Kids and the stupid things they did.

[Ray1936]

Aw, I didn't really do anything stupid thing [[and, fortunately, not with girls!) but I remember having a nickel back about 1948 or so when I was heading to the Tower Theatre [[Grand River and Sorrento) to see a show, and I heard the old puffer puffer coming down the tracks on Foley west of Appoline. I couldn't' resist it, and I laid down the nickel on the steel track as the switcher approached. It came and went, and I was left with a greatly smushed five-cent piece. So I had a souvenir but no entry into the show. Went home and wondered had I made a great move or no.

I think it might have been an interesting decision had I kept that damn smushed nickle, but, alas, I did not, and I'm left with but a childhood memory.

[Jimaz]

But you have to admit that memory is worth at least a nickel, eh?

I often wondered whether railroads minded when kids flattened coins. I can't imagine that they cared much.

I flattened a penny at Dossin Museum once. They charged me a quarter to do it. You got a better deal.

[jcole]

They charge .50 cents at The Henry Ford now for the penny squish.

But you have to admit that memory is worth at least a nickel, eh?

I often wondered whether railroads minded when kids flattened coins. I can't imagine that they cared much.

I flattened a penny at Dossin Museum once. They charged me a quarter to do it. You got a better deal.

[Richard]

Aw, I didn't really do anything stupid thing [[and, fortunately, not with girls!) but I remember having a nickel back about 1948 or so when I was heading to the Tower Theatre [[Grand River and Sorrento) to see a show, and I heard the old puffer puffer coming down the tracks on Foley west of Appoline. I couldn't' resist it, and I laid down the nickel on the steel track as the switcher approached. It came and went, and I was left with a greatly smushed five-cent piece. So I had a souvenir but no entry into the show. Went home and wondered had I made a great move or no.

I think it might have been an interesting decision had I kept that damn smushed nickle, but, alas, I did not, and I'm left with but a childhood memory.

Maybe subconsciously knowing that you created a felony in doing so led you down the path of a career in law enforcement

18 U.S.C. 333 : US Code - Section 333: Mutilation of national bank obligations states:
"Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national
banking association, or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note,or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both."


Interesting enough it excludes pennies and the law has been changed now to include, with malicious intent.

So you can re-live that childhood memory and go down to the train track and even set a quarter on the rail with impunity.

I remember when they said not to place pennies on the rail because it could cause the train to de-rail,we to young to figure out that a 500,000 lb train will win over a penny every time,of course lots of adults still have not figured out that a 500,000 lb train will win over a 3000 lb car either.

[Kathleen]

Apparently not illegal to press pennies into souvenirs!

According to United States Code Title18 Chapter17 Section331, pressing pennies is legal in the U.S., as long as you are not fraudulently trying to spend the coins.

[Zacha341]

Hah! Now if only we could get these paper dollars stretched in order to purchase more. The shrinking value has many quite 'pressed'!

[birwood]

The same RR Tracks that Ray1936 mentions ran past Birwood where I lived. My friend and I hopped a box car just past Meyers coming home from Butzel Pool one summer afternoon, and were going to ride it down to Birwood where it would generally stop and do a box car shuttle between some of the small factories and the Bond Bread Bakery. Well this time it didn't stop, until it got almost to Highland Park, we jumped off and started walking the long walk back to our neighborhood, getting home shortly before dark. All my mother said was , "Did You Enjoy The Train Ride". Don't know how she found out, but luckily she never told my Dad