Things I Collect: Flattened Pennies

I collect all sorts of stuff but perhaps one of the weirder obsessions is flattened pennies. They come from a do it yourself machine which usually costs about $.50 to use. You put in your two quarters and a penny and turn a big crank. Sometimes it lets you choose from a few designs such as images of the Empire State Building or slogans like, “good luck.”
Some collectors are way more particular about it than I am. I don’t really care where they come from or anything like that. If I see one of those machines, even on the throughway, I get flat pennies. Avid collectors call them ‘elongated coins’ and you can learn more here, for example.
True story: when I was a kid, my friend and I figured out that if we pounded a nickel with a hammer, we could flatten it to the size of a quarter and some vending machines would take them.
So I guess flattening coins has always been in my blood.

You can click to enlarge these photos and derive hours of pleasure from them as I do.

Posted August 29, 2011 Tags: Obsessions, Treasure | ShareThis