Nan and travel sickness remedies. Part II

If the newspaper method had failed on the way down to Ramsgate, the famous penny cure would be used on the way home.  I would be given two old pennies (big ones, pre-1971 - preserved especially by Nan for this purpose) to hold, one in each hand.  After about ten miles my hot and sweaty hands would interact with whatever metal the pennies were made from to produce a truly vomit-inducing smell.  I've just tried to replicate this with a 2p, but the smell is much more subtle.