My Pressed Penny Collection

Last time I spoke about my magnet and indoor plant collections, having been tagged in a collections thread on Twitter. This week I’m covering my pressed penny collection.

For those that aren’t aware pressed pennies are simply elongated coins which are flattened into an oval shape and impressed with a design. This is usually done through a penny mangle.

I’ve loved penny mangles ever since I was little, popping the coins into the slot, spinning the wheel around and making pressed pennies. They’re a great, unique souvenir and with the added bonus of being small enough to fit many in a cabin bag.

I have a small yet growing collection, most from places in England and a couple from other parts of the UK and overseas. A lot are from Weymouth as we went on holiday there a lot when my sister and I were younger. 🙂

At the moment my pressed penny collection is stored in specialist pressed penny albums, but I love the idea of displaying them in a frame, such as the one below.

https://pin.it/kujr2cmfksald4

The oldest penny

I can’t quite remember when I pressed this penny but I know it was my first.

The penny is from Brewers Quay in Weymouth, but sadly the penny mangle is no longer there.

You can find a list of current and retired penny mangles (from all over the world!) on the Penny Collector website.

The favourite penny

I think my favourite penny is the Tardis design I picked up at the Doctor Who Experience. But honestly any of the Doctor Who ones in my collection could be contenders.

The ‘long distance’ penny

The penny I travelled the furthest for was this cable car penny from San Francisco. 😊 I didn’t go out of my way to find it, but was a little excited when I saw the penny mangle say outside the gift shop.

The penny I was gifted

My friends and family know of my pressed penny collection and will sometimes bring me back one, if they see a penny mangle.

This one is from Sheffield, the home of snooker and shows a snooker cue and ball. My mum picked it up for me when she went to watch snooker live at The Crucible.

Have you heard of pressed pennies before? Do you have a pressed penny collection? Let me know in the comments. 😊

26 Comments

  • 24 hours in Gdansk and Sopot – Poland – Chimmyville

    January 24, 2021 at 17:53

    […] you may know I collect pressed pennies and although there wasn’t a penny mangle in Sopot. I did stumble upon a token machine […]

  • Kirsten

    April 15, 2019 at 20:38

    Wow, I haven’t seen a pressed penny in ages! I remember getting them as a kid and loved collecting them and pressing the pennies. We used to have them all over the country. We no longer have pennies anymore and they are not really in circulation but even long before that, the machines all disappeared. But you have a very nice collection. I love the Tardis too!

    1. Kim

      April 16, 2019 at 17:30

      Aw, that’s such a shame that they got rid of them. 🙁 There’s talk of the 1p coin going out of circulation in the UK too. I hope it doesn’t or they can give me a 5p machine instead lol. 😅 Thanks for your comment lovely. x

  • Megan | Ginger Mom and Company

    April 15, 2019 at 17:39

    I’ve heard a little bit about pressed pennies before but never saw any. They kinda look like guitar picks. Awesome collection 🙂 That’s definitely something unique that not everyone collects!

    1. Kim

      April 15, 2019 at 19:17

      They do look like guitar picks but a little longer. That’s actually a great way to describe them. Thanks for your comment lovely. x

  • Lisa

    April 15, 2019 at 12:21

    Flora loves pressed pennies too – she has a couple from Scotland and also from Bristol. Her collection is nowhere near as extensive as yours but I like the way you’ve displayed your collection too, easy to see and hard to lose! Lisa x

    1. Kim

      April 15, 2019 at 19:11

      I used to lose so many before I got the album! I’d love to collect some more from Scotland or Wales as most of mine are from England. Thanks for your comment Lisa. xx

  • Grace

    April 14, 2019 at 04:17

    Adorbs!!! I still have my first pressed penny!

  • Sarah

    April 14, 2019 at 02:57

    This is so cool, especially now that penny’s are going out of circulation!
    Great collection

  • Chloe Osborn

    April 13, 2019 at 13:02

    That’s really cool that each penny has a story! I don’t think I’ve ever done one but I’ve seen them in lots of places. I like your Doctor Who ones too, it’s such a shame the experience had to close down 😞

    1. Kim

      April 13, 2019 at 21:18

      I know, I was gutted when it closed. 🙁 Thanks for your comment lovely. x

  • Francesca

    April 13, 2019 at 10:30

    This is such a cool collection! 🙂 I haven’t seen these in such a long time. I loved doing them as a kid. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Kim

      April 13, 2019 at 21:17

      Thank you lovely! I love collecting them. 😊 x

  • Margarida Vasconcelos

    April 12, 2019 at 18:33

    What a great treasure you have there Kim. I love to collect vintage kitchenalia and botanical books.

    1. Kim

      April 13, 2019 at 21:15

      Vintage kitchenalia sounds like a lovely thing to collect. Books are always good too. Thanks for your comment lovely. x

  • Britt

    April 12, 2019 at 16:31

    These are really cool. I remember pressing pennies as a kid when we would travel to Niagara Falls, however, the whole pressed penny thing is likely a thing of the past here in Canada now that we no longer have pennies as part of our currency I’m sure…

  • Lauren

    April 11, 2019 at 15:21

    This is awesome! ☺️
    I used to get these pennies when I was younger. You have an awesome collection! Thank you for sharing! Xx

    1. Kim

      April 13, 2019 at 16:24

      Thanks Lauren! 😊 Do you remember what sort of designs you had? xx

  • Ruth

    April 11, 2019 at 10:24

    I love the fact you collect these! I think they’d look great in a frame. My little nieces love these. I’ve only had a few and I think I’ve lost them now, but I think they’re a sweet souvenir to get when you visit somewhere.

    1. Kim

      April 13, 2019 at 16:23

      Thanks Ruth. 😊 I’m definitely thinking about framing them. x

  • Holly DaSilva

    April 11, 2019 at 10:02

    I love pressed pennies! My boyfriend and I get one wherever we go!

    Holly || https://hollydasilva.com/

    1. Kim

      April 16, 2019 at 12:29

      That’s awesome. 🙂 I’d love to see some of your collection, if you have any photos?

  • Sophie Wentworth

    April 10, 2019 at 22:37

    I have a few of these and absolutely love them! It’s so cool to see the different things they print on them and how smooth it turns out from a penny! Love the way you store yours too x

    Sophie
    http://www.glowsteady.co.uk

    1. Kim

      April 13, 2019 at 16:22

      Thanks Sophie. 😊 What sort of designs do you have? xx

  • Ashley

    April 10, 2019 at 22:07

    My children love pressed pennies! To be honest, we usually lose them as soon as we arrive home. I must make them into a collection as you have done. I love the Dr Who penny! xxx

    Ashley
    https://lellalee.com

    1. Kim

      April 13, 2019 at 16:18

      Thanks for your comment Ashley. Admittedly there are a few I’ve lost over the years too. I wish the Doctor Who Experience was still there so I could get some more designs! x

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Prev Post Next Post
%d bloggers like this: