It is generally accepted that the first elongated coins in the United States began at the World’s Columbian Exposition held in Chicago, Illinois in 1892-1893. A commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s discovery of America. Coins were rolled through a hand cranked machine with two die rollers with a reverse-engraved image cut into one of the steel rollers. Regular coins are run between the rollers with over 20 TONS of pressure causing the “elongated” shape of the coin.
Elongated coins come in all denominations including tokens and foreign coins, with the one cent penny being the most common. With its start at world fairs and expositions as a money-making souvenir, the elongated coin has evolved into keepsake mementos for most any event, activity, topic or scenic location. And remains a fun interactive way for customers to press their own souvenir while generating revenue for your location.
