Every time I come back from a trip, my pockets seem to have “smuggled” back a handful of these little things. I toss them into a box at home without thinking. Over time, the box somehow became too heavy to bear. When I pulled them out during a big housecleaning, each coin made the trips feel vivid all over again.

Running my fingers over their worn surfaces, I can’t help thinking that although coins are extremely ordinary, they are far more extraordinary than those so-called “local handicrafts” made in Yiwu and sold in markets and bazaars around the world.

A single coin may have sat for years in a child’s piggy bank before being traded for a comic book. It may also have bought a poor family’s daily food. Perhaps it witnessed a tycoon building a fortune from nothing, or the decline of a once-wealthy clan living off its inheritance. It may even have been carried into the White House or a royal household. If Disney ever made a movie about the life of a coin, its travels would be far richer than any one person’s.

In the age of digital payments, coins will eventually leave the stage as well. If Neil Gaiman ever writes a new installment of American Gods, surely there would be a war between the god of coins and the god of digital currency.

Before that war begins, let’s look at the stories behind the coins I have on hand.

Singapore

I’ve been to Singapore so many times that, without even meaning to, I somehow collected a complete set of both the second- and third-series coins.
Perhaps because of Singapore’s rapid development over the past three decades, the 2013 coin redesign chose various landmarks for the obverse.

The highest denomination, the $1 coin, features the country’s best-known icon, the Merlion, along with the national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim. The 50-cent coin shows the Port of Singapore, a clear reminder of how vital shipping is to this small nation on the Strait of Malacca. The 20-cent coin shows Changi Airport, my favorite airport.

The 10-cent coin features public housing (HDB). Lee Kuan Yew’s philosophy that people should own their homes gave Singaporeans stability first, and a foundation for development after that. The 5-cent coin shows the Esplanade—nicknamed “the big durian”—a signature landmark from Marina Bay’s wave of major architecture over the past 15 years.

By contrast, the second series from 1985 used various plants to present Singapore as a tropical garden city. From highest to lowest denomination, the obverse designs are periwinkle, allamanda, powderpuff, and jasmine.

At first glance, the reverse looks like a smiling face. Later, when I looked it up, I found a rumor that the original coat of arms resembled a crying face, and that after the financial crisis a feng shui master suggested changing it into a smiling one—though of course the Monetary Authority denied the story. The reverse also includes “Singapore” in the country’s four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil, a nice reflection of its ethnic diversity.

Another thoughtful detail is that the edge patterns differ by denomination, making the coins easier for visually impaired users to distinguish.

Japan

Japanese coin designs have not really changed, though different denominations were minted and issued at different times. Because of the yen’s depreciation, larger-denomination coins became necessary.

The first to be issued was the 10-yen coin, whose obverse shows the Phoenix Hall of Byodo-in in Uji. It is so famous that practically every Uji travelogue mentioning Phoenix Hall also mentions the 10-yen coin. Around the outer ring is the traditional karakusa arabesque pattern, originally derived from China.

The 1-yen and 5-yen coins came slightly later. The 1-yen coin shows a young sprout—not any specific plant—symbolizing a society rebuilding from devastation. The 5-yen coin combines rice ears, water, and a gear to represent agriculture, fisheries, and industry.

The 50-yen and 100-yen coins were issued at the same time, featuring Japan’s two most widely recognized flowers: the chrysanthemum and the cherry blossom. Even though Japan has no legally designated national flower, most people would probably name those two. The chrysanthemum is also the emblem of the emperor and the imperial family.

The paulownia on the 500-yen coin is another tree deeply loved in Japan. Not only is it traditionally said to be the sacred tree where the phoenix rests, but paulownia furniture is also famous in Japan. Traditionally, if a girl was born, a paulownia tree might be planted in front of the house; when she married, the wood from that tree could be made into a full set of dowry furniture.

The reverse of yen coins is fairly simple, basically just the denomination and minting year—but the year is given by imperial era name. The oldest one I have is from Showa 37, and the newest is from Reiwa 1, a span of 57 years. Showa, Heisei, Reiwa: three generations all accounted for.

Only the 10-yen coin has an evergreen tree engraved on the reverse as a symbol of vitality, while the 500-yen coin shows bamboo and tachibana citrus. Bamboo, of course, appears everywhere in traditional Japanese architecture, but the Japanese are also fond of tachibana. Outside the main hall of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, there is a cherry tree on the left and a tachibana tree on the right. There are also cases of emperors granting close retainers the surname Tachibana. If the cherry blossom is the tree of warriors, then tachibana is the tree of scholars.

A single 500-yen coin is enough for one bus ride in Kyoto.

Republic of Korea

Korean won coins are relatively simple. Aside from the 50-won coin, the currently circulating 500-won, 100-won, and 10-won coins are all here.

The crane on the 500-won coin reflects the Korean people’s long-standing identification with birds as a cultural totem. There are so many place names in Korea connected with cranes that even the Korean district in Osaka, Japan, is called Tsuruhashi, or “Crane Bridge.” Another interesting story is that the 500-won coin was identical to the 500-yen coin in nearly every characteristic except weight, so some people punched a hole in the middle of the won coin to cheat Japanese vending machines. In the end, Japan was forced to issue a new 500-yen coin.

There is not much need to introduce Admiral Yi Sun-sin, the great national hero on the 100-won coin.

The Dabotap Pagoda at Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju on the 10-won coin is an important Korean historical monument. You can see that the slightly larger one below is the older 10-won coin. Later, the price of the old metal rose so much that minting one coin actually cost several times its face value, so the new 10-won coin became smaller and used cheaper metal.

United States

U.S. coins really are complicated, a perfect display of how everyone wants a say in a federal system.

The current 1-cent, 5-cent, and 10-cent circulation coins all feature presidents on the obverse. The one-cent coin, or penny, shows Lincoln, which says a lot about his place in the American imagination. The reverse is usually the Lincoln Memorial, though there is also the Union shield symbolizing the original 13 states.

The 5-cent coin, or nickel, features Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, and his home, Monticello. The 10-cent coin, or dime, shows President Roosevelt of the World War II era; its reverse has a torch, olive branch, and oak branch symbolizing liberty, peace, and victory. Why Roosevelt on the dime? Because he strongly supported the March of Dimes campaign to raise funds to fight polio.

There are three quarter-dollar series. The one I have here is the 50 State Quarters program. Starting in 1999, quarters were issued in the order each state joined the Union, with designs highlighting that state’s history and culture. On the left, Massachusetts is represented by a Revolutionary War soldier, fitting since the opening shots of the war were fired near Boston. On the right is Alaska, which officially joined the United States 171 years after Massachusetts, represented by a brown bear catching salmon.

The other two series are the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories quarters, and the national parks series.

So yes, can you believe the United States has 106 different quarter designs?

This Susan B. Anthony $1 coin was part of the first small-size $1 coins issued in the United States, first minted in 1979, the year shown on the coin. Susan B. Anthony was one of the most famous women’s rights activists in American history and spent her life fighting for women’s suffrage. The reverse features the insignia of the Apollo 11 moon landing mission.

Like the quarter, the Presidential $1 coin is also a series, issued beginning in 2007. The obverse features portraits of U.S. presidents, while the reverse shows the Statue of Liberty. The one I have is Andrew Johnson, the 17th president, a deeply unpopular figure because of his passive attitude toward protecting Black civil rights.

For collectors, life in the U.S. really means there’s never a shortage of things to do.

Russian Federation

One summer three years ago in Russia, I brought home rubles of all kinds—big and small, new and old.

The ruble’s design is relatively simple. The obverse shows the denomination and a slightly varying branch motif—tree branches, maybe flowers? The old version has the emblem of the Central Bank of Russia on the reverse, while the newer version uses Russia’s double-headed eagle coat of arms.

Russia’s double-headed eagle comes from the double-headed eagle of the Eastern Roman Empire. Ever since Ivan III married the last Byzantine princess, Russians have liked to see themselves as heirs to Roman civilization. The Byzantine double-headed eagle itself evolved from the single-headed eagle military standard of ancient Rome, but the Byzantine emperors saw themselves as ruling across both Europe and Asia, so apparently they needed one more head to watch both sides.

By comparison, the double-headed eagle used by Russia’s central bank feels like a budget version—more like a double-headed duck. Who knows whether, after this war is over, the Russian economy will be set back by another thirty years and the double-headed eagle will turn back into a double-headed duck.

Israel and Jordan

I had a wonderful trip to Israel and Jordan in early 2017, and I still miss the sea breeze along Tel Aviv’s shoreline and the view of the sea from the top of Haifa.

Israel’s currency is the new shekel. The shekel is an ancient unit of money mentioned in the Bible.

The imagery on Israeli coins is mostly tied to the religion and history of the Jewish people. At top left is the highest denomination, 10 new shekels, showing a date palm with 7 leaves and two baskets of dates. Dates are one of Israel’s best-known products and are frequently mentioned in the Bible as well. A line of small Hebrew text on the coin reads, “For the redemption of Zion.”

The 5-new-shekel coin features a capital based on ancient Jerusalem architecture, while the 1-new-shekel coin shows a lily, a flower praised by King Solomon.

Coins below 1 new shekel are called agorot in Israel. The design on the 10 agorot coin is the famous Jewish menorah. According to Exodus 25:31, 33, and 37, Moses made a seven-branched golden lampstand in the shape of almond blossoms. I bought a tiny menorah in Israel too.

Jordan’s currency is a bit more complicated, because the Jordanian dinar is worth a lot—more than the U.S. dollar, euro, or British pound—so it has several subunits beneath it. In simple terms, 1 dinar = 10 dirhams = 100 piastres = 1000 fils.

The designs are fairly simple: the king’s portrait on the obverse, and geometric patterns plus the denomination on the reverse.

Look at that fatherly gaze. On the left is the current king, Abdullah II; on the right is his father, Hussein I.

Australia

I lived in Melbourne for quite a while and came back with a whole basketful of queens. As a Commonwealth country, Australia puts Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse of its coins. Different obverse designs all still amount to her, her, and her again, documenting how the Queen changed from 1984 to 2014. She really did live a long life.

I wonder when we’ll start seeing King Charles on them.

The reverse designs feature various native Australian animals, from the 5-cent echidna and the 10-cent lyrebird to the 20-cent platypus and the five kangaroos on the $1 coin.

Australia’s $1 coin also often appears in commemorative circulation versions. For example, the one on the left in the second row commemorates 100 years of women’s suffrage, while the one in the middle marks the centenary of Scouting.

Turkey

During a week in Istanbul, I realized this city would rank near the top of my personal list. Cities closely tied to the sea are just wonderful. I often pulled out coins under the Galata Bridge to buy stuffed mussels with rice.

Unfortunately, I only brought back a 1 Turkish lira coin. The obverse shows Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founding father of modern Turkey, while the reverse design comes from Rumi, another of the most famous poets in the Islamic world. People who have traveled in Turkey have probably seen the whirling dervish performance—paying to watch a group of people spin and spin for hours. That ritual is also a spiritual practice of the Sufi order founded by Rumi. Rumi himself was a master of mystical thought.

Unfortunately, the lira has depreciated so quickly in recent years that I’m not sure what these coins could still buy in Istanbul.

Hungary

A former roommate once worked on a project in Hungary and brought me back a few local forint coins.

The coat of arms, which had been used before the Soviet era and was revived after the Soviet collapse, appears on the 10-forint coin. The 50-forint coin features a saker falcon, a bird of prey native to Central Europe.

Thailand

Thai baht coins are lively: there are six denominations in total, and I have 4 of them on hand. Each coin features a representative Thai temple, so you could practically plan a trip around the coins.

The 1 baht coin (middle right) shows Bangkok’s famous Temple of the Emerald Buddha, where the Thai royal family holds religious ceremonies; the 2 baht coin (top right) shows Wat Saket in Bangkok, which houses a Buddha relic brought from India by King Rama V.

The 5 baht coin (middle left) shows the Marble Temple, built entirely of marble imported from Italy more than a century ago; the 10 baht coin (top left) shows Wat Arun, another must-visit in Bangkok. The 50 satang coin at bottom right features Wat Phra That Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai.

Southeast Asian Countries

Only recently did I realize that visiting too many Southeast Asian countries can have its downsides. Exit records from places like Laos and the Philippines can apparently lead to a lot of questioning at immigration.

At top left, the Philippine 1-peso coin bears the portrait of national hero José Rizal. This poet could reportedly speak 22 languages, and his sacrifice helped spark the revolution against Spanish rule in the Philippines. His ancestral home was in Quanzhou, which really does produce remarkable people.

The Nepalese rupee coin below shows an agricultural plowing scene on the obverse, and naturally Mount Everest, Nepal’s best-known peak, on the reverse. Interestingly, Nepal’s coins are manufactured by China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation.

Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan

As three regions of China where RMB is not widely used, each has its own separately issued currency.

Hong Kong coins, on the other hand, look almost identical in design: the obverse always shows a bauhinia flower, while the reverse shows the denomination in Chinese, English, and Arabic numerals. What makes the coins distinctive is their shape—each denomination differs completely in size, form, and weight. The wavy coin that looks a bit like a flower is especially cute. In Cantonese, 1 dollar is called 1 man; every time I see that, it feels a little strange.

Only the coin in the lower-left corner, bearing a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, quietly tells the story of another century in Hong Kong’s history.

The New Taiwan dollar features portraits of Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek, but with the ongoing de-Chiang movement, I wonder whether these may one day become out of print as well.

The reverse designs also seem pretty ordinary at first glance, but they hide some clever details. For example, on this 10-dollar coin, you can faintly make out the words “國泰” and, inside the 0, the shape of Taiwan. Viewed from another angle, you can see the words “民安” and a plum blossom. The 50-dollar coin works the same way: turn it left and you see the Chinese characters for fifty; turn it right and you see 50. Pretty interesting.

What exactly is the proper abbreviation for Macau’s currency? “MOP” avoids confusion in English, but in Chinese, 澳元 can easily be mistaken for Australian dollars, so people often casually call it 葡币 instead. Interestingly, Portugal’s own former currency was never called 葡元.

I happen to have 5-dollar, 1-dollar, and 5-ho (50-cent) coins on hand. Their designs are the Ruins of St. Paul’s with a Chinese sailing ship, Guia Lighthouse with Guia Fortress, and a dragon dance scene.

Although Macau’s currency has its own Portuguese names—1 dollar is 1 Pataca, and 5 ho is 50 Avos—Macau’s textbooks were directly borrowed from Hong Kong, so people in Macau now basically only say dollar and cent. On top of that, the amount of Hong Kong dollars in circulation in Macau is actually twice that of the pataca. Cultural and economic spillover can be pretty powerful.

That’s it for this little story about coins. What interesting coins do you have on hand to share with everyone? Feel free to tell me.

About the Author

This article comes from a friend’s WeChat public account. If you’re interested, feel free to follow it.