but it has grown on me and now I really like it.

I’ll forever wonder why Disney takes so long to come out with new pressed penny designs for their movies and even new attractions. I guess two years isn’t bad from when the ride opened until we got these new pennies. It could have been like one of my favorite Disney movies Robin Hood which came out in 1973 and we only just got penny designs for that one last year. I’m still crossing my fingers that we will see Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge pennies some time soon, or how about Encanto? I mean common Disney what’s the hold up. With all that said I guess it’s better late than never and these are great new pressed pennies for a really fantastic family attraction and I’m very happy to have these in my collection.

Disney’s Viewliner Pressed Penny | Privately Designed

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I’ve said it before but the Monorail is an iconic mode of transportation at the Disney parks and it seems like it’s always been around. But in actuality there was a time out in California when there was no monorail, and for a short period of time instead there was a different attraction based on another form of futuristic transportation.

One thing Walt Disney was proud of was his collection of miniature trains. He even had a miniature train installed in his backyard called the Carolwood Pacific. This passion eventually led to the Disneyland Railroad and one other lesser known Disneyland train, the Viewliner.

Legendary Imagineer Bob Gurr came up with the initial concept designs for the attraction’s sleek aluminum siding and super-sized windows.

It was based on the design of General Motor’s full-scale Aerotrain, a failed experiment to reduce costs and help keep passenger train service alive as highways and car ownership were surging.

Dubbed the fastest miniature train i the world, the Viewliner debuted in Disneyland on June 10th, 1957. It was capable of a top speed of 60 miles per hour, but would zip around the park at a more comfortable speed of 30 miles per hour. The attraction would move guests between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland.

The Viewliner had two separate tracks that intertwined and even traveled alongside the Disneyland Railroad at points. Each track had its own train with the Red Tomorrowland cars being named after planets Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn, and the Blue Fantasyland cars named after Disney characters Pinocchio, Cinderella, Bambi, Alice and Tinker Bell.

Unfortunately it was always designed as a placeholder attraction and was never planned to stick around forever. But while it was there Walt used the train to showcase what he thought could be the future for rail travel. Of course things have not worked out quite that way, but it was still a novel idea. Its time eventually came to a close on September 30th, 1958 making it one of the shortest-lived non-season attractions ever in the Disney Parks. On the bright side things worked about because as a perk of its closure we eventually got the Matterhorn, Submarine Voyage and of course the Monorail.

This coin was commissioned by collector Jim McNally. It was designed by Don Cade and features a beautiful image of the Disney Viewliner train, and has an exclusive backstamp advertising Jim’s website which you can check out here.

The website has a large selection of elongated coins available for purchase including many active and retired designs from Walt Disney World and Disneyland theme parks. Currently you can receive a free Viewliner pressed copper penny with any order placed through his website. You can also purchase additional copies of the penny for $2.99 each, or $10 for a full denomination set that includes a penny, nickel, dime and quarter.

A huge thank you to Jim and Don for creating yet another fantastic elongated coin, and of course a big thank you to all of you out there for taking this fun little trip down Disney memory lane. Were any of you lucky enough to take a ride on the Viewliner? Be sure to let me know down in the comments below I’d love to hear all about it. Have a fantastic week and as always Keep on Pressing!

Mystery Mail Pressed Penny Box

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I’m always looking to try new things when it comes to pressed pennies and a few months ago I came across something that a fellow collector was organizing. The description sounded interesting and fairly straight forward so I sent him a message through Facebook and signed up. Basically this was an opportunity to trade a bunch of pressed pennies through the mail. The organizer would put together a box that contained 50 pressed penny sets, and it would be mailed to the first people on the list, then when they were done trading with the box, they would send it to the next person on the list until everyone had a chance to go through it and the box would eventually be returned to the organizer.

There was no cost to sign up and the only financial responsibility was each person needed to cover the cost to ship the box to the next person on the list. It was required that the package be sent priority mail with tracking so try and ensure it didn’t get lost along the way. That cost was roughly about $9.00 so that wasn’t too bad and I was pretty intrigued by this.

It didn’t take too long for me to get confirmation back from the organizer that was all signed up and at that time I was also sent the rules to review. They were pretty straight forward and basically just gave more details on how the box would work. You were supposed to not break up a set, and needed to trade full set for full set which all made sense. It did also request that only copper sets be traded unless it was one of the new 8-design machines that is preloaded with zinc pennies which was allowed. Once I agreed to the rules and terms it was then just time to wait for my turn to arrive with the box.

It took a little less than a month before I had the box in hand. Once I had it opened there were a few different bags, once with some loose individual pennies both zinc and copper, a second bag had some zinc sets, and the third bag was all copper sets.

I perused the individual coins, and zinc sets with not much catching my eye. But once I was in the copper sets things got interesting. Each bag included a little note that had information about where the coins were from which great and helped make going through them a little easier.

I found coins from Missouri, Nevada, California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and many more places throughout the US. It took quite awhile to go through all of them, and I really enjoyed seeing what was included.

Once I was done going through all of the coins I had put aside 8 full sets and 2 individual designs. These weren’t sets had previously been looking for or missed along my travels, but instead just had designs that caught my eye and I immediately wanted them for my collection.

Above was one of the first individual pennies I found in the miscellaneous bag. The design from was the Oklahoma Aquarium and was of a Water Snake. Now I’m not normally a snake fan, but this design was just too cool to pass up. I loved the image of the snake and all the bubbles around it was just very unique and not something I’d seen before.

Next was a set from Kennebunk Maine and had some really fun designs as well. I’m a sucker for a good Lighthouse design, and that lobster I just couldn’t pass up.

Another of the sets I pulled aside was from the National frontier Trails Museum in Independence Missouri. The details on these coins was really impressive.

This next set I found very interesting. Years ago when I was vacationing in Orlando Florida I visited a Titanic Experience along International Drive specifically because they had a pressed penny machine. I didn’t realize that there were more Titanic attractions around and figured I now needed to try and collect all the different sets.

There were a few other sets I picked out but won’t go over in this post just to try and keep it a from going on too long, but if you want to see all of the sets and more of this process you can see our YouTube video at the very bottom. This last set for this post was from the Circus Circus Casino and Resort in Las Vegas Nevada. I visited Las Vegas quite a few years ago with my wife for a quick weekend trip to see a UFC event, and we had very little time to sightsee. I was able to press a few pennies at the MGM Grand and Luxor resorts but I know there are so many more and this set just called to me so I put it aside for myself. Guess I need to hurry up and schedule another longer trip to Vegas to try and get the rest of the resort themed pennies.

Following all the rules I had some duplicate copper sets from Florida, Vermont, Pennsylvania and New Jersey to try and help give some variety to the mystery penny box. I filled out similar white labels with the location information before I placed my traded sets inside the box, taped it all up and shipped it out the next day. One of the rules was to try and turn around the box within a few days to keep it moving and I had it back out the following day.

Of course the big question is would I do it again. Now I’ve mentioned in the past that for my collection I primarily prefer to only collect pressed pennies from placed that I have actually visited. That’s not to say that’s the only way you should do it, and the nice thing about collections is they are all personalized and you can do them however you like. With that all said however I did really enjoy going through the box and seeing all the different pennies, the incredible designs and was kind of amazing at just how far some of these coins had traveled. It was a lot of fun, and I’m happy with the new coins I have added to my collection. So the final verdict is yes I really liked this and would definitely do it again. I’ll be on the look out for other similar programs as the allure of a mystery pressed penny box is quite exciting.

Have you participating in a similar program? What did you think and did you get any special coins? Be sure to let me know down in the comments below, I’d love to hear all about it. Thanks for visiting this week and as always Keep on Pressing!

Pirate’s Dinner Adventure Pressed Pennies | Orlando, FL

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As with so many vacation destinations there are a wide variety of theme parks, attractions, and restaurants available for guests to experience. But with so many options, these places have to try and have a gimmick to draw people in. One niche are Dinner shows here around Orlando, and in years past my family has experienced Medieval Times on numerous occasions. Over the years I also seen similar options like a Gangster dinner, Wild West dinner, and even one where you are attending a scripted wedding. Recently however I came across one that caught my eye and as luck would have it they also had a pressed penny machine so figured this was a great time to head over to International Drive and check out the Pirate’s Dinner Adventure.

This unique dining experience is located not too far from Universal Florida near the big International Drive and Sand Lake Road intersection.

The outside of the building has quite a bit of theming. For one there is a large pirate ship out front, and plenty of cannon damage to the sides of the structure.

We arrived very early for our scheduled time mostly because I wanted plenty of time to wander around and see everything they had to offer. If you arrive a little closer to show time this entrance / check-in area will be pretty busy.

After you check-in there is a green screen photo-op area that you can purchase later on. Once you are done with that you enter into the kind of holding area before your dinner and show start. This is setup like an outdoor market, with plenty of pirate themed merchandise and a couple bars selling all different kinds of drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

Eventually they will make announcements to start seating guests inside the theater. Your Pirate hosts will walk you inside which has a large water tank in the middle with a pirate ship / stage. Then on either side are long rows of tables with everyone seated facing forward towards the ship.

Each section of tables is color coded and you have your own Pirate to cheer for. All the colors that are on your side of the theater are your allies, and the colors on the opposite side of the ship are our enemies.

The show is all scripted with an interesting story that I won’t spoil here. There is also lots of singing, dancing, fighting and swinging around. Just as a word of warning there is A LOT of audience participation. I personally was brought up on stage to participate about 2-3 times, it was all in fun and I didn’t mind. But I do know that some people are not in to that and just let them know you would rather not participate and the Pirates will quickly move on to find another volunteer.

Let me quickly just go over the food which in my opinion was the weak point of this experience. The appetizer was a simple salad with ranch dressing, the main entree was a half roasted chicken with mushy veggies and some mashed potatoes. The chicken was juicy but not seasoned very well. Our dessert was a stale chocolate brownie. It tasted okay, but was very hard and just seemed like it had been sitting around for awhile, it would probably have benefited greatly if they just popped these in the oven for a few minutes to warm them up.

As we ate the show continued non-stop and even had some arial acrobats performing to music which was both mesmerizing and nerve racking at the same time.

The show culminated with a big finale that included a sea creature, lots of cannon fire, sword fighting and even a mermaid. It was really impressive.

Before we headed out I did want to go over the pressed penny machine that is located here. If you remember after we checked in for our reservation there was that market place area with the bars and this is also where the penny machine is found. If you have trouble finding it just look up at the ceiling and head towards the large Great White Shark which is having over top of the machine. Quick side note here please make sure if you are going to use this machine that you do so before you head in for your dinner show. On some days they have more than one showtime and once your show has started they won’t always allow you back into the market as the next group of guests is already waiting out there.

This machine is themed perfectly for this location. The nice wood design to the cabinet looks like it was create and stored below deck on a huge pirate ship. Even the hand crank you use to press you designs is a held from a ship. I will note though that it does look cool, but turning this thing can be a bit of a pain as it’s not as easy to spin around as you may think. At least that was my experience.

The designs at this machine just like the cabinet are well themed. They include the Pirate’s Dinner Adventure logo which is awesome, a Pirate Ship, Mermaid and the classic Skull and Crossbones.

Once the show was over, we were escorted out through exits inside the theater. You cannot go back into that market place area so please make sure you pick up all your souvenirs and pressed pennies before your show starts. As we headed home the consensus among my family was all unanimous. The experience was fantastic, the show and actors were amazing and our servers all did a great job, the only low point was the food. Maybe it was just an off night, or maybe because we had the early showtime I’m not sure. As much as I would love to go back sometime and I think the show itself was well worth it, but the food is really a downer. Have you experience the Pirate’s Dinner Adventure or any of the other Dinner shows around the Orlando area? Let me know down in the comments below I’d love to hear all about it, and am always looking for new places to try. Have a fantastic week and Keep on Pressing…Argggh!

Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Pressed Coins | Privately Designed

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Well I don’t know about you but I am super excited for the Olympics to start in a couple days. I’ve mentioned in the past that I’m originally from Canada and we certainly love our olympics up there. However I will admit that the Summer Olympics are not really our strongest events (I kid, I kid!), but where we excel is in the winter games.

The 2022 winter Olympics are taking place in Beijing China and begin on February 4th with the Opening Ceremony, and will then conclude on February 20th. During that time we will be privy to a large assortment of sporting events.

Photo Credit: IOC

Of course Hockey is my top sport. I used to play when I was younger and just grew up watching some amazing players and teams throughout the years. But there are so many amazing events during the winter games that I find myself just sitting through all of them.

Photo Credit: IOC

Even events like the biathlon where athletes ski through a cross-country trail and then need to shoot some targets each lab. Seems a bit strange but I’m all in on this one. Plus watching things like bobsledding, speed skating, ski jumping, luge, figure skating and so many more I just can’t wait.

But if there is one event that is my guilty pleasure it’s Curling. Now this sport can be a bit confusing when you first start watching them throw those huge rocks down the ice and then there is all the seeping and yelling. Seems like something out of a Harry Potter novel, but the strategy that comes into play especially when it’s a close score can be super intense.

Plus there is always some amazing shots that take place to either clear out the house, or place their rock right on the button to score some points. This year I’m all set and even have my US Curling team t-shirt all ready to go.

To help celebrate this years Olympic games elongated coin designer Rob Gilber created an amazing design. It includes the Beijing 2022 logo, and the Olympic Rings along with the dates for the entire event.

This design was made available on the standard US Cent, but also in various denominations including US nickel, dime, quarter, half dollar, dollar, 1/4 oz copper round and even a special $2 Mexican coin.

At a quick glance it also looks like I have my very own collection of Olympic medals just in elongated coin form. If you are interested in this design I’ve included the link here to The Elongated Collectors Facebook page where Rob makes his designs available for sale. I would recommend you act quickly if you are interested since the Olympics are starting soon, and some of the unique coins that were pressed are in very limited supply.

I certainly can’t wait for these Olympic games to start. It’s always nice to take a break from everything going on in the world and just enjoy watching some very talented athletes represent their countries and hopefully get a chance to stand atop the gold medal podium. Stay safe everyone and enjoy the Olympics!

Universal Legacy Store | CityWalk Orlando

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For those of you that may not be familiar with Universal’s CityWalk for lack of a better example it’s kind of like Disney Springs here in Florida, or Downtown Disney in California. It’s located in-between the parking garages and the theme parks so you will walk directly through it on your way into the parks. CityWalk is a collection of restaurants and shopping experiencing that include some Universal specific stores but also a wide variety of merchants selling all sorts of different things. Plus there is a nice selection of restaurants ranging from Bars, chain restaurants, a steampunk chocolate factory, nights clubs and even a hot dog hall of fame.

CityWalk is a nice place to just wonder around after your full day at the park, to pick up some souvenirs you may have missed while enjoying the thrill rides earlier in your day.

In the area near Vivo Italian Kitchen and the Big Fire restaurants is a Universal themed store. In years past this used to be the main Universal shop. But recently they renovated a different section of CityWalk and opened a huge new Universal Studio Store which houses the more mainstream intellectual properties like Harry Potter, Minions, Jurassic Park, Transformers and more. When that store opened this store was retimed to their Legacy store which in my opinion I actually prefer.

You may be curious what they mean by Legacy. But once you walk inside you can tell that this is a very unique store. It’s filled with so many different props and items from former Universal attractions like the fan favorite Jaws ride.

Sometimes you come across items from rides that are still in the park, but I mean come on E.T. is a classic opening day attraction. Will it be removed and replaced? I certainly hope not, but I feel like it’s time may be coming to an end soon.

Once of my favorite rides from years gone by was Disaster. There was something so amazing about hoping on board that tram and heading into a movie set with a full on disaster taking place all around you. If you never got to experience it there are quite a few videos online you can check out. Unfortunately this was removed for the Fast and Furious Supercharged attraction which is a pretty sad replacement.

If there was one attraction that I enjoyed more than Disaster it would have been Kongfrontation. Above was a model of the cable car ride vehicle. I can still remember smelling Kong’s banana breath at the end of the ride. Such a funny but memorable moment.

For you readers that have been around for awhile you may remember that inside this store just near the main entrance / exit was a 4 design pressed penny machine. Well you will be happy to hear that it is still in this store, but was moved over towards the check out area. In its place we found a brand new Collectible Medallion machine. Universal has certainly been jumping on the medallion bandwagon and I absolutely love it. First we found some amazing Halloween Horror Nights Coins, and then not too long ago they released some special Holiday Themed Coins. I am crossing my fingers that we will see some new Mardi Gras Coins very soon as that festival is starting in a few weeks so make sure you check back for details.

I love the cabinet for the machine. It’s simple but looks like one of the wood boxes from that storage warehouse at the end of Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Arc. That seems to be a common theme in this shop as all the props on display seem to be stored in similar containers for long term storage.

The designs on these new medallions included E.T., Kong, Jaws and the famous Back to the Future DeLorean.

All of the medallions have the same back design which is a fun throwback to the classic Universal Studios Florida logo. I’ve mentioned in the past that I do really enjoy these medallions, except of course the price. They are $5 each or $15 for the full 4 coin set. That can certainly add up especially for us pressed penny connoisseurs. I don’t think these will ever completely replace the pressed penny machines throughout the parks and CityWalk but I’d be happy if they do pepper in a few of these machines as long as they keep releasing fun unique designs like these ones.

Below are some additional glamor shots of the DeLorean and Jaws medallions to show off some additional details of the coins. Special thank you to our friends over at Summers Raceway for the props we used in our pictures. Be sure to check out their YouTube channel here if you or anyone in your family is into Hot Wheels collecting and racing. They have some unique and amazing content. Enjoy the rest of your week and as always Keep on Collecting!

Island Market & Export NEW Pressed Pennies | Universal’s Islands of Adventure

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This past week I was over at Universal Studios Florida with the plan of just going with the flow. I had no plans and just wanted to head in an enjoy a slow paced day at the park. I made it on The Mummy coaster one last time before it was closed a day later for a very lengthy refurbishment. Then I headed over to Central Park Crepes for my favorite snack a Strawberry Hazelnut Crepe and then sat at a table in the shade to eat it while I people watched a bit. Things were going great until I decided to head over to Islands of Adventure to continue my leisurely visit and maybe grab a churro.

Shortly after I entered the park I stopped inside the Import Market & Export Candy shop to check it out. This place has going through a bit of change recently.

It’s packed with all things candy and sweet treats. As you first walk in there are lots of prepackaged popcorn, chocolate bars and many different kinds of sweets.

How can you say no to Chewy Unicorn Treats or some birthday cake dough bites. They even have Back to the Future chocolate bars and Simpson’s themed chocolate covered bacon bars.

Along the back wall is where most of the recent changes have taken place. There is now a fresh fudge kitchen, and then a long treat counter with tons of themed items.

The cupcakes are so cute, almost too cute to eat but not quite. They also had red velvet whoopee pies, rice crispy treats with all different kinds of candy mixed inside, and of course a smorgasbord of candy coated apples.

But just as I was about to head back out into the park I figured I would check on the penny press machine that is usually in this store. As I walked up to where it usually was I noticed it had gotten taller, and offered more pennies than usual.

I quickly transferred into my collector mode and started documenting the new machine and of course these beautiful new designs. The cabinet is the same style and design wood that the previous machine was I guess it kind of matches the inside of this shop. The machine has the touch screen interface we have become quite familiar with, and the pennies cost $1 per design or all 8 for $5. Thankfully no change to the cost.

The full set of penny designs was a bit interesting to me. Usually they keep Islands of Adventure themed in this park and Universal Studios themes in that park, but for this set the designs were a mix of both parks all in one. We can see the classic Universal Studios Globe logo, the Back to the Future Delorean, Jaws, Kong, E.T. Woody Woodypecker, Bumblebee the Transformer, and a nice new Velocicoaster coin.

I do really love this set as almost a complete overview of their greatest hits within the Universal theme parks, well maybe not Woody. With this new set safely stored away I headed out into the park and back into leisure mode and eventually got a churro from my favorite snack stand within the park. It was a great day even though I didn’t really accomplish much. But I think every so often I have to remind myself to do this and really enjoy these amazing parks. Not everyone has access to them like we do and I never want to take that for granted.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and make sure you take some time for yourself to just go slow and enjoy the journey. But if you come across a pressed penny machine be sure to Keep on Pressing!

Maelstrom EPCOT Pressed Penny – Privately Designed

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Today we are hanging out at EPCOT back in the World Showcase just enjoying the afternoon. In the past we have explored each and every pavilion but today I thought we would spend some time in Norway. As with the other pavilions there are quite a few things like eat some interesting local treats. If you stop in the Kringala Bakery they have a lot of fun treats but one classic you have to get is the School Bread.

Or if you are like me you would prefer to take a nice relaxing log flume style ride that showcases the people and elements of Norway’s history.

Oh crap, I forgot they got rid of that ride and replaced it with this Frozen Ever After attraction instead. Well since I’m here I guess I’ll jump aboard and take a trip to Arendelle, if only I had some ear plugs for this voyage. Maybe instead I’ll just think back to what this attraction used to be.

Photo Credit: Disney Parks

The attraction was originally known as Maelstrom and opened in July 1988. It had guests board Norwegian style longships and passed through various scenes that featured seafarers and maritime villages depicting a mythological version of Norway’s viking days.

At one point you come face to face with a three-headed troll who is angered by your trespassing boat and casts a spell sending your longboat backwards and eventually down a waterfall. But fear not all will turn out well as you arrive safely in the calm harbor of a small village and the narrator announces “Norway’s spirit has always been, and will always be adventure!”

This was a ride I remember going on many times as a child, but will admit that I was not a fan of the boat going backwards. It seems funny now as the attraction foundations is still here but instead of a troll sending us backwards it’s Elsa kicking us out of her Ice Palace. Now that I’m older I do find that it’s not that bad, but my daughters don’t seem to enjoy it so maybe it’s just a younger kid kind of thing.

As much as I do enjoy Frozen there was something about Maelstrom that I really do miss. Unfortunately it’s gone forever except for some old grainy clips you can find online or in my case some old videotape footage my dad took during a vacation. But I was able to come across this beauty from fellow collector and designer Don Cade. The design is a nice recreation of the classic Maelstrom attraction entrance sign, and when I saw it I was immediately taken back to that troll sending me down the waterfall.

It’s amazing how something so small like a pressed penny can connect us to a special member from our past travels. In my case they bring back such wonderful memories of all the trips I’ve taken with my family that I will treasure forever. Thank you Don for all your work on this coin and taking us back in time to revisit another fan favorite attraction. But I guess it’s finally time to Let It Go!

Sorry I couldn’t resist.