Little big deal: Going Fussy About the Coins

 

Are coins outdated for the thrifter-savers?

 

With the many designs that have come to our Philippine coins, we can almost come to ask, would there be new ones to replace the old ones? 

Coins are dismissible to others. But bills don’t come so easily these days when even professionals are scouring for opportunities. And let’s not mention the recent past year's popularity of having piggy banks among moms, as well as the grandmas who give value to coins and not just paper bills.

 

If coins are important, why out phase the old ones?  And how in the world of consumers would we identify the outdated coins which when mixed with the recent times "new" would all be confusing?

In college, I remember there was a real distinction from the coins in the nineties. The coins were lighter, and a little playful in design with fish and flower patterns. It was also lighter and not heavy to the touch.  The coins were distinctive from the eighties' identified coins, and the differences in design were "know-able" and noticeable.

But after decades of introducing a lot of coin designs, some are gold and noteworthy while others are almost reminiscent of other designs, old-timers who give value to the coins can actually ask: do we need a chatbot to remember which are old from the new already? Coins that have been demonetized may not be enough to put our hopes on, not even as coin collectors or as moms.

What a waste of money once this is not honored from the piggybank of kids, who kept them after Christmas and into the New Year. What a waste of coins for the moms who strive to hoard a little, when their breadwinner's take-home pay is not enough to mend the shortcomings of their payslips.

Of all the coins probably the only thing that is distinguishable right now is the award-winning coin that looks every inch a gem of a find for a mom’s pocket. That Php20.00 coin feels like an enriching staple for an ordinary mom, without a job and away from the dirty politics of employment. Sadly that Php20.00 coin is the only thing worth keeping apart from the rest of the coins that no longer mean a thing to help surpass the cost of daily living.

It is hard to throw away this kind of coin, that twenty pesos represents, like a rose gold beauty in striking luminosity, and with a heavy heart to part with it once needed.

In times of the pandemic, a mom's meager money would still be spent on necessities, raring to bank on a promise of a better future saved with the little big deal of coins us moms would have.

 

Editorial on Identifying old coins versus the New, entitled Little Big Deal: Going Fussy About the Coins