Magic Penny Magnetic Mats and Strips with British 1p and German 1 pfennig ( the new Euro 1 cent coins is of similar diameter) coins. Click photo to enlarge (75K)

Magic Penny Magentic Coin Mats and Strips are specially designed to help children learn to count, in a tactile way, with real coins and to encourage creativity and pattern recognition

The material, shape and size of the mats and strips are carefully chosen to take full advantage of the magnetic properties of the post 1992 British and Irish 1p coins and the new Eero 1 cent coin available 2002 January 1.

Because of the different diameters of the 1 penny and 1 cent coins, 20mm and 16 mm repectively, the mats and strips are made in two sizes - the penny model and euro cent model. The length and width of the strips and mats are the respective diameters, or multiples of them.

10 coins can be attached side by side to the basic 10 strip and 100 coins in ten rows of ten on the basic 100 square mat. To smaller strips or mats, different numbers of coins can be arranged linearly, or in columns and rows forming squares or rectangles.

The strips and mats can be all, or partly eg just the corners, of the same colour, or of different colours. The magnetic surface can be left blank, or printed / covered, with squares or circles indicating where coins can be attached. The total number of coins that can be attached to a particular strip or mat, can be displayed.

The base of the strips or mats is made of relatively rigid material so that the coins do not become detached when the strips or mats are moved.

The base of the strips and mats can also be magnetic facilitating their attachement to larger mats or to a steel surface.

Other Magic Penny magnetic coin mats and strips can be made to suit other magnetic coins of different denomination eg Euro 2 or 5 cent or the British or Irish 2p, or for triangular or hexagonal close packed rather than square or rectangular arrays.

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