This is a locationless cache.
Note: You may now create a waymark for your find in the
Penny Smashers category (if you are a premium member.)
Now you can trade with this virtual cache!!
No we don’t have a machine yet, but we did have 1000 geocaching
smashed pennies made:
If you would like one of your own to keep or trade (they are
trackable at mj.geocoin.net) just send us a smashed penny (we
prefer pre-1982 copper pennies) or any other cool signature item
to:
Joani and Marky
P.O. BOX 36117
San Jose CA 95158-6117
Be sure to include a return address with your request. Also,
please include your cacher name so we can drop you a note that we
received your trade! Pennies can be a little tricky to mail.
Please do not send loose coins. Place them between something stiff,
like an index card, and tape it to it. Put it in an envelope that
is clearly marked, HAND STAMP ONLY. We use a small padded envelope
and tape all around, end to end and top to bottom.
We have never had to use more than 2 stamps. Some trades come
with a lot of extra postage on them. There is a good postage
estimator online.
Are they legal? Yes, squished, pressed, smashed, rolled or
whatever you call them coins are legal in the US. The statue, Title
18, section 331, is confusing. It does prohibits fraudulent
alteration and mutilation of coins. But, you can mutilate a coin if
your intentions are not fraudulent, ie, not to us the coin as
money. Canadian pennies are another story. It is illegal to
alterate any coin with the queen of England on it , even in the
United States!
Smashed pennies are made by taking a coin and squeezing it
between two rollers, one (or both) of which has been engraved in
reverse. The coin has the engraving pressed into it as it is
pressed between the rollers.
Smashed pennies are no new kid on the memory-maker block. The
World's Colombian Exposition of 1893, held in Chicago, USA to
commemorate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America by
Christopher Columbus, was the first known time that souvenir
smashed coins were made for a specific event.
These early producers of smashed coins most likely used modified
jewellers mills, which were normally used to roll gold and other
metals into thin wire. These early machines had to be turned by
hand and gears were used to make this possible. More than a hundred
years have passed since then, during which time the smashed coin or
pressed penny has become a very popular souvenir and
collectible.
The method of producing them has progressed from the original
hand-cranked machines of the late 19th Century to mechanical
components which are controlled by electronic circuitry and
activated when the customer deposits his payment coins and a penny
or other acceptable coin into the coin slots. Modern machines apply
as much as 2 tons of pressure.
To log this cache, you need to:
- Find a penny (or other coin) smashing machine, one that has not
already been logged to this cache.
- Take a picture of it with your GPS/r. If photography is
prohibited where the machine is, take a picture at the entrance to
the facility.
- Log the coordinates of the machine. If indoors and a reading
isn't possible, take a reading at the nearest entrance.
- If possible, take a picture of the design(s) the machine
produces. A closeup of an actual smashed coin would be great!
- Extra Credit: (Okay, so there isn't really any extra credit)
Report any information about the facility where the machine
resides, such as parking fees, entrance fees, operating hours,
etc.
Tips on finding them: Smashed pennies, also known as
elongated pennies, are great! The reason they're so great is that
they're cheap and they're small. But the machines are usually
hidden away at amusement parks, tourist attractions, historical
sites, monuments, lighthouses, muesuems, zoos, stadiums, rest
areas, hotels, casinos, etc.
Here are some helpful links to help you on your way:
Smashed Coin
Locator
Hitchhiker's
Guide to Elongated Coins
Smashed
Penny Database Search
Tips on smashing:A little known fact, it is best to use
pennies older than 1982 because they are 97% copper and 3% Zinc
(newer pennys are just the opposite, with 97% zinc). The zinc will
bleed through on newer pennies leaving unsightly streaks (and the
zinc pennies stretch more).
Clean the pennies before you smash them for best
results! Believe it or not, but ketsup works great! You can also
use a pencil eraser. Cleaning a penny after smashing it will turn
the exposed zinc black (if you use a post '81 penny).
The average cost for smashing a penny is 51 cents (2 quarters
and one pre-1982 penny).
Get out there and get smashing!