Bass Pro Shop – Atlantic City, NJ

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This was actually the second time I had attempted to collect these coins.  A few months back I heard about this new store opening in AC and when I tried to get there it was just not meant to be.  I didn’t have any cash on me and all the Casino parking lots would only take cash, I tried to park on the street but ran into traffic everywhere I went with no available parking spots.  The lot for the store was full and with my temper flaring at this point I just decided to head back home.  But this time around I had a pocket full of cash just in case.

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Now I will say for a non hunter/fisherman I’m just in awe of this place.  This is my second store and they are very similar but still unique in their own way.

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There are two floors of clothing, fishing gear, camping gear, boats, and on and on.  I was only planning on stopping in to use the penny machine but ended up wandering around for over an hour.

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They even have a huge fish tank which my daughter Hanna loved, and as you can see from the picture above this is not your plain old ordinary tank.

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Right next to the fish tank observation area is where I finally came across the penny machine.

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The set of pennies had images of the Atlantic City Steel Pier, A bass, a large Buck, and a Marlin.  These may not actually be what the images are of but that’s my city boy guess.

Well it was quite an adventure to finally get a set of these coins but was definitely worth it.  These coins are customized for the city the store is located in and makes for a fun collection all its own.

2016 Holiday Nickels – Disneyland and California Adventure

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We are just a few days away from Christmas and as luck would have it my brand new set of pressed nickels showed up from Anaheim.  These annual tradition at the Disneyland and California Adventure have become something collectors look forward to each year.  Thankfully I had a friend in the area that was able to press me a set and ship them back so I could share them with everyone.

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First up is the set available at Disneyland.  The machine can be found at the Main Street Penny Arcade.  The images include Season’s Greetings Mickey 2016, Season’s Greetings Olaf 2016, and Happy New Year Mickey Ornament 2017. Each coin also says Disneyland Park.

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The back of these coins has a nice backstamp with Snowflakes and Disneyland Park printed in the middle.

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The second set is available over at California Adventure and can be found in the Los Feliz Five & Dime Store.  These coins include images of Happy New Year Carthay Circle 2017, Season’s Greetings Lighting McQueen 2016, and Season’s Greetings Frozen’s Anna and Elsa 2016.  Each coin also says Disney California Adventure.

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the backstamp for these coins is very similar to the other set.  Snowflakes surround the Disney California Adventure logo.

Another year has (almost) come and gone and these new Holiday coins were definitely worth the wait.  Nice detail, and being pressed on Nickels makes them just a little more unique.  These are only available for a limited time so make sure you pick up a set, and get ready for another great year of pressed coin collecting.

Have a very Merry Christmas, and Holiday season!!

Virtual Magic Kingdom – VMK

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In my never-ending quest for all things pressed coins I sometimes come across something that I’ve never seen before.  On a recent hunt through eBay I was just seeing what was out there I came across just such an item, and I had to buy it and then immediately do some research.  The item in question was the below collectible card.

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On the left is the front of the card and the right image is the back.  I thought this was kind of a cool and unique collectible but was intrigue with what game this was actually from.  As you can see on the card it listed VMK along the sides, and on the back at the bottom was a link to a website VMK.com.  Unfortunately this link doesn’t work and just reroutes you to the Disney Online Games website instead.  But with some google searches I was able to find out some more information.

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VMK stands for Virtual Magic Kingdom and was a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) was a virtual representation of the Disneyland Theme park.  It was initially launched as part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Disneyland but had no long-term intentions when initially released.  It first became available in 2005 with three virtual lands to explore: Main Street USA, Fantasyland, and Adventureland.  Then over the next couple years additional lands were made available like Tomorrowland, Frontierland, and New Orleans Square.

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In the game you were able to create an avatar to wonder the streets of Disneyland and interact with other players, and play mini-games based on the popular Theme Park attractions.

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Places like the Jungle Cruise (shown above) were available over in Adventureland.

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Or the Haunted Mansion in New Orleans Square.

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Get soaked on Splash Mountain going through the Briar Patch over in Frontierland.

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They even had the super exclusive Club 33 for a special event.  Now back to my original find the collector card with the penny press on it.  I scoured every corner of the internet I could access trying to find an in-game picture or screen shot showing the machine but just couldn’t find anything.

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At one point I did think I was on to something.  When I found the above map of Main Street I noticed the Penny Arcade was an area to explore.  Eventually I did find a picture of the inside of the arcade.

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For those of you that have visited Disneyland in Anaheim this is the jackpot (or at least it used to be I haven’t been in a while) for penny press machines.  But sadly as you can see in the above picture the penny machines are nowhere to be found.

Continuing on the sad note this game was actually shut down in May 2008.  This is really unfortunately as the more I researched this the more I wanted to play.  I’m also surprised I never knew about this.  Sorry to string you along and then drop the bomb that you can’t actually play this anymore, but you never know maybe Disney can bring it back.  There are quite a few fan sites out there with great information and details on the game.  I just thought it was really cool to have a digital version of a penny machine inside a video game.  My imagination is racing as to what the coin designs would have been and if they changed on a regular basis.  Hopefully someone out there knows and can share with us.  Virtual pressed coins sound like a futuristic new idea especially if pennies become extinct…gasp!

Main Street Penny Arcade – Disneyland, CA

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On a recent trip to the Magic Kingdom in Orlando my family was walking down Main Street heading for one of our first fast passes of the day.  Even though the street was crowded with families heading in all various directions and take thousands of pictures I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion.  This magical place was the host to many of my most treasured memories, both when I was a child and also now that I’m older and taking my own children.  This was all thanks to one truly imaginative individual Mr. Walter Elias Disney.

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As I’ve gotten older my interest in the behind the scenes story of the theme parks has become an obsession all its own.  But the biographies of Walt Disney are something I just can’t get enough of.  From his childhood all the way up to his all too early death it’s a true Disney fairytale with lots of ups and downs.  What is truly remarkable is how many times Walt was confronted with failure but instead of giving up it only made him stronger, and learn from his mistakes.  Each time I read about these failures it seems that most people would have given up.  This seemed to be the emotion that took over as I strolled down main street trying to image what life would have been like without Disney.  Too be honest that’s almost too painful to even try to contemplate, but thankfully Walt would not be dissuaded from seeing his dreams come true.  He was a man full of imagination and was always capable of sharing some amazing words of wisdom some of which we will review shortly.

I could go on and on about my admiration for Walt Disney but this is all leading towards a brand new set of pressed quarters that was made available at the Disneyland theme park.  Located in the Main Street Penny Arcade which used to be home to a large assortment of penny press machines.

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Over the last few years all the machines were removed due to some renovations and unfortunately were never replaced.  With this first new machine hopefully many more will be on the way.

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This pressed quarter set is being unofficially called the Walt’s Quotes set.  Each coin has one of Walt’s famous which I think is really a special addition to any collection.

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“Here you leave today and visit the worlds of yesterday, tomorrow & fantasy.”

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“If you can dream it, you can do it.”

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Finally my personal favorite “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

The next time you visit one of the Disney theme parks beside to take a moment to remember this real world wonderland that millions of people enjoy each year was all thanks to one remarkable person and his team of visionaries and imagineers.  Summer vacations, family movies and yes pressed coin collection would all be very different without him.

The Franklin Institute 2016 – Philadelphia, PA

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On a recent weekend trip into Philadelphia with my daughter we decided to go check out The Franklin Institute.  We had visited this museum a year or so ago and my daughter really enjoyed all the interactive exhibits and of course all the other kids running around.  I have always likes science museums and this is really one of the best ones I’ve ever been to.  Plus they are notorious for having quite a few penny press machines, and was one of the first 8-design touch screen machine I had used (click here to read all about it).

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Hanna and I did explore the entire museum, but just so you know most of the machines can actually be accessed right in the main Atrium shown above with no admission required (but if you park in their garage there is a fee).  Now I know I have a habit of calling these penny press machines which in most situations is correct, but more and more machines have been made available where the supply a coin like token instead.  So technically these machines were token presses but they work exactly the same.

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The first machine was located right by the elevators that take you down to the parking garage below the museum.  This machine had four designs and each were $1.

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The designs on this first set included the Liberty Bell, City of Brotherly Love Philadelphia, I Heart The Franklin Institute, and Fels Planetarium.

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Just a few feet away was the second machine sitting right beside the Information Desk.  These designs were also $1 each.

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The images available in this set: The Train Factory, The Franklin Institute Science Museum, Our Carbon Footprint, and the Philadelphia Phillies logo.

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The next machine is situated in great location just outside the Restrooms.  I’m not sure why places put the machines here (seems very common) but I guess it’s to guarantee foot traffic.  These were also $1 each.

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The designs on this set included the Joel M Bloom Observatory, Benjamin Franklin, Sir Isaac’s Loft and the Air Show.

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I know I gave a link about this 8-Design machine above but couldn’t help including it in this post as well.  Please note that this machine is no longer near the Pendulum Staircase (which required admission), it is now located near the Restrooms (yay!) as well (no admission required).

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I really do like these new machines and I couldn’t resist pressing another set.  It does take cash, credit or Apple Pay which is what I used and it worked perfectly.

As a recap this museum really is a great place to visit and an easy way to spend an afternoon with your kids (or just by yourself).  The exhibits are fantastic, the special exhibits are even better, plus you can press 20 new tokens all within a 100 foot radius.

Kingswell Camera / Humphrey’s Service / Sideshow Shirts NEW Pressed Pennies – California Adventure, CA

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Disney has been quickly replacing all the 60th Anniversary Pressed Coins it has made available during their celebration last year.  Which is good for us collectors as it keeps us busy trying to keep up with all the changes and new coins.  This week there was quite a few new coins placed on stage over at California Adventure.

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This is a park I have only visited a couple of times but really enjoy it, and the new Pixar Cars Land is truly amazing.  But on this trip we were all about getting the new pennies.  First up was a quick stop in the Kingswell Camera Shop.

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The machine located here has three new designs which to me were a very cool find.

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My wife actually took our daughter to see Finding Dory in the theaters but I stayed home with our youngest so I didn’t get to see the movie until just recently.  These coins are really nicely detailed and I love the movie characters they picked: Dory, Hank the Octopus (Septopus technically), and Destiny the Whale Shark.

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The back of each of these coins has the movie logo which is also a nice touch to these coins.

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The next stop on our trip is over to Humphrey’s Service near the Soarin’ attraction which is another family favorite of ours.

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Being that this store is so close to Soarin’ it should come as no surprise that these are all themed around that ride.  The designs show the Soarin’ Logo over Mickey, Pilot Mickey Waving, and Pilot Mickey in a Porthole.

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Another great back design has the Soarin’ logo on each of the pennies.

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The final stop on this quick tour takes us over to the Pier and the Sideshow Shirts store.

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This last set (for now) of coins has images of Stitch, Angel, and Stitch / Angel inside a Heart.

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The back design on these pennies says “We Love Stitch” and has the California Adventure logo.  Not a bad haul for a short trip to the park.  I always wish I have more time to enjoy the parks but it was nice to be able to collect some new coins before having to head back to the resort.  I’m crossing my fingers for more new coins, but they have certainly outdid themselves lately with all these new designs and I wouldn’t blame them for taking a short break.  If that changes I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

Happy Thanksgiving 2016!

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The Holiday season is officially upon us.  As I sit here in my dining room I can smell our turkey cooking, and my children are running around exited to see all their cousins.  I can’t help but just sit back and just be thankful for my family and friends.

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To all of you out there I would like to say thank you again for coming back week after week to continue our adventures in pressed penny collecting.  It means a lot to know that so many of you share this hobby and are just as obsessed as I am.

Have a fantastic Thanksgiving, and please be safe if you are traveling.

Adventureland / Frontierland / Tomorrowland / Downtown Disney NEW Pressed Pennies – Disneyland, CA

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It’s been hard to keep up with all the new pressed coins being made available throughout the Disneyland park.  These past few days have seen five new machines (15 coins) put on stage and I figured it would be easiest to go over them all in one post.

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First over in Adventureland is the Bazaar souvenir shop.  Inside this location is 3 machines in total but on this visit we are just focusing on two of them.

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As you can see in the above picture this first new set is all inspired by one of my personal favorite movie franchises (and a great ride in Disneyland by the way) Indiana Jones.  The designs on these coins are the Indiana Jones Logo, Indy’s Hat and Whip, and Indy’s Hat and Whip with Crossed Swords.

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Here’s a shot of the backstamp which is also pretty cool.  The Disneyland parks always have really nice designs on the back of most of their pressed coins.

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The second machine at the Bazaar was kind of surprising since they are available before the movie has been released.  These designs are all about the new Disney animated movie Moana and include images of the star Moana, Maui, and Pau.

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Another really great backstamp.  Wish they would do this more over in the Florida parks.

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With Adventureland behind us we head over toward Frontierland where we find the Bonanza Outfitters store.  This is where the next new set of pennies can be found.

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Unfortunately the pennies I received were a little worse for wear and are kind of hard to see.  These designs include images of Cowboy Donald, Cowboy Mickey and Cowboy Goofy.

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Before leaving this park we had one last stop over in Tomorrowland at the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster attraction.

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The machine is actually located at the exit to the ride so you don’t necessarily have to go on the ride to use this machine.

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These designs are updated images of similar coins that used to be available here.  These definitely have more detail and press really nicely.  You can also see the attraction logo below which is on the back of each coin.

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The last two machine (for now) takes us out of the Disneyland Park and over to Downtown Disney and more specifically the World of Disney Store.  This is the same location that has seen a lot of new pennies come and go over the last year.

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The first set here has images of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy in some nice new designs.

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The second new machine here has designs of Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, and Pinocchio.  Both of these sets have the same backstamp shown below.

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Whew, always fun but a little hectic when this many new coins show up.  But I’m not complaining and am always up for the challenge.  Stay tuned as I already heard of a few more machines that will be out very soon.

United Artists IMAX Theatre – King of Prussia, PA

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This past weekend I make the hour l long trip from our house over to the giant King of Prussia shopping mall in Pennsylvania to get fitted for suit.  A great friend of mine will be getting married next year and I was honored to be asked to join his wedding party.  After the fitting I found myself sitting in my car looking at the pennycollector.com website from my cell phone to see if there were any machines located nearby and wouldn’t you know it there was.

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Just across the parking lot was a huge United Artists IMAX movie theatre.  I believe this place has something like 12 movie screens but I was sold at IMAX.  Unfortunately I had other things to do that day so I couldn’t stay for a movie but did dash inside to try to find the penny machine.

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As you walk inside the ticket booth is to your right which is also nearby where the restrooms are.  Just beside those is a little arcade setup and this is where I found the penny machine.  Oh by the way no ticket was required to access this area of the theatre.

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This was a 4-design hand crank machine.  These models tend to roll the final pennies a little long and this was no exception.  But the find results still came out pretty nice.

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The pennies dropped out with the following: Best Friends, My Lucky Penny (Shamrocks), I Love you, and Guardian Angel.  Now I have seen these designs at some other locations a long the PA turnpike as they are fairly common.  But still a nice find and is the only movie theatre I can think of that I have seen a penny machine at.  I’m crossing my fingers this becomes a new trend but hope they update the designs a little.  Movie themes would be cool!

Coin Collecting Packages for my Friends – Follow Up #3

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Earlier this year I was aware of some friends and family making some trips to the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and I wrote about some packages I put together and you can read out it here.  My pressed coin collecting hobby is so well-known among friends that anytime someone goes on vacation they always ask if there are any coins they can get for me.  I’m a truly lucky guy to have some amazing friends.  In the past I have also mentioned that I do really appreciate them going out of their way to get these coins for me but I never want to take away from their own holiday enjoyment.  So I try to make collecting these coins as easy as possible with these little packages.

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Just recently a co-worker of mine let me know they were taking a very last-minute trip to Disney and were going to be staying at the Coronado Springs Resort.  This is a location I have visited in the past to acquire the coins there, but it has been a few years and I always jump at the opportunity to get a fresh set.

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Years ago when I had graduated high school my parents sent me to Disney and I stayed at this resort.  I remember it being a nice place to stay with a really cool pool, but it was huge and there was lots of walking.

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There were numerous bus stops inside the resort and it always seemed we were either the first picked up (last to the parks) or last to be dropped off at the end of the night.  Then there was more walking to the room.  But I was young and walking is always good for you so I shouldn’t complain.  My co-worker did mention the walking so that hasn’t changed, but I still think this is a nice Moderate resort to check out.

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Located in the main building of this resort where the check-in area is, and the main food court and restaurants is a place called Panchito’s Gift’s and Sundries.  This is the main gift shop for this resort and from what I remember this is pretty big.  Just outside the main entrance is where the two coin press machines were situation.

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The first machine is a 3 die electric model that presses the designs on pennies.

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The set includes Cinderella, The Fairy Godmother, and Dopey Dwarf.

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The second machine located right beside the first and has one image that presses on a Quarter so the over cost is $1.25 for this one.

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The image is of Jose Carioca who you may recognize from the Three Caballeros movie.  Even though these weren’t new designs it was nice to get a fresh set for my collection.  The resort is really beautiful and if you are in the area it does make for a nice place to wonder around.  Just make sure you bring some comfortable walking shoes.