It's funny the things you find when you go through all your stuff. I've been in Japan over twenty years. Almost twenty-five, in fact. Time flies. Yet in all this time, I still am stumbling upon stuff that I evidently packed for one reason or another long ago when I moved here but yet never unpacked. Other things I bought somewhere along the way and then threw them into my storage here and forgot completely about them. In both cases, until stumbling upon them now.

It just happened to me yesterday. My youngest has developed an interest in paper money. Sometimes I have students or friends go overseas and when they come back they will bring some banknotes for me. Nothing of value, just common low notes for interest.

Anyway, so I was looking through my things for paper money students have given me to give to my son, and I came across this:

You know, I have no idea how I came in possession of this. I moved here before Obama was president, so I can't have brought it with me. While I did like Obama, this isn't something I would have bought. I am one of the people who is always complaining about all the presidents on US coins. They looked so much better when they featured various images of Liberty instead of presidents.

So if I didn't buy this, who would have? My mom isn't interested in politics, nor are most of my siblings, and my dad and other brother who are interested, hate Democrats. So this probably didn't come from my family. Did a friend buy it for me? A student? I have absolutely no idea.

Oh well

No political statements here (as I said: I liked and still like Obama) but these seem like a cheap set quickly made to cash in on his popularity. Instead of carved images, it looks like simple pictures were pasted over the regular coins. Tacky. Oh well. Evidently it was free. Or maybe I was drunk when I bought it and that's why I have no memory. Hmmm.

The backs just are the same as the normal coins, so nothing special there.

There is no silver here. Like I said, it looks like they are just the normal coins. Three quarters and one half-dollar.

No silver, so no value there. Maybe there is some collector interest in it? Next time I go to the coin shop here I will bring it with me and see if the dealer offers anything. In America I suppose I might be offered something, but here in Japan? I don't know. Obama was very popular here, so maybe. I'll let you guys know what he offers me (if anything).

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David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Twitter or Mastodon.