Panorama of the PAN=AM

Frying Pan shaped encased stick pin. Reverse reads: BUFFALO EXPOSITION / 1901 around the rim of the pan and I'M IT along the handle.

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Frying Pan shaped encased stick pin. Obverse reads: PAN AMERICAN / LUCKY PENNY around the rim of the pan and "BUFFALO" along the handle.

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The following is an excerpt from chapter 11 of Fred Lavin's book. "PANORAMA of the PAN=AM, An Illustrated Guide to Souvenirs from / THE PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION of 1901 in Buffalo, NY". I would like to thank Fred for his generosity. The page layout will vary from the published book for the convenience of the reader and web layout. If you are interested in information on the name Pan AM - see Pan below. (-Editor)

11. ENCASED CENTS

The following is a listing system for the lucky pennies or encased cents issued in connection with the Pan-American Exposition. I have divided them into two categories according to shape - round-shaped and shapes other than round. There are many more varieties of the round ones than the non-rounds so I have allocated the numbers (following the EC prefix) 1 through 50 for the rounds and 5l and up for the non-rounds, thereby allowing (hopefully) plenty of unused numbers to be assigned to new encaseds as they are discovered. If different variations of certain encaseds are known, and the variations are relatively minor, I have assigned them letter suffixes to follow the same number, e.g. EC03A, EC03B, etc. If the variation is major, it is assigned its own number. The side of the encased that normally shows the head of the Indian head penny is called the obverse and the side that shows the tail or back of the penny is called the reverse; however, I have seen pairs of encaseds in which the head of the penny faced one side on one and the opposite side on the other.

Unless otherwise indicated, all encaseds are U.S. 1901 Indian head pennies in an aluminum casing.

ROUND-SHAPED (unless otherwise indicated, encased is 1 1/2 inches or 38mm in diameter and the cent is centered in the middle of the encased).

EC01A - Obverse: Four-leaf clover (or shamrock) with stem curving to the left; bottom of stem stops above the "E" in "EXPOSITION"; "GOOD LUCK SOUVENIR" separated from BUFFALO, N.Y. / PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION" by 2 small stars; periods and comma in punctuation are round.

Reverse: two crossed horseshoes surround penny; "LUCKY PENNY / POCKET PIECE /I'M IT", "PAT. APPLD. FOR" in small letters below "LUCKY PENNY" (the patent status may be worn off since it is on a high wear area)

ECO1B - Obverse: same as EC01 A except bottom of stem stops at an imaginary line joining the tops of the "N" in "American" and the "E" in "Exposition"

Reverse: same as EC01A (Note the difference in words in yellow above and below -Editor)

EC01B Pan AM variety

EC01C - 0bverse: same as EC01 A except bottom of stem stops below an imaginary line joining the tops of the "N" in "American" and the "E" in "Exposition"

Reverse. same as EC01A

EC01D - Obverse: same as EC01A

Reverse: same as EC0l A except "PAT. APR. 23, 1901" instead of "PAT. APPLD. FOR"

EC01E - Obverse: same as EC01B

Reverse same as EC01D

EC01F - 0bverse: same as EC0l C

Reverse: same as EC01D

EC01G - Obverse: same as EC0l B except periods and commas in punctuation are square

Reverse: same as EC01

EC02 Obverse: same as EC01A except stem curves right and ends just above the "X" in "EXPOSITION"

Reverse: same as EC01A

EC03 - Obverse: "I AM YOUR MASCOT" separated from "SOUVENIR PAE / BUFFALO N.Y. " by two small clovers.

Reverse: single horseshoe surrounds penny; "LUCKY PENNY POCKET PIECE" / SAVE ME / AND HAVE GOOD LUCK"

EC03A - Obverse: same as EC03 except clovers are larger (as wide as 2 lines of wording), there is a comma between "EXPOSITION" and "BUFFALO" and there are 5- pointed asterisks in front of "EXPOSITION" and after "N.Y.".

Reverse: same as EC03 except "I BRING GOOD LUCK" instead of "SAVE... GOOD LUCK"

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EC03B - Obverse: same as EC03A.

Reverse: same as EC03A plus "PAT. APPLD FOR"

EC04 - Obverse: heart surrounds penny; "SOUVENIR OF GOOD LUCK" separated from "PAE EXPOSITION, BUFFALO, N.Y." by 2 stars

Reverse: two wishbones surround penny; "LUCKY PENNY / POCKET PIECE" and "PAT. APPLD FOR" in small letters below "LUCKY PENNY"

EC04A - Obverse: same as EC04

Reverse: same as EC04 except only one wishbone surrounds penny

EC05 - 0bverse: "I WAS AT" (standing buffalo facing left) / "1901"

Reverse: dust pan with penny in center of pan; small horseshoe below pan; "PAE" and, in small letters, "LUCKY COIN / SOUVENIR"

FC06 - 0bverse: small horseshoe, shamrock and wishbone; "GOOD LUCK / KEEP ME AND PROSPER"; two small stars

Reverse: "NORTH" in big letters and "CLEVELAND, 0. U.S.A. / PA SOUVENIR. in small letters; outside edges of globe of western hemisphere visible around penny.

EC07 - Obverse: same as EC06

Reverse: "20th CENTURY PENNY / FROM THE / GROUNDS OF THE / PAE 1901/ BUFFALO" in five ovals; buffalo running left and "W & H CO., NEWARK, N.J." at bottom. (Whitehead & Hoag Company)

EC07A - Obverse: same as EC06

Reverse "SOUVENIR / PAE / BNY / 1901"

EC08 - Obverse: small buffalo head at top; "PA (star) SOUVENIR (star) EXPOSITION / BUFFALO, N.Y."; leaves around most of edge

Reverse: two crossed cornucopias with coins (?) cascading out; "GOOD LUCK AND PROSPERITY"

EC09 - Obverse two hands shaking at top and shamrock at each side; 1901 British one farthing encased in center; "UNCLE SAM - OULD GHANU / LUCKY POCKET PIECE / BUFFALO N.Y. / 1901" Reverse: rabbit's foot, horseshoe, shamrock and wishbone along each side; "CAED / MILLE FALTHE / DHUG A DHERISH" (probably Gaelic)

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EC10 - Obverse: horseshoe; "KEEP ME AND NEVER GO BROKE /1 BRING GOOD LUCK" Reverse: "USE EASYBRIGHT POLISHES / PAE BUFFALO 1901 / DON'T LOSE ME"

EC11 - Obverse same as EC10; "REC'D TRADE MARK" in small letters at top Reverse: "SOUVENIR OF OUR FAIR / 1901" with 2 shamrocks; (Note: no specific mention of PAE so it may not be PAE-related).

EC12 - 0b verse: "PAE EXPOSITION / BUFFALO, N.Y. / GOOD LUCK"; penny off-center and encased only 32 cm in diameter. Reverse: clover, horseshoe and wishbone and "GOOD LUCK / W&H CO. NEWARK, N.J." (Whitehead & Hoag Company)

EC13 - 0bverse:"THE LUCKY COIN / KEEP ME / AND YOU WILL ALWAYS BE BROKE"; instead of a penny, this has a token with a heavy woman dancing, surrounded (on the aluminum portion) by a horseshoe Reverse.' "PAE EXPOSITION BUFFALO, N.Y. / DATZ CO., N.Y. "; token reverse has a man, with a drink in his hand, riding a buffalo and "SPIRITS OF BUFFALO".

This section consists of a series of round encased in which the holder is not made from aluminum but rather from a much thicker hard plastic like substance covered with paper on the obverse and reverse; the penny is visible only on the obverse. The edges or rims come in different colors, red, blue, green, orange, yellow and tan; each reverse may come in each of the colors but only the ones which have been seen are listed. Each obverse is the same as follows:

These are what I refer to as "vulcanite" encased. Images of "vulcanite" encased can be seen here - Editor

Vulcanite encased EC34, GREEN RIM - "I AM NEVER BROKE / LUCKY SOUVENIR / PATENT APPLIED FOR"

EC31 - Reverse: "WHERE DOES GRASS GROW? / IN MEXICO / YOU'R (sic) A BUFFALO / PUT ME OFF / PAE / EX-PO"; seen with a blue or green rim

EC32 - Reverse:: "YOU'VE GOT TO SHOW ME / I'M / FROM / MISSOURI / PAE / BUFFALO"; seen with a red rim

EC33 - Reverse: photograph of "GOVERNMENT BLDG. "; seen with a red or orange or tan or yellow rim

EC34 - Reverse: photograph of "TRIUMPHAL ARCH"; seen with a tan or blue or red rim

EC35 - Reverse: photograph of "TEMPLE OF MUSIC"; seen with an orange or green or red rim

EC36 - Reverse: photo of "NIGHT VIEWS OF TOWER"; seen with a green or tan rim

EC37 - Reverse. "OH FUDGE /FORGET IT /PERHAPS TAINT TRUE /PUT ME OFF AT BUFFALO"; reported but not seen so rim color unknown

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SHAPES 0THER THAN R0UND

EC51 - horseshoe-shaped. Obverse: buffalo running right at bottom; "PAE" around horseshoe, which is open at the bottom.

Reverse: "KEEP ME AND NEVER GO BROKE" and "PAT.APR.11, 99" in horseshoe; "I BRING GOOD LUCK" at bottom.

EC51A horseshoe-shaped: Obverse: same as EC51 except "SOUVENIR OF OUR FAIR / 1901" instead of "PAE"

Reverse: same as EC51 except no patent date (Note: no specific mention of PAE so it may not be PAE-related)

EC51B Horseshoe-shaped same as EC51 but "PAT. APP. PNDG" instead of pat. date

EC52 Wishbone-shaped. 0bV0rse: shamrock at top above two horseshoes; "GOOD" and "LUCK" in small letters on either side of shamrock; "KEEP ME" and "AND PROSPER" along lower sides; "PAT. APD FOR" in small letters at bottom.

Reverse: buffalo running left over penny; "PAN AMERICAN EXPOSITION 1901" runs around bottom 3/4 of penny.

EC53 - Wishbone shaped. Obverse: same as EC52

Reverse: "BOSTOCK'S GREAT ANIMAL ARENA / PAN AMERICAN EXPOSITION / BUFFALO, 1901"

EC54 - Wishbone shaped: Obverse same as EC52

Reverse: "SCHWARZSCHUD & SULZBERGER CO. PACKERS / CHICAGO & KANSAS CITY"

EC55 - Frying pin shaped. 0b verse: "BUFFALO" on handle and "PAE / *LUCKY PENNY* " in pan

Reverse: "I'M IT" on handle and "BUFFALO EXPOSITION / *1901*" in pan.

EC56 - Bullalo-shaped: known to exist but no further description available

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A little information about the Expo. (I moved this to the bottom as I expect most readers to be interested in the encased information first. (-Editor)

*WHO PUT THE "PAN" IN PAN-AMERICAN*

Although many Pan-Am souvenirs come in the shape of a frying pan, obviously, that type of pan has nothing to do with the use of the word, "Pan", in the phrase, "Pan-American Exposition". But why was the expo called the Pan-Am? Actually, "pan" comes from a Greek word meaning "all" and the Pan-American Expo just as easily could have been called the All-American Expo since it was intended to be for the American nations - all those in the Western Hemisphere. However, once the Pan-Am name had been decided on, another Pan figured prominently in its planning.

 "Pan" is the name of a mythical Greek god, who was the god of shepherds and their flocks and also of the woodlands. He was named Pan because he alone was liked by all the other gods. Many legends, often contradicting each other, exist about his birth and parentage. Sometimes he is depicted as a normal young man and other times as a mature man with goat's legs, feet, and horns and playing a shepherd’s pipe, which he purportedly invented. No matter which is accurate, Pan has certainly well represented at the PAE.

A "shrine" to Pan was erected on a wooded island in the southeast corner of the expo grounds; this island was probably in the bay behind the New York State Building. In the Fine Arts Building, there was a colossal statue of a reclining Pan by George Gray Barnard.  (excerpted from p8 - Editor)

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