I have always really enjoyed pressed pennies, but when I was little my mom told me they were a waste of money, so I only collected them when I REALLY wanted them. Although I don’t collect them as seriously as the people who hunt every single one down and press all the available pennies, I do save pre-1982 pennies and quarters in a coin purse that I take with me when I travel-- just in case.
On our drive back from Philadelphia to Atlanta, I was struck with a new way of sightseeing: Penny Press Adventures.
So here was my revelation, as we are entering Virginia-- we can use the Penny Collector Website to see if there are any upcoming penny presses on our way home! Sure enough, there was one at the Visitor Center that was less than a mile away-- we pull over and I get two pennies-- the Virginia is for Lovers and a nice scenic shot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We search to see what else will be on our route and there is a darling press at the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, so we stop there as well and get a penny, but also learn about what they do there and about wildlife in Virginia! It was completely unexpected and a great detour on our approximately 14 hour drive home.
Now I have decided this is something I will pursue as a serious hobby-- choosing places on the Penny Collector website to visit. Penny presses tend to be in cool places, sometimes tourist-y but overall places I would have liked to see regardless, and not always places I would know to go.
Today was my first official Penny Press Adventure-- keeping it close to home, I went to the CNN Center in downtown Atlanta, GA and gathered the incredibly cool Adventure Time penny, as well as the Regular Show and Loony Tunes pennies. I also checked out their CNN specific penny press and got the obligatory scenic shot of the Atlanta skyline from the CNN building. Here is a picture of those beauties:
I could have gone to the GA Aquarium, but having been before and not been too impressed with the pennies I got, I skipped it to hang with my awesome friend Tori! She is more familiar with the downtown area, so ate lunch at Anatolia’s where we had splendid Roasted Eggplant, falafel, and some steamed veggies. We then wandered Centennial Olympic Park, watched kids play in the fountain, and met a 14 year-old who seemed to think we were pretty cool, visiting from Warner Robins. She paid me the great compliment of thinking I was only 17, and spent quite a while chatting with us about school, what we do normally, and even more philosophical subjects.
We then wandered back to Tori’s car, and she gave me a lift home after we dropped off some boxes for her friends who are moving soon. Then when I got home I mowed the lawn (which is no small feat, our yard is huge). All in all, I would say an excellent, productive day, and a great start to my Penny Press Adventure Saga!
Stay tuned for more adventures from: Stone Mountain, Amicalola Falls, and Birmingham, Alabama for the Iron Statue of Vulcan (who should be my patron god)!
Thank you so much for reading, and have a great day!
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