Pressed pennies!

[gpimper]

Here is a fun one from one of our many adventures.  Carlsbad Caverns...about five years ago :-)

[Figleaf]

Good memories. A pre-air conditioning rickety bus getting me there. The fresh air in the caves. The majestic halls and pillars. The steep climbs and descents. The joy that all the lights where white. My only regret was that all stalactites and stalagmites were "dead". They were no longer added to. They were not shiny and tourist-wrought damage was sometimes obvious. Still, a grand site to behold.

I was too taken in by pseudo coins and Franklin Mint at the time to get an elongated penny, which would have been far more fun as a souvenir of a thoroughly enjoyable visit.

Peter

[brandm24]

I like these because you get to make your own souvenir. I have some but mostly issued by coin clubs. There's a collectors club for these too...but I don't recall their name.

Bruce

[gpimper]

Peter, did you get to see the bats.  That was crazy!  We've been there I think three times.  The kiddo's reaction the first trip was priceless :-)

Dallas Heritage Village...

[Figleaf]

There were some bats, but not clouds of them, as there were in Cleopatra's tomb. Creepy!

Peter

[Henk]

I show here my pressed, or elongated penny made at the Pan American World Exposition which was held in Buffalo (NY) from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The obverse depicts the Temple of Music which  was a concert hall and auditorium built on purpose for the exposition and demolished afterwards. The reverse has the following text: BUILDING IN WHICH PRESIDENT WM. MC. KINLEY WAS SHOT SEPT. 6 1901 DIED SEPT. 14 1901 AT BUFFALO N.Y. 

On September 5, 1901, McKinley delivered a speech on tariffs and foreign trade at the exposition. The following day, designated as "President's Day" at the exposition, McKinley was shot by Leon Czolgosz while greeting the public at the Temple of Music. McKinley died one week later in Buffalo.

Although this is an old example, it is not the first. The first recorded instance of elongated pennies was at the 1892-1893 World's Columbian Exposition, held to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus coming to America, there were four different elongated penny designs to choose from.

[gpimper]

Henk, that is an absolutely fascinating splatted Penny.  In wonderful condition for the age and an interesting back story.   

[gpimper]

These are all from my Kiddo's collection, by the way.  This one is from one of our many road trips.  SeaWorld about 6 years ago.

[Figleaf]

Very much agreed that your elongated penny is a genuine and highly interesting piece of history, Henk. TFP! It is also a really nice illustration of how a properly aged tourist souvenir can potentially be more interesting than many official commemorative coins.

Peter

[gpimper]

Another couple from Carlsbad.  If you ever get a chance to witness the "flight of the bats" I would highly recommend it.  Thousands of bats at dusk come out of the "Bat cave" to feed but it's almost totally silent!  Pretty amazing, really! 

[FosseWay]

I'm glad I got this one when I did - two years later and it would have been too late.

[Figleaf]

Right! Another subject that could have made a good commemorative coin.

Peter

[gpimper]

From another fun road trip...

[Figleaf]

More memories. I'd seen The Alamo, one of the few films in which John Wayne dies, so when I had a chance to visit, I did. I learned that the film was highly inaccurate and John Wayne was still alive

Peter

[gpimper]

Peter, it's a lot smaller than I thought it would be!  John Wayne owned a ranch just outside of the small town I grew up in.  My best friend I heard that he was in town so we hiked almost 10 miles to meet him    Super nice guy!

I really like that Twin Towers press.  Talk about a keep sake!