It’s time to put this too-long series to rest, but not before a few last words on this pressed penny collection.
I sorted the 271 coins by where they were obtained, and this was easy for about 90% of them, challenging for another 9% and – so far – impossible for these three:
The top left features an unidentifiable design with no words, and was pressed onto a 5 euro cent coin, which means Scotland or the UK. Perhaps it was somewhere in Cardiff? I’ll probably never know. The top right is a misaligned penny and from a snippet of writing on the back was made in Santa Cruz. As for what it was supposed to show, who knows? The bottom is a real mystery. The Pamir was boat that sunk near The Azores during a hurricane in 1957. The origination of the ship suggests a German coin, but it’s pressed on a US penny so I have no idea where I got it.
The location of where I pressed this one is also unknown:
Isn’t it remarkable? The entire Lord’s Prayer pressed onto a tiny penny! It’s very detailed and easy to read and I imagine many of these have lived a happy life in purses and wallets over the years.
Let’s move on to ‘bad’ examples. The truth is most of the collection is forgettable – even arguably trash – and since I was always pressing for Bernard I tended to prioritize outrageous or ludicrous designs. Of the 271, these are the ones that raise my eyebrows the most:
On the left we have a penny showing the comic character Storm, which was pressed at Universal Studios. The detail is good but unfortunately the character is almost unrecognizable and you need to gaze very closely to even understand what you’re looking at. The next is a Pez character and I don’t think I need to go into details as to why it should never have been made. The third is a ‘likeness’ of Bruce Springsteen so bad I very much doubt anyone could identify him without the name at the bottom, and the M&M’s NYC fireman penny makes the Pez example look desirable 🙂
As for my favourites, after some consideration I decided on these four:
The top was obtained at Hirose Game Center in Akihabara and shows the player ship from the classic arcade game Darius (I assume you don’t need explanation as to why I love this penny). Then we have a Tardis obtained at the now-closed Dr Who Experience in Cardiff, Wales. The Ned Kelly one – pressed somewhere in Melbourne – I love for its ludicrousness (a penny featuring a criminal?), and of course I’m going to treasure a Nessie penny obtained at Loch Ness.
Now sorted and catalogued here, the pennies all live happily in a special dedicated book I bought for them, and this will now sit on a shelf or in a box forever. I’m not planning on adding to the collection – so no, you don’t have to press pennies for me if you find any! – unless I find a truly special or unusual design. But there’s enough nostalgia in this collection that I’m happy I own the ones I have 🙂
If I see a penny squasher I’ll squash a few for the collection. The main problem I’ve had is having the available change.