The Magic Penny Society

The MAGIC PENNY SOCIETY was established in 1993 with the aim of encouraging life-long learning and the public understanding of science, particularly through "hands-on" experimentation, and the use of coins.

In 1999 a group of scientists, engineers and teachers formed a daughter organization with similar aims in Puerto Madryn, Patagonia, Argentina: SOCIEDAD MAGIC PENNY PATAGONIA

The Magic Penny Society is a charitable institution. In accordance with its constitution any funds from its activities are donated to the MAGIC PENNY TRUST which provides ancillary support for hospital patients and for projects connected with lifelong learning, particularly those involving children.

The Society has been invited to present several exhibitions. These include the Edinburgh Science Festival in 1993, (where Magic Pennies were described by the New Scientist magazine as the 'surprising hit of the Festival'), the Annual Congress of the Institute of Physics in 1995, the Annual Meeting of the British Association in 1996. Invited exhibitions have also taken place at The Royal Institution , in London, (the home of Michael Faraday), at Brunel University (entitled "And the Penny Jumped Over the Car") and at the Daresbury Nuclear Laboratories , where many of the original Magic Penny Models remain permanently on display

In 1995, with the support of Brunel University and the Institute of Physics, and with the strong encouragement of the former Astronomer Royal, Professor Sir Arnold Wolfendale, the Society launched a Magic Penny pack of Two Extra Strong Magnets. Thanks to the cooperation of The Royal Mint and the National Westminster Bank, newly minted coins together with a 54 page fully illustrated book entitled "INVESTIGATING MAGNETISM", were included in the packs. Packs were on sale in the Science Museum shop, Harrod's and other stores and were also available through the Innovations mail-order catalogue. The packs were well received by lay persons, educationalists, scientists and engineers alike. A second edition, sponsored by The Royal Institution and manufactured by Dowling Magnets of California, was launched in September 1997 and is now available in the United States through the internet.

From the very beginning of MAGIC PENNIES in 1993, it was appreciated that they provided a wonderful way of enthusing children about all sorts of subjects, not only of magnetism and physics. Literature and internet references, to games and other educational activities involving coins, began to be collected. However, there was one major drawback. Children in many countries could not easily benefit from MAGIC PENNY activities because their coins are not magnetic.

The breakthrough came early in the year 2000 when the "GOLDEN HEXAGON of PATAGONIA" was dicovered in Puerto Madryn Argentina. This discovery, the result of simply playing with coins, thinking, discussing, and only then using the computer, immediately provided the stimulus that had been missing.

On 2000 June 02, the "LEONARDO in PATAGONIA" project was launched. Children of all countries could now enjoy playing with their own coins, whether magnetic or non-magnetic, in an interesting new way. They, and their adult friends too, might also enjoy taking part in one or more of the Magic Penny Challenges based on the numbers 168 and 169, and on stories from Magic Pennyland.

Illustrated coverage in Britain of MAGIC PENNIES has been extensive: from the first description and photograph in The Independent in January 1993, to several photographs and an article in The Times, a large coloured photograph on the front page of the Daily Telegraph in 1996 and an article and photograph in the Daily Mail in March 1997. MAGIC PENNIES were also featured in the Annual Report of the Royal Mint . Additional photographs, illustrating the exhibition models and the enthusiasm generated in children and adults alike, are available.