I actually contacted them about that possibility, but they are more interested in permanent placements in high volume areas over a long period of time, not 3 to 5 day placements at conventions.
I think it’s a great convention idea, though it is a tiny bit expensive. Did you intend to customize the pennies for the show? How much would that be.
My daughter collects smushed pennies, so I’ve run a lot of pennies (and quarters) through those machines.
New machines come with custom dies, between one and five depending on the machine, and they can be set to dispense at 25 cents, 50 cents or a dollar.
Can I just suggest that won’t be a big seller. Some people will happily pay a dollar for the fun of turning a handle and crushing a penny personally. Few of them would pay a quarter for a pre-made bit of metal.
I’m guessing that they might not be a good candidate for lots of loading, unloading and relocating. Lots of moving parts that can become non-moving parts.
Since US dimes are smaller both almost the same size, most people I know had tried pressing a dime. They tended to work well enough, with maybe the bottom cut off a bit. But the designs usually have a bit of a margin on them, so they looked fine.
And I agree that people are more likely to pay for actually pressing the coins than just for the trinket. I know I don’t have any idea where any of my pressed coins have gone–I didn’t get them for the memento, just the fun of pressing them.
Automation steals jobs! Rather than acquire a machine to smash pennies for a few days, hire a muscular athlete or actor (likely unemployed now and hungry for work) to pound a die onto pennies with a hand sledge hammer. Pay him or her fifty bucks a day (with snackbar privileges) for their performance, or maybe a buck per smashed coin. A custom die might be the major investment. Don’t forget a sledge and anvil.
If you (or more likely, the venue) can handle the noise, (mainly a heavy impact BAM!) how about a drop hammer? These things are fairly common at Renaissance Faires.
That’s not a bad idea, but instead of lugging a big machine around, you can get an anvil, two coin dies, and a hammer.
Here’s a UK supplierthat can supply the equipment and custom dies at a reasonable price. You might find one closer.
I think the free-fall hammer would be a bigger draw, but unfortunately both methods would be too loud inside the hotel.