# Are U.S. pennies actually destroyed in souvenir making machines **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 2, 2026, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359 "2026-11-02T22:18:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359/1 "2026-11-02T22:18:12Z")
…or are they just taken, along with the one or two quarters you also feed the machine, and a fake coin is spit out? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359/2 "2026-11-02T22:24:33Z")
I haven’t seen a penny smasher in some years, but I distinctly remember you turned a crank to run the press and there was a little window where you saw the penny get flattened out. For some of us, that was the coolest thing about it. [![](https://www.charactersunlimited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/1_4.png) ](https://www.charactersunlimited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/1_4.png) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359/3 "2026-11-02T22:28:19Z")
I have seen several of the machines over the last few years and I, to my knowledge, never saw a little window where you could see actual coin-squishing ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359/4 "2026-11-02T22:30:34Z")
Then why bother to put in a window? [![](https://www.elongatedcoin.com/1287%20Honey%20Classic.jpg) ](https://www.elongatedcoin.com/1287%20Honey%20Classic.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359/5 "2026-11-02T22:31:47Z")
I have a buddy who actually makes and installs these for a real niche company. He pointed out that certain companies (e.g., Disney) are extremely exacting about construction, colors, etc. Exacting as in royal pains in the ass. Anyway, I can confirm that pennies are indeed squashed in the process. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359/6 "2026-11-02T22:31:47Z")
Really? Witnessing the process is half the value. The ones I’m familiar with have a visible slide that connects the penny slot with the two cylinders that smoosh it. [I can’t even find an image of one that you can’t see inside of.](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=565ce27c3d9f9e6a&sxsrf=AKL5yDjDLW4VRB7dmJT371uJYP8l_wn_Lw:1793658779202&udm=2&fbs=ACAhTvwdifjn2dKXmjtOfBxVFl_kNo0J7LRbgf5U9cgi9kOJRhZo2b70ls_k56Dkh0A5OtLcyphi0shU_Hby4szCRWjA3c_qc2Z488yBmVmvVGwy8oMKq9EmTgZ_koZfVFaHpg37x2UJZGpb9Olo0BbRMYHmHeNACn0-SzfQnyr3aJeQW4m3vpA1d85GrQkHIRfbk7CprUTYW0fdt2FJnV7Ft8eiflWNjA&q=penny+smashing+machines&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwifnofTq-qXAxVODjQIHSsTFAAQtKgLegQIGhAB&biw=1920&bih=953&dpr=1) ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359/7 "2026-11-02T22:43:23Z")
For it to be worthwhile for the operator to take the penny and spit out a fake coin, the fake coin would have to be worth less than a penny. I suppose that’s possible but barely. I think the 50c is likely to be sufficient payment - I don’t think the operator would be so penny pinching\* [\*Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all week] ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359/8 "2026-11-02T22:58:08Z")
Nowadays they have ones where you don’t put in a penny at all, since it’s been discontinued. I’m curious if what those spit out are actually smashed pennies or just plain copper discs. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359/9 "2026-11-02T23:04:37Z")
Even now, actual pennies are still by far the cheapest copper discs around. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359/10 "2026-11-02T23:32:43Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > For it to be worthwhile for the operator to take the penny and spit out a fake coin, the fake coin would have to be worth less than a penny. I suppose that’s possible but barely. Agreed. I’ve done “penny smashing” machines as a kid and you could totally see the penny get smashed. Usually it was something like you put a penny and a quarter (or two) and turn a crank, and out comes the flattened and stamped penny. These days I instead see machines that just spit out a totally new coin and keep the money. Much of the time you can do “tap-to-pay” from a phone. The local zoo we go to often has some neat ones; I have a cool hammerhead shark coin right here at my PC right now. It’s a big, heavy coin, almost like a medallion, and it rocks. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359/11 "2026-11-02T23:38:05Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Even now, actual pennies are still by far the cheapest copper discs around. For certain values of copper, since pennies have been almost entirely of zinc for multiple decades. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359/12 "2026-11-02T23:43:08Z")
Now that pennies are going to disappear, would it be feasible to design one to do nickels? I was just thinking that the thickness of the nickel might rule such thing out. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359/13 "2026-11-02T23:43:32Z")
I’ve never seen one where you can’t watch the whole process. /person with a sibling who used to collect these & always wanted them as gifts. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359/14 "2026-11-03T00:37:06Z")
As a kid I had an entire collection of flattened pennies to commemorate my trip to the local railroad tracks. Worked on nickels, dimes, and quarters too. Always had that one smart ass who insisted I was going to federal prison for destroying currency. ---
**Author:** ![papermache](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@papermache](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papermache)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359/15 "2026-11-03T00:52:06Z")
How many train derailments were you responsible for? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359/16 "2026-11-03T01:07:22Z")
This is what happened the last time @pkbites put a penny on a railroad track. [![](https://i.gifer.com/embedded/download/Pb7.gif) ](https://i.gifer.com/embedded/download/Pb7.gif) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359/17 "2026-11-03T02:03:41Z")
It happens I saw a real live penny smashing machine just this last Friday at a major amusement park. It was in the Olde Tyme Carnival section of the park. The machine charges a dollar on a tap-only credit card acceptor. And inside the window you see a hopper full of real US pennies, and the chute that leads to the squisher, and the dies that will squish the penny into a new shape and emboss it with new graphics. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359/18 "2026-11-03T02:25:25Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > For certain values of copper, since pennies have been almost entirely of zinc for multiple decades. Pennies are also cheaper than equivalent copper-clad-zinc discs. Pure copper would be much worse. > [@papermache](#): > > How many train derailments were you responsible for? A penny on the track won’t derail a train. At most, it’ll derail the penny. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359/19 "2026-11-03T02:37:59Z")
I did coins on a railroad track. Made a necklace out of mis- shapened discs..got lots of comments on it. It kinda tended to turn my neck stained looking. That’s was a fun memory. I’ve done the machine at amusement places. Always interesting. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359/20 "2026-11-03T03:01:13Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Pennies are also cheaper than equivalent copper-clad-zinc discs. Pure copper would be much worse. Because your friendly neighborhood C10H15N fan will bust that machine open quick. The many I’ve seen were almost all open window. I think I’ve seen the other kind once or twice, can definitely count it on one hand at least. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-u-s-pennies-actually-destroyed-in-souvenir-making-machines/1034359.md?page=2)