A Pretty Penny

     A pressed penny, or elongated penny as they are technically known, is a penny that's been flattened then embossed with a design for the purpose of creating a commemorative or souvenir token.  I had never paid attention to pressed penny machines like these until I had kids:

     These machines can be found in almost every tourist attraction, theme park, and museum here in the United States.  For anywhere from 50 cents to $1.00 (plus a penny), the machine turns your penny into a wonderful, very inexpensive souvenir.
     It's a brilliant idea, really, and one that I wholeheartedly embrace.  Sometimes I cringe at the cost of the trinkets and souvenirs that tempt my kids.  I can't even tell you how many stuffed animals we've paid $15 and more for that are now just part of the huge unmanageable pile in their bedrooms.
     But the pennies...not only do the kids get to put money into a machine (which is a thrill in and of itself to most kids), but also they get to watch the process of the penny morphing into something else.  And there are even cute collector's books like these that the kids can keep their pennies in.

          For today's Photo-a-Day Challenge prompt, "money", I photographed some of the pressed pennies that my children have collected.

Each penny brings back fond memories of fun times and new adventures!  And moms and dads everywhere can be thankful that this is one souvenir that doesn't cost a pretty penny.