Answers to common questions about TEC, elongated coins, and collecting.
ABOUT TEC
The Elongated Collectors (TEC) is the official collectors organization for elongated coin enthusiasts. Founded in 1966 as a non-profit organization, TEC encourages the study, acquisition, and exhibition of elongated coins and related items, researches and publishes information about the hobby, assists new collectors, especially youth, and promotes realistic and consistent valuation of elongates.
TEC is for anyone interested in elongated coins, whether you’re just discovering the hobby or have been collecting for years. The organization welcomes both novice and advanced collectors and specifically works to assist new collectors, including young collectors.
TEC encourages the study, acquisition, and exhibition of elongated coins and related items. The organization researches and publishes articles in TEC News and elsewhere, assists new collectors, especially youth, and promotes realistic and consistent valuation of elongated coins. TEC also provides opportunities for collectors to meet, share information, trade, and participate in collecting activities.
There are many ways to get involved with TEC. Members participate in the annual meeting at the American Numismatic Association’s World’s Fair of Money, as well as informal mini-meets, online discussions, collecting trips, trades, and other club activities. TEC also welcomes collectors who want to contribute articles, participate in contests, exhibit their collections, or help promote the hobby.
Have a question about TEC, membership, events, or collecting? Visit our Contact page and send us a message. We’ll be happy to hear from you.
ELONGATED COINS
Elongated coins are coins that have been flattened or stretched and embossed with a new design, creating a commemorative or souvenir token. They are commonly made using penny-pressing machines found at landmarks, museums, aquariums, souvenir shops, special events, and other attractions.
Elongated coins can be made from different denominations, as well as tokens and foreign coins. The penny is the most common base coin.
An elongated coin is rolled between steel rollers containing an engraved design. The pressure of the rollers both presses the design into the coin and stretches the coin into its characteristic elongated shape.
The earliest elongated coins in the United States are generally associated with the 1892–1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
There isn’t one factor that determines whether an elongated coin is collectible. Age, condition, denomination, design, popularity of the subject or event, and the number of coins produced can all affect interest and value.
Older issues and limited-edition commemorative elongated coins may be worth more than common modern examples.
“Pressed penny” is a common term for an elongated coin made from a one-cent piece. Elongated coin is the broader term for the hobby and includes coins made from other denominations, tokens, and foreign coins.
So, every pressed penny is an elongated coin, but not every elongated coin is a pressed penny.
COLLECTING
There are many ways to build a collection of elongated coins. Joining TEC is one way to get started, as members receive coins through the club and have additional opportunities to obtain TEC issues.
Collectors can also find coins through machines while traveling, make extras when possible, trade with other collectors, purchase coins, contact locations to request coins from machines they cannot visit, and encourage friends and family to collect while traveling.
Many collectors store elongated coins in archival-quality coin holders, commonly called 2×2s. Keeping coins in appropriate holders and limiting handling can help reduce exposure to air, moisture, oils, and fingerprints.
Storage methods can vary depending on the type and age of the elongated coins, so collectors should choose materials appropriate for long-term coin storage.
The best method is the one that makes sense for your collection. Some collectors use spreadsheets or collection-management software, while others keep written lists or catalogs.
For each elongated coin, useful information to record can include the location, design, date acquired, denomination, and any identifying information such as designer, engraver, or roller initials.
TEC’s existing resources, including its information on elongated coin initials, can also help collectors identify the people involved in creating a coin.
The legality of elongating coins depends on the country. TEC’s published FAQ states that elongating coins is legal in the United States and United Kingdom under the circumstances described there, while its FAQ identifies restrictions in Canada. TEC’s FAQ also includes historical correspondence from the U.S. Treasury Department concerning coin mutilation.
Important: This information reflects TEC’s published FAQ and is provided for general informational purposes, not as legal advice. Laws and regulations can change.
Collectors have several options. You can ask another collector to obtain a coin for you, trade with collectors who have access to machines you cannot reach, or contact the location directly and ask whether someone there would be willing to press and mail coins to you.
TEC’s FAQ notes that collectors sometimes send the location the necessary coins and return postage when requesting elongateds from a distant machine.
Trading is one of the ways collectors expand their collections and connect with other people in the hobby. A coin that is easy for one collector to obtain may be difficult for another collector to find, making trades a useful way to exchange duplicates and acquire coins from distant locations.
TEC’s FAQ specifically highlights trading as a way to build a collection while getting to know other collectors.
MEMBERSHIP
TEC membership connects collectors with a community of both novice and experienced elongated-coin collectors. Members receive TEC News, TEC-issued elongated coins, and access to a community where collectors share discoveries, trade duplicates, compare collections, and help one another with the hobby. TEC also holds an annual meeting at the ANA World’s Fair of Money and participates in other collecting activities throughout the year.
Membership benefits include the quarterly TEC News newsletter and periodic TEC eNews updates. Members also receive TEC-issued and member-donated elongated coins with each quarterly issue. Other benefits include free classified ads in TEC News, discounts on selected collecting resources, and opportunities to participate in TEC activities and contests.
TEC offers several membership classes, including Regular, Associate, Life, Honorary, and Young Numismatist (YN) memberships. The bylaws define YN membership for people under 18, while Associate membership is available to an additional member at the same address as a Regular Member.
For Regular and YN members, TEC also offers Digital, Print, and Print + Digital newsletter options. Both Print and Digital members receive the issue’s elongated coins by regular mail, except Associate Members.
Current dues listed by TEC include:
- U.S. Regular Print: $15/year
- U.S. Regular Digital: $11/year
- Foreign Regular Print: $18/year
- Foreign Regular Digital: $14/year
- Associate: $6/year
- Young Numismatist Print: $12/year
- Young Numismatist Digital: $7/year
TEC’s membership form also offers two-year options and additional Print + Digital options.
Membership dues are subject to change. Please see the Join page for current membership options and pricing.
You can join or renew by completing the TEC membership application/renewal form and submitting it with payment to the TEC Secretary. TEC also provides a PayPal option through its Join/Renew page. Membership dues are based on the calendar year, January 1 through December 31.
A Digital Membership means you receive the quarterly TEC News newsletter electronically as a PDF via email rather than receiving a printed copy through the mail. Digital and Print members both receive the elongated coins included with each issue by regular mail, except Associate Members.