Money leaves footprints of stories. Coins, for example, can become memorabilia that tells about points in time. When my mother and father immigrated to the United States from the Philippines to seek opportunity, they became Americans, while keeping traditions and their history. They took the Philippines with them and acculturated. When I first visited my origin country, I took home an antique coin from my grand-aunt; A coin that symbolizes the relationship between America and the Philippines. My grandmother coincidentally also has the kind of coin, which gave off the same feeling.
From 1898 to 1946, the Philippines was taken over by the United States and became a colony. Filipinos saw the economic and cultural change America brought, from culture to new-fangled “cars”. When the Americans left, however, it left a lasting impression that still holds true. The coin was one made after the time Japan occupied the area, in 1944. It was a time where the world was in a dark place. The coin represents the Filipino culture of striving for your dreams, and perseverance in times of despair. When my grand-aunt’s relative kept it during wartime, it showed.
The coin is made of an alloy of copper, zinc, and nickel. The coin was made to re-populate the supply after the Japanese melted them down for wartime supplies. They were made in the San Francisco and Philadelphia mints, and were brought down in preparation for General MacArthur's return.

– G. Bautista

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