Georgia
Wherever there's a penny smasher, I'll be there. Wherever there are coins to be elongated, I'll be there. Wherever there's a mildly interesting tourist destination, I'll be there, too.
I was in Atlanta for in February 2003 for my friends' Courtney and Marcus' wedding. My wife was a bridesmaid, and had to (I mean, GOT to) do all kinds of bridesmaid things. And I got to (I mean, HAD to) go to "Underground Atlanta"
"My Lucky Penny - Atlanta Georgia" I am not going to waste any time trying make up something interesting to say about this coin I got at Underground Atlanta"
"Souvenir of Atlanta Georgia - The Peach State" So when Brady and I were there in Feb 2003 for a wedding, She was being wined and dined as a bridesmaid and I was scrounging quarters at Underground Atlanta... for the 3 4-die penny machines! ...and for lunch at Hooters
"Atlanta Braves" This is the life of an elongated coin collector: You see a penny machine and you must get every coin offered regardless of you utter distaste for the message the coin offers. Gee too bad about the Braves losing in th playoffs, again. (I probably shouldn't be talking like this.)
"Guardian Angel - Georgia" This coin, plucked from the depths of the pointless tourist trap, Underground Atlanta, is a recycled image of an angel holding i-dont-know-what. Oh boy, I'm not even halfway through these Underground Atlanta coins yet.
"Georgia" Other than every street seemingly being named "Peachtree", I don't really remember any peaches while I was there, could have been the wrong time of year I suppose.
"Atlanta Braves" Oh sheesh. Please see my description of the other Atlanta Braves coin above. The description is the same but the coins are minutely different. Now I know I've lost it.
"#1 Sports Fan - Falcons Hawks Braves Thrashers" In case you didn't know (and I didn't) the Thrashers are Atlanta's NHL Hockey team.
"Best Friends - Atlanta" You know there just isn't much to say about Underground Atlanta, where this penny comes from, except that it's probably marginally better if you bring a friend with you because misery loves company, after all.
"I Love You - Atlanta" Ok, standard ILY coin, standard pierced hearts, everything's just normal. I was thinking, are these coins meant to give to someone you love, or are they expressing a love for the place? or both? Tell me what you think.
"Atlanta Georgia" No idea whether this represents any actual buildings in the Atlanta Skyline. If you can identify any buildings on this penny, let me know.Update! - Jamie wrote to me about this penny!
"Underground Atlanta" I know I've been giving it a hard time, but the buildings in Underground Atlanta are pretty cool, and the story behind the place is actually kind of interesting, even if most of the 12 smashed pennies you can get there aren't.
I don't have cable TV. You're shocked? We get good enough reception with the rabbit ears, so I don't feel like we need it. The down side is that I don't know anything about "Johnny Bravo" except that he's a character on a Cartoon Network Show. What do I know about the Cartoon Network, it must be owned by CNN, because I got this penny in the CNN Center in Atlanta.
"Courage, the Cowardly Dog" - It was an overcast day in Atlanta on my walk from The Georgian Terrace where we were staying for Courtney and Marcus' wedding, to the CNN Center, which was pretty deserted early in the morning, it got more and more blustery and then it started raining. I got into the building just as it really rained hard. I had no hat or umbrella, so I had to buy the cheapest clearance hat in the Atlanta Braves team store, a very ugly Chipper Jones model. It was humiliating.
"Dexter's Laboratory" - This is not a bad penny, all of the 4 Cartoon Network coins from CNN Center are pretty nice design-wise. I'm not sure I know the Dexter show, but is it possible they've moved it to CBS?
"The Power Puff Girls" Hey, here's a show I'm familiar with! When the company I worked for got bought by Nickelodeon in 1999, we sent a message to Fred Seibert who used to be the boss at Hanna-Barbera about how much we loved the Power Puff Girls, so he had the first two seasons sent over to us on video tape. So, I know the Power Puff Girls, at least the first two seasons, it was something like 30 episodes we had.
"I Love You - Savannah, GA" The "Ilove you" coin is one of the most comon motifs in elongated coins today. It's a nice sentiment, don't you think? This particular example was sent to me by Ken Halbe of Newtown, PA. He found it, along with some others, in a coin counting machine where he works and then he sent it, along with the others, to me. The love just keeps on moving. Thanks Ken!
Brady's Mom Karin and her friend Catherine went to the beautiful town of Savannah, Georgia and brought back this penny with a picture of a horse-drawn carriage!
