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
