Driving back to Dallas-Fort Worth from a family trip in 2011, Albert and Amy Guerrero noticed their car’s cupholders jingling with pressed pennies—souvenirs their kids had acquired on the way to and from Colorado. The clinking of copper posed a question for the pair: “‘What do we do with all these pennies?’” Amy says.
The answer came in the form of PennyBandz, their Coppell-based brand of penny-holding products that can now be found in gift shops across the state and the U.S. The namesake silicone bracelets display pressed pennies in an array of color combinations and styles, and the product line has grown to include animal keychains and magnets called PennyPalz; necklaces; and an adventure journal that holds up to 146 pennies.
PennyBandz
Sold online and at gift shops around the U.S.
pennybandz.com
For a comprehensive list of pressed penny machines, visit pennycollector.com.
“People are traveling; it’s nostalgic,” Albert says. “It’s still an inexpensive souvenir. And it’s very unique—every die is different.”
After attending souvenir and coin-collecting trade shows, the Guerreros started to build pressed penny machines, too. Those can be found at various attractions, from the USS Lexington, which boasts three machines on the ship itself, to the most recent addition at Terlingua’s Starlight Ranch—as well as in every Buc-ee’s location in Texas.
“We’re kind of a one-stop shop for the whole process,” Amy says.
As for the perennial discussion about ceasing penny production in the U.S., PennyBandz isn’t concerned. “It’ll affect business, but in a way most people wouldn’t think,” Albert says. “It’s going to become more nostalgic; it’s going to become more collectible.”
Based on their estimates, it would take 10-15 years after production stops to see a penny shortage. And even if pennies become scarce, they can adopt the same method Canada did when they eliminated pennies in 2012: copper blanks. “After it’s pressed, it actually looks even nicer,” Albert says.
One of the Guerreros’ favorite aspects of the business is the opportunity to travel outside DFW, where they’re both from. On the road, the pair has met a lot of dedicated collectors. According to Albert, they’ve met a collector who has amassed more than 40,000 pennies. “They’re all different designs,” Albert says. “The collectors are pretty fanatical.” Amy and Albert have since begun to collect their own trove as they stop at tourist attractions and install new machines.
“We’ve always loved road trips, but it makes even more sense now—we get to visit customers,” Albert says. “It’s a fun family business in a fun industry. It’s a positive experience for everybody. We get to visit a lot of cool places.”
