Free Fun in Disney!

Ok so this one isn't exactly FREE, but it is a pretty cheap and fun way to get the kids souvenirs without spending tons of money.  My two LOVE getting the pressed pennies. 

The machines are all over the place and part of the fun is finding them, but if you want a cheat sheet for where to find all the fun here is a list with locations made up by AllEarsNet.com - go here.  Now get out your 2 quarts and one shiny new penny and get to pressing! 

There are two types of machines - Here is a picture of one of them:

Push a button and the machine does all the work!

The other machine has a handle that you crank yourself and presses the penny.  Here it is:

Notice the crank - you turn this yourself - don't worry it's easy!!

So while researching this I found more info then I ever thought I would!!  I never realized there was such a cult like following for the elongated coin, ec, or what I call the pressed penny!  There are websites out there with information galore!  But here are a few of the things I found out that I liked the most.  I will start by telling you the links to the two best sites I found and then cover my favorites from them!  The two sites are -Penny Collector and Park Pennies. 

Ok now what did those sites have to say...

Well the Penny Collector gave some great tips on cleaning and the types of pennies to use!  Yes there are certain years to use!  Weird!  So they recommend using a pre 1982 penny because they start to contain zinc after 1982.  Now for those that are not hard core collectors you may not care, but for others the zinc under the copper is noticeable and they don't like it - the choice is yours, you have been warned!  :-)

If you want your penny to really shine after all those years of use there are some cleaning tips you can try.  I am just going to link right to it.  I haven't tried any of this, but I think I am going to be more organized with all of it on our next trip as this is an activity my kids really do enjoy and I hate searching for the perfect penny in my wallet!  Cleaning Tips

Now here is a great idea and one I am going to implement on my next trip - a carrying case!  Ok we buy the pressed penny booklets that they sell down in Disney.  This is a great way to display and hold on to them after you have completed them, although not a required element to the fun!  BUT as I mentioned above this is an activity my kids really enjoy so I want to try and be more organized for it when we go next.  Well a reader submitted a tip to the Penny Collector site - use the M&M minis container.  My plan is to clean them all up and then let the kids decorate them with Disney stickers!  Then you can stack 2 quarters and one penny in there so when they get to a penny press they simply get their container, and they can easily pull out the right amount of coins!  Super tip!!  :-)  Here are more storing tips.

Ok now on the Park Pennies site they have a fairly updated list of where to find penny presses around Walt Disney World.  And the great thing is it is a PDF and you can print it out and take it with you!  They also have a map! And an even more updated list can be found here at Presscoins.com - The Unoffical Guide to Walt Disney World Pressed Coins.

Ok I think that more than covers it!  Trust me I had no clue this would be this FULL of information, but alas it is because like everything with Disney there is usually a following of some sort.  :-) 

Happy Coin Collecting!!!  Be sure to share your tips for this fun activity!!