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View Full Version : Question for Canadians or anyone... [Canadian coins in press machines]



cantwait
05-23-2007, 09:27 AM
I was planning on setting my DS up with an autograph book for our upcoming trip, but now that I've read about the pressed pennies, he will LOVE, LOVE, LOVE collecting those, and I think it will be a great keepsake for him and less frustrating for him and the characters.

Anyway, I'm not sure if I'll be able to get rolls of US pennies from my bank before we go.

Has anyone tried pressing Canadian pennies? Do they turn out the same, or is there something different with the size or metal content that wouldn't work for this?

Thanks. I feel like such a geek! :geek:

VWCat
05-23-2007, 09:50 AM
yeah I was curious as well,I went thru some of my pennies last night and picked out some american ones;)

DianeM
05-23-2007, 10:48 AM
Canadian pennies are fine in penny press machines. In fact, in some ways they are better than U.S. pennies. In the U.S. pennies were switched from copper to zinc in 1982, but in Canada they didn't switch until 1997. Pennies made from copper will press better than pennies from zinc, and will not have little white stripes on them. It's getting hard to find pre-1982 U.S. pennies, in part because recyclers in other countries have discovered that they can melt them down for copper that is worth more than a penny.

There is some confusion over the legality of pressing Canadian pennies. It is illegal in Canada to deface coins (supposedly because they are imprinted with the Queen's image). But those laws don't apply in the United States, so you can deface at will.

Pennies are a really fun activity at DL and DCA. It get's you to places you'd never go, and it's a great keepsake. For more info check out:

http://www.pennycollector.com


I was planning on setting my DS up with an autograph book for our upcoming trip, but now that I've read about the pressed pennies, he will LOVE, LOVE, LOVE collecting those, and I think it will be a great keepsake for him and less frustrating for him and the characters.

Anyway, I'm not sure if I'll be able to get rolls of US pennies from my bank before we go.

Has anyone tried pressing Canadian pennies? Do they turn out the same, or is there something different with the size or metal content that wouldn't work for this?

Thanks. I feel like such a geek! :geek:

cantwait
05-23-2007, 11:15 AM
Thanks for the reply! Hmm, I didn't really know using Canuck coins would be a felony!

Another couple questions for the penny pressing pros...

Are there usually line ups for the machines? If so how long can they be?

I’m also thinking of making some for inexpensive souvenirs to bring back to his school class.
Any suggestions for one special design to get for the kids in his class?
or maybe it would be better to just make a few at each station so we don’t hold the line up making all at the same time and he could take a variety of them to school.
Or maybe we do one type for the boys and one type for the girls?

They are 8/9 year olds, Grade 3.

Thanks! :D

cantwait
05-23-2007, 11:17 AM
Hey VWCat, were going on the same day!! See you there!

jenbolen
05-23-2007, 11:55 AM
i don't think i've ever seen a line for the penny machines, it's usually only one person/group ahead of you if anything. i only go 3-4 times a year, so maybe i have just been lucky but i don't think getting to the machines will be a problem. :)

VWCat
05-23-2007, 04:14 PM
Hey VWCat, were going on the same day!! See you there!nice,have fun!!:):)

Bytebear
05-23-2007, 04:54 PM
i don't think i've ever seen a line for the penny machines, it's usually only one person/group ahead of you if anything. i only go 3-4 times a year, so maybe i have just been lucky but i don't think getting to the machines will be a problem. :)

You are correct, there are never lines for the penny machines. There are so many of them that you could just move on to somewhere else, anyway.

Also, if you want to play in the Penny Arcade on Main Street, it is a real working old arcade with real working old penny arcade machines, and you can show the little ones what entertainment was like in the 1920s. Some flip through stereoscope photos, others are hand crank cartoons. Each machine takes a penny to operate.

vickieluvsmickey
05-23-2007, 05:31 PM
There are change machines near the penny press machines in the Penny Arcade on Mainstreet and in Frontierland. There are probably other change machines near other presses, too, but those two I know for sure. You can insert bills and get pennies and quarters. It is 50 cents per pressed penny, so it's much better to get change as you need it instead of luggiing around a bunch of quarters.

DD has recently started her collection. There are books you can buy to store the pressed pennies. The book holds 48 pennies and has 6 larger slots for pressed nickles & quarters. City Hall on Main St. has a check list of all the presses and their locations. Here's a website that also has that list.

http://psc.disney.go.com/eventservices/disneygallery/index.html

There's a link at the bottom left of that page that says Pressed Coin Souvenirs - Location List

~Vickie
p.s. your maps have been mailed. :)

DianeM
05-23-2007, 09:15 PM
I don't know how familiar 3rd graders will be with DL rides, so it might be more fun to get them character coins. You can look at all of the coins at www.parkpennies.com to find good machines in advance. They even have lists showing which machines are currently in the park and where they are (machines are "retired" regularly). If you want to spend a bit more, there is a Mickey/Minnie nickel with the new back stamp (older coins didn't have anything pressed on the back) at the Arcade. Nickels and quarters really show off the designs better than pennies.

By the way, it's a good idea to try for any coins you really, really want on your first day at the park. Sometimes machines break, but they tend to service them pretty quickly. If a machine is down the first day, it may be working on your last day at the park - or vice versa.






Any suggestions for one special design to get for the kids in his class?
D

cfitz/pirates
05-24-2007, 09:23 PM
My DD loves the penny press machines, she currently has two books full and will insist on a third book for our next trip down.

SyntheticGlamour
05-24-2007, 09:47 PM
There is some confusion over the legality of pressing Canadian pennies. It is illegal in Canada to deface coins (supposedly because they are imprinted with the Queen's image). But those laws don't apply in the United States, so you can deface at will.


That's so weird, I live on Vancouver Island and the last time I went to the mainland I got a penny pressed that said "BC FERRIES" on it with a boat while I was on the ferry. I think you just can't paint them? Not to sure.


But I was going to ask that question too! Except the older the penny the less shiney it is :(

DianeM
05-24-2007, 10:35 PM
Old pennies press fine - and just as shiny. You just need to clean them up a bit. I soak them for a few minutes in ketchup. The acid take all of the discoloration off of the copper. Then I rinse them and put them into a zip loc baggie with baking soda and rub them around a bit, to get any residual ketchup and to scrub them up. This will leave you with a dull but clean copper penny. Theoretically, you're supposed to then polish every penny, but I've found that they shine up very nicely when I put them into the machine.

Aw for it being illegal in Canada to press pennies - it may be an urban legend. But I did read it on several reputable penny press sites. It may just be one of those laws that is rarely enforced. Who is going to bother the courts over a penny?


That's so weird, I live on Vancouver Island and the last time I went to the mainland I got a penny pressed that said "BC FERRIES" on it with a boat while I was on the ferry. I think you just can't paint them? Not to sure.


But I was going to ask that question too! Except the older the penny the less shiney it is :(

cantwait
05-25-2007, 06:57 AM
Thanks all. I'll keep my eyes open for the older pennies in my change for the next while.


I got a penny pressed that said "BC FERRIES" on it with a boat while I was on the ferry.(

I didn't know they did that, now DS will be on a mission for this penny too!