The Elongated Internet By Chris Aahz (TEC #2062) E-Mail:Aahz@svpal.org The 104 year old hobby of collecting elongated coins is finally moving into the electronic age. When I received my original TEC membership package in December it spurred me on to check out the Internet for resources on elongated coins. I was sorely dissapointed. Now, approximately six months later, there a numerous sites for elongated coins and more are appearing on a fairly constant basis. The Spring '97 issue of TEC News contained an article by Larry Feit (#1795) proposing that TEC set up a web page with a launch date of January 1, 1998. This is a magnificent idea. He even offered to host the web page himself. This is a major commitment and he should be applauded for his willingness to bring TEC into the 21st Century. There is no reason I can see for TEC not to take advantage of his offer. I 'meet' people on a regular basis on-line who are looking for more information on elongated coins. It would be wonderful to give them a web address in addition to a postal address for them to get information. Many people are much more likely to enter a few keystrokes into a computer then they are to write and send a letter by hand. What's available on the 'net now? Plenty. The first place I encountered elongates on-line was in the rec.disney.parks newsgroups. These newsgroups are primarily an area for people to discuss their trips to the various Disney parks. Elongates (they call them pressed pennies) have been discussed quite a bit in these newsgroups. Their focus is pretty tight dealing only with Disney elongates, particularly machine locations within the parks and surrounding hotels. If you're planning a trip to a Disney Park you might want to drop in here and get the latest info. Through the Disney newsgroups I found complete lists of machine locations at both Disneyland and Disney World/Epcot. Al Lutz' Disneyland Information Guide - Pressed Pennies includes not only current machine locations, but also tips on polishing and organizing your elongates and other uses for them. He also includes lists of other souvenir coins/tokens and discontnued elongates. For Disney World you'll want to check out Kenny Cottrell's WDW - Penny Press Guide. This site contains five seperate lists of machine locations: The Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, Disney-MGM Studios, Resort Hotels and the 25th Anniversary Quarters. (All site addresses are listed at end of article) Willy Massey (TEC #1857) has taken Luck 'E' Penny online. The largest elongated site on the internet, Willy has posted a lot of general information on elongates, a reproduction of the TEC Membership application, and offers numerous elongates for sale including a few special deals for netizens. This is also the current home of The Hitchiker's Guide to Elongated Coin Machines. This is probably the best place to point people who are new to elongates. The Smashed Penny Locator is maintained by Bert Creighton and lists more than 40 locations with elongated cent machines complete with maps. Additional information here includes materials content of both US and Canadian cents, the TEC address, penny trivia, and links to other coin sites (for both elongated and traditional coins). Allan & Jen's Digital Fridge is the homepage of Allan and Jen Daly. Amongst the personal information on the couple (and their dog, Wally) is Allan's Smashed Penny Collection. This site currently contains machine locations and images for a dozen different elongated coins. My personal favorite site is The Penny Page hosted by Kathy Reddin (TEC #2085). Started as a way to learn more about the internet, The Penny Page has blossomed into a beautiful site. While slim on general information, those already familiar with elongated coins will find plenty here to enjoy. Kathy has scanned nearly 100 elongates and posted the images here. She is also adding more on a fairly regular basis. Just one small click away from the main page is the Message Board. Here, visitors can post questions or comments regarding elongated coins and get feedback from others. Messages remain here semi-permanently so new visitors can see what has been discussed in the past. Topics have included machine locations, trade offers, and what coins work best for elongates. Those who collect elongates 'on site' have surely encountered the name Eurolink. Possibly the largest supplier of elongated coin machines to tourist locations, Eurolink now has a hom page as well. Unfortunately, this site suffers the same fate as most corporate sponsored pages: plenty of hype, little substance. Although they have included links to many of their clients, I found little of use here. They also include a link to allow visitors to send the company e-mail, but I have found them unresponsive thus far. Last, but certainly not least, I am in the process of establishing an e-mail mailing list dedicated to elongated coins. Web pages are generally static in that only the host can change what information is provided (The Penny Page's Message Board being the exception to this rule). If you want to see if any new information has been has been added since your last visit, you must revisit the site. Mailing lists, on the other hand, are dynamic and fully interactive. Essentially a mailing list allows subscribers to send a message to one address and have it automatically forwarded to everyone subscribed to the list. Do not be fooled by the word "subscriber": there is no cost to sign up for this service. While the list should be active by the time you read this, I was unable to confirm the list address before publication deadline. If you are interested in the mailing list send me e-mail at Aahz@svpal.org Hopefully, this article has helped our connected members to find a new online resource or two. Perhaps, it will even be the impetus for some of those who are not yet 'on the net' to step into the electronic age. If you have any questions about the internet in general, or these sites in particular, feel free to write and I will do my best to answer them. Also, if you are aware of any online resources not mentioned above, please drop me a line either electronically or on paper. Chris Aahz 925 Ravenscourt Ave #2 San Jose, CA 95128 Addresses of mentioned sites: Disneyland Information Guide - Pressed Pennies: http://members.aol.com/alweho/docs/penny.htm WDW - Penny Press Guide: http://www.wdn.com/dwills/penny.htm Luck 'E' Penny: http://www.clark.net/pub/massey/lep_home.htm Smashed Coin Locator: http://atlantis.austin.apple.com/people.pages/bcreighton/SmashedCoins.html Allan's Smashed Penny Collection: http://www.ced.berkeley.edu/~adaly/smashed_pennies/pennies.html The Penny Page: http://www.truewebdesign.com/PennyPage/ Eurolink: http://www.thegrid.net/eurolink/pennies.html