By Collin Hall / Header photo: An out-of-print Dinosaur Beach Penny, photos from pennycollector.com
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“Crushed,” or “elongated” pennies still hide in corners across Cape May County. Pennies, now worth so little that I throw them in the trash when I get them, are given an exciting new purpose when put under the pressure of a metal crank.
For those unfamiliar with crushed pennies: you slot a penny into an upright machine and then are prompted to turn a massive crank on the machine’s side. The crank moves a mechanism that crushes the penny, and when the penny is crushed, a metal ‘stamp’ of sorts puts a new design on the penny’s face. When all is said and done, a cute penny comes out of the machine, and you might be looking at a local landmark on the coin’s face rather than Lincoln’s visage.
These machines are especially common in touristy areas, which means that we are in luck here in Cape May County. Some of the county’s crushed penny designs stir up the ghosts of tourism destinations past. “Dinosaur Beach” pier in Wildwood once boasted several roller coasters, a log flume, and several dinosaur-themed rides. Morey’s Piers bought the pier and redesigned it, but while it was still “Dinosaur Beach,” you could get a crushed penny souvenir with the pier’s logo and “Wildwood” crushed onto the penny’s surface.
“Oasis Ice Cream,” a defunct ice cream parlor in Cape May, once dispensed pennies with surprisingly detailed depictions of local landmarks, including the Cape May lighthouse and the ferry.
Most of the penny machines in Cape May County are long gone. You can’t go to Morey’s and get a “Great White” rollercoaster penny anymore, and you can no longer crank a custom “Gillian’s Wonderland Pier” penny in Ocean City. I’m not sure what happened to these machines, but I fear that we are unlikely to see them ever again. If you have one of these pennies, you in essence have a slice of local history that you could never find on eBay or on a collector’s site. In the age of the internet, where most collectible items can be found online instantly, that’s a very special thing indeed.
And even if you aren’t going to collect these things en-masse, they’re still one the best keepsakes you can buy. Souvenirs be expensive, but a crushed penny seldom costs more than a dollar and won’t take up precious space in your house.
The Cape May County Zoo still has a selection of four animal-themed pennies. You can find the last remaining Wildwood design at Ed’s Funcade. The Cape May Lewes Ferry terminal still has a working machine, as do the Grand Hotel, the Emlen Physick Estate, and the Cape May Lighthouse. At one time, there were as many as 16 unique machines across the county.
If you looked at a local sample, you would be forgiven in thinking that crushed penny collectors have gone nearly extinct. But there are several well-kept websites that chronicle new, and retiring, crushed penny machines all over the world. The hobby isn’t front of mind for most people, but if you’re looking for a new thing to search for on your travels, it might be time to get crankin’.