12 July, 2010

Challenge #51: Small Change

The good folks at Blog This have thrown up a photography challenge which I couldn't resist.  The theme is change and it's something very close to my heart. 

Every day my beloved comes home from a hard day in the salt mines and empties all the change out of his pockets into a jar.  When the jar is full, he gets another jar and starts again.  This, dear friends, drives me nuts.   There is enough coins in jars around the house to end poverty .... or buy shoes. (yes, I'm shallow, I don't know how I live with myself)

Change

The jar in this photo is special.  These are the coins he emptied out of his pockets while he was a smelly backpacker travelling the world.

It was only while I laying on the floor taking the photo I realised the double meaning of change these coins represent.  Many of these coins don't exist anymore.  They are pre-Euro and have been phased out of the economy.  Other coins are from Eastern European countries which are now very different from those which existed in the 1980's.  This jar holds our own little piece of history.  I guess I won't be buying shoes with this lot.


Note:  while lying on the floor taking the photo I also noticed how grubby the carpet is.  Thankfully I managed to edit out the worst bits.

10 comments:

  1. I never have the patience to collect coins. But I do still have a few french francs left over from our first ever trip to Paris... Thanks jotting my memories!

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  2. I see a Canadian $1 coin! Nice post. :)

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  3. I love all my travel coins and notes - they make some of the best memories, especially the ones from Europe that no longer exist.

    LOL on the carpet!

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  4. Hehehe, I am one of those change hoarders.... I think my bank got fed up and that is why they put in a coin counting machine. ;0)
    Love your blog!

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  5. Oooh wow, very interesting take on a seemingly 'boring' jar of old coins.

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  6. Nice entry =)

    When I empty my pockets I immediately organize the change into denominations, grouped in lots of ten. I've often thought this is a little strange, but it's rather relaxing.

    (Love the blog title btw.)

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  7. Great shot! I somehow manage to spend all my change..

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  8. Hi Vicki - this is by far the best entry for this week's Blog This challenge. I loved reading this story! So, so interesting.

    I think it's so amazing that your fella has been collecting coins for that long, and that he actually lugged his spare change around while backpacking!

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  9. I have some of those old European coins too, saved from my travels from one country to another in 1971...wow, that was a long time ago. I don't have a jar full though. You photographed this jar of spilling coins so beautifully.

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