Coins From Around the World

Tucked away with my old movies backed up on DVD, old bubble gum and comic book cards, and a few blank VHS tapes, you'll find the several boxes that make up my coin collection.  My Canadian coins have a dedicated box of their own, and then there's the millennium quarters, my framed centennial coins, and most recently the Olympic coins that have their own cases.

The biggest box is full of coins from around the world.  Some of them were gifts, some I bought at airport currency exchanges, some from eBay, some I found in the dryer at College West, and a bunch I bought in handfuls from collectors shops as a kid.  None of these coins are particularly valuable by themselves, but as a collection they represent every region of the globe.     

I don't really know why I started a coin collection so young, but I think collecting is in my blood.  As I started to learn more about geography and history, the idea of having something tangible to connect myself to those concepts became more appealing.  It's why I'm still adding to this collection to this day.

I like to think about the stories behind the random coins I find.  What was happening the year it was minted?  Why did they put this image on it?  How many people might have held it?  It's a bit ironic, but a box of currency from around the world has actually been one of the cheapest ways to experience it.  

Here are a few of my favorite coins:

1916 - Canada - One Cent

This penny is actually closer to the size of a modern Canadian quarter.  It was minted during WWI.

1916 - Russia - 20 Kopecks

This coin features the emblem of Imperial Russia and the monarchy of Czar Nicholas II.  It was minted one year before the Russian Revolution would result in the formation of the USSR.

1947 - India - 1 Pice

Some coins caught my attention just because they were so different.  This coin was minted in British India in 1947, the same year that India gained its independence.

1901 - Ceylon - Half Cent

This is one of my oldest coins, now 110 years old.  Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, was under British rule and featured the portrait of Queen Victoria.  This was also the year she passed away.

Singapore Flyer Snapshots

Currently the largest observation Ferris wheel in the world, the Singapore Flyer overlooks the heart of the financial district and marina bay.  Stephanie and I experienced the Flyer last year on our way back from an afternoon at Sentosa Island.  Here are some of the snapshots, and for more on the experience check out the full post HERE.

Last Day of Film School

At the end of April in 2008 I closed the chapter on my student life.  With an empty dorm room, the last of my things piled into my Buick, and one last look back at the University of Regina campus, it was over.  There was no telling what the future had in store at that point.  All I knew for certain was that it was time for something new.