The McLean County Museum of History in Bloomington, Illinois, recently unveiled a penny press that can make a souvenir coin with Abraham Lincoln and the Route 66 shield.
According to the Bloomington Pantagraph, the museum’s director of education wanted a penny press for years because it provides a cheap souvenir that children like.
The machine was made possible through donations from Illinois State University and Beer Nuts and will include four exclusive designs: Reggie Redbird, the Beer Nuts logo, the “Cruisin’ with Lincoln on 66” logo, and the museum’s dome.
“This will be the first (Beer Nuts logo) item available for purchase outside the company,” said Patti Penn, Beer Nuts retail supervisor.
Beer Nuts has been located near Route 66 in Bloomington for more than 60 years.
Here are the pressed pennies the machine offers:
Last I checked, Laurel Kane’s Afton Station in Afton, Oklahoma, also has a penny press that creates coins with the 66 logo.
A Route 66 visitors center at the Bloomington museum will open by summer.
(Images courtesy of McLean County Museum of History)