The Squished Penny Museum

By Todd Moning
FMCA.com editor

What do you do in your living room? Nap, read, watch TV, play games …

Pete Morelewicz and Christine Henry run a museum in theirs. It's not of Smithsonian proportion, but it does contain thousands of items representing historic events and places.

It's the Squished Penny Museum, which Pete and Christine operate from their duplex in LeDroit Park, a historic district in downtown Washington, D.C. They display 5,000 to 6,000 squished pennies — pennies flattened by a machine into an oval shape and imprinted as a souvenir.

Travelers can find the hand-cranked machines at zoos, shops, rest stops, aquariums, amusement parks and other attractions in big cities and small towns across America. For about 50 cents, the machines squish pennies and emboss a new illustration on them.

The Squished Penny Museum offers free tours year-round. Pete and Christine ask only that visitors call to make an appointment at least a few days in advance so the couple can prepare the displays. "We're happy to accommodate anyone of any age or level of interest …" they say on their Web site, www.squished.com.

Pet and Christine opened the Squished Penny Museum in 1997 when they were living in a small basement apartment. "There is value to the coins, but our primary goal, why we got so interested," Pete said, "is because they're so inexpensive. At 50 cents, it's not bad, and you get to make it yourself, which is a fun part."

Today the museum is still very small. "There's really only enough stuff here for a bout 15 minutes, but people spend about an hour just talking and sharing of stories."

The current exhibit, "The Open Road," features 250 pennies from across the nation arranged by category, such as states, natural sites, roadside attractions and entertainment. Squished pennies from U.S. national parks are represented, including Yellowstone, Petrified Forest, Shenandoah and Smoky Mountains.

"Visitors will recognize a lot the places from their own trips," said Pete, a graphics designer. "No mater what their interest is, they generally find something they're interested in and have a personal reaction to."

Squished pennies have been around for more than 100 years, commemorating fairs, expositions and other events. Pete and Christine have one of the first squished pennies ever made, from 1893. They bought it from the online auction site eBay. "It's a hit with people who like the historical perspective," Pete said.

Another rare item in their collection is a squished penny from the Columbus Monument dedication ceremony in Washington, D.C., in 1912.

A few dozen squished pennies at the museum originated from outside the United States. "They're not as popular overseas, but it's growing. It's and American export," Pete said.

Pete and Christine have begun cataloging their collection in a computer database, noting where and how the pennies were obtained, and assigning key words so visitors can search the database.

At the tour's end, visitors get to make their own squished penny. "We have a squishing machine that's works with a hand crank," Pete said. "We can do different denominations of coins."

Visitors may bring their own collections and trade pennies, and they can use museum's resources to research their squished coins.

To commemorate your visit, Pete and Christine also offer T-shirts, postcards, penny holders and souvenir pennies. Pennies with the official Squished Penny Museum design are two for $1. A set of four Washington, D.C., pennies costs $2.

Pete and Christine encourage motorhomers to look for souvenir penny machines during their travels. "Some machines make squished quarters and they generally cost $1. But ninety-nine percent of them are penny machines and that gives them great appeal," Pete said.

Squishing pennies is legal as long as it's done without fraudulent intent. Of course, squished pennies no longer can be used as currency.

The museum focuses on pennies altered by souvenir penny machines, Pete said, not those placed on railroad tracks and flattened by trains. Pete and Christine call the latter imposters "squashed coins."

More details
What effects do chrome plating and gold plating have on squished penny designs? Why is it better to use a penny from 1981 or before? Visit the Squished Penny Museum to learn more.

To make a tour appointment and obtain detailed driving directions to the museum, contact Pete or Christine at spm@squished.com or (202) 986-5644 Eastern time.

Motorhome parking is not available. You must use your towed vehicle or public transportation to get to the museum. The museum is about three blocks from the subway station.

One nearby campground in College Park, Md., is a commercial member of FMCA: Cherry Hill Park, (800) 801-6449; DCCamping@aol.com; www.cherryhillpark.com

The Squished Penny Museum
www.squished.com