Flattened Pennies
Tourist sites today are full of merchandise and souvenirs. There are machines that will mold plastic into the shape of gorillas and dinosaurs, and machines that will mash pennies flat and stamp a commemorative logo on the front. These penny-flattening machines made their debut at the 1893 World’s Fair.
They didn’t have the detailed designs of today’s penny smashers. The penny was simply smoothed, flattened, and elongated into an oval. It had raised letters that said “Columbian Exposition 1893” on the front. The machines did use different fonts and letter designs, giving fairgoers a simple, yet slightly customized, reminder of their time at the Fair.
