Pressed Pennies guide?

[englanddg]

The Canadian pennies aren't that much different when smashed. It's usually the American ones that sometimes leave an impression of Lincoln when pressed but those are unique too.

That's because, up until they stopped production a few months ago, the Canadian Cent was still 95% + (and has always been 95%+ copper). The US penny has been mostly coated zinc since the early 80s, with less than 2.5% of it's composition being copper.

 

[pluto13]

awesome! Pressed Pennies are so cool!

 

[meekoman]

Since Canadian pennies are no longer being made, is it still illegal to squish one? I was told by several Canucks (not the hockey team) that the squished penny machines in Canada use blanks instead of the penny you insert into the machine.