My family and I are traveling around out west this summer for 6 weeks and I plan to give my sons a bag of quarters and a bag of pre-1982 pennies to destroy in those elongated penny machines. Does anyone have any recommendations for must-stop locations? Please be as specific as possible.
Out west! That's a big area with millions of miles of possibilities. Could you be more specific? Chris
Depending on your route Logan, UT is a really nice town and if you are heading back to the east take Hwy 89 out towards Garden City, UT the canyon has lots of little pull offs for fishing,biking,rock climbing,hiking,panning etc. Then when you get on top of the mountain above Bear Lake pull into the rest area and get some pictures of the lake from above it has a awesome Turquoise blue to it. Then from the bottom of the hill you can turn left and head up to the Grand Tetons and run up into Yellowstone Park. In Colorado Hwy 50 us scenic If you are into antiques while up here in Cheeseland stop at The house on the Rock in Spring Green, plan on a couple of hours to go through it if want to see everything from the carousel to the thousands of coin op machinery from the 1800 to the 1940's
theres always disney california with many elongated coin machines or knots berry farm, magic mountian, san diego zoo, sea world so on and so forth.
Last time I was there a few years ago the Monterey Bay Aquarium had a bunch of those machines. Plus it's the nicest aquarium I've ever been to anywhere in the world. Guy~
In Colorado, if you're into the outdoors, there is the Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction (west central). While in the western part, it's a short trip south to Ouray which is a gorgeous little town nestled in the mountains at 7800 feet surrounded on 3 sides by peaks rising to 13,000 feet. It is an old mining town that dates back to the 1870's, but most of the buildings have been restored and the residents cater to tourists. Both of these are one-day jaunts.
In Oregon, you might want to check out Multnomah Falls, the Bonneville Dam and Timberline Lodge (on Mt. Hood) in the Portland area. Heading south, go through Klamath Falls, OR and the Modoc Forest in Northern California and head for Reno/Lake Tahoe. You'll want to be sure to vist the old Carson City Mint just south of Reno which is now a museum. From Reno, you can take I-80 west across Donner Pass (where the pioneers were trapped in the winter snows) to Sacramento and on to San Francisco. You'll want to be sure to visit the "Granite Lady" and Fisherman's Wharf. Chris
Damaged coins are definitely not my cup of tea, but if you are in the area you should absolutely include both Mt. Rushmore and the nearby Crazy Horse Monument in your plans.
Moen, nice to see ya !!! I would definatly recommend getting in touch with Oded Paz, he is the king of elongated coins and is a past Prez of the Elongated Coin Collector Society. He did my business cards for Mesa Coin ( a custom elongated cent of course ) As a WINS member he is easy to find, and a master of locations of smashing machines.... Good Luck buddy, I am now a collector of these fascinating , cheap pieces of history we can keep. I am sure if you PM GDJMSP, he can hook you two together with a treasure map of smashing !!!!
Just noticed, you'll be in AZ. I have met Clembo and DanR in person and would like to add you to the list. Let me know.........
If your in Logan go up to old main on USU's campus than go get some aggie ice cream. The trip from Logan to Jackson Hole than Yellowstone is the scenic way but well worth it in my opinion. Their is a lot to do in Salt Lake City, but don't forget Canyon Country like Moab, Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks etc. etc. Heck stop by Ogden and give me a call I'll send ya to the local coin shop, but they are closed on Weds.
I live in this town and we have one of them coin smashers. It is in Desert Dreams Gift Shop which is at about 85 No Main St. There is plenty more here that that. The Colorado River runs through here and you can take a 1/2 day river trip, there are 2 National parks right here. Arches entrance is about 3 miles north of town and Canyonlands has 2 entrances that are both about 30 miles out of town. Dead Horse Point state park is an awesome view of the Colorado and Green River confluence, bring a camera and make sure it's charged... When you go to Az I would tell you to stop in Jerome, Az. It is an old copper mining town about 10 miles outside of Cottonwood, the trip off I-17 to Jerome is about 25 miles, and I know they have one of those on the top side of Main St. I'd go here before I'd go to Sedona. If you get into Southern Arizona, Tombstone is a must, especially for kids. If you get to Carson City, I'd tell you to visit Virginia City. Another cool old mining town, and they have a couple penny wreckers there too.
If you go to the rapid City SD. area you have to go to Wall Drug for a pressed penny. There are tons of places to get pressed pennies in the Black Hills.
If you were going to be in this area I'd say stop in and say hi, as I'll be at the summer place in Duck Creek, about 18 miles from Cedar Breaks. But it would be nearly impossible to give directions. Guy~
My sister loves these elongated cents as well. She always makes sure there is some change in her purse, in case she sees a machine.
