FROM: MouseMerch Published Thursdays

Disney Pressed Coins

What does a penny buy these days? Well, not much, unless you've got two quarters to go along with it. But if you do, and if you're at Disney World or Disneyland, you can turn that spare change into a pressed keepsake, as Chris Taylor explains.

- by Chris Taylor, June 2, 2011

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Picture this:

You're strolling through Disney World with a pocket full of change. Every night in your resort room, you dump your pockets onto the table, trying to figure out what to do with all those coins. Did you know there are over 300 places in Disney World to turn that change into a one-of-kind souvenirs?

It's true, Disney is a great place to turn your pennies and quarters into keepsakes. And it's legal! Just saunter up to one of the many coin press machines, insert a penny and two quarters, pick your design, and you're done. In a few seconds, you've got a flat, pressed coin to add to your collection.

Collecting Disney Pressed Coins

My bride started collecting pressed coins when our daughter was born. We've got them from all over the country, from Boston to Seattle. But of course, most are from Disney.

In front of Toy Story Mania, you can get Woody, Buzz, and one of the aliens. Under the Sorcerer's Hat in Hollywood Studios, you can find not one but two machines printing the park's most famous icons both on pennies and quarters. You can get pressed dimes in the Space Mountain gift shop. In fact, there are coin presses in every Walt Disney Resort around the world.

The first Disney coin presses were installed in the early 1990s. Back then, you could press a penny and buy a necklace to attach it to. Now, Disney has pressed coins keepsake albums. We got ours in the gift shop at POP Century.

Many dispute the legality of this exercise, citing U.S Treasury Code 331, which forbids the defacement of legal tender. However, in 1980, the Treasury declared it legal to press coins for souvenirs as long as the coins weren't used to defraud anyone.

So, I guess you could try and buy something with your Animal Kingdom Mickey penny, but I doubt you'd get far.

Finding Coin Press Machines at Disney

There are many resources online to help you find coin presses and keep a checklist of what you have. But even better, there are iPhone/iPad apps listing all the current locations in Walt Disney World and Disneyland.

• Park Pennies
• Coin Presses at Disney World [iTunes]
• Coin Presses at Disneyland [iTunes]

(I haven't seen one for the overseas Disney Parks overseas yet, but I'm sure if they're not out there, they soon will be.)

Why Press?

Why does my family love pressed coins? We turn every trip to an amusement park or attraction, including our recent trip to Dollywood, into a coin press search. You never have to wait in a line, and they're something that not everyone gets as a souvenir.

As my daughter says, "they can make regular money into a copper picture."

If that's good enough for my girl, who am I to argue?

See ya real soon!

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