A Penny Saved

Somewhere deep in my blog archives is the story of the fire that took my possessions and my dog in London, Ontario.  Mementos and photos were all destroyed but there is one thing that I still have from that time: A pressed penny. 

An article in Maclean’s Magazine took me back to the festival in Victoria Park that I was attending on behalf of my then-radio station, CKSL.  For a dollar, a guy with a funny looking machine full of gears and wheels pressed The Lord’s Prayer into a penny!  The article explains that not only are these gizmos still in use, the market is highly competitive and they’ll punch a variety of designs and logos into your squished copper coin.

That penny was in my wallet on the day of the fire and it has been in every wallet since, for more than 20 years.  I’ve worn out a lot of wallets since then but my penny has always been transferred to the new one.  I’ve almost tried to spend it a couple of times but its long and thin oval shape makes it easy to distinguish from the regular cent so it’s never crossed a counter, where it would surely be rejected.

Some rare pressed pennies have fetched thousands of dollars from collectors.  I’m sure mine isn’t worth much more than a cent or so but its meaning to me, is priceless.