Mak's Coin Collection

This one is not something I got recently from Mak. Definitely not at her deathbed. I got this years ago when she came visiting me. Then she was well, alive and kicking, if I may describe her in that way.

And just for the record, I did not ask Mak for it. Honestly. :)

"Coins ni kebanyakannya Pak Long (my dad's eldest brother) bagi. Mak ingat Mak nak bagi kat Aman lah. At least kat rumah Aman, terjaga sikit," she said, matter-of-factly.

It was given to me many years ago. I don't remember the exact years - but I would think at least five years ago. The treasures in that trove are the RM1 coins, dated from mainly the 1980s, so they are over 30 years. They are at least 3 cm in diameter, so they are big, much bigger than our last copper ringgit coins. All the coins have the parliament house engraved at the back.

The oldest of the coin dates back to 1971, making it over 40 years old.

Some of my ringgit coin collection. The one on the left is dated 1971.
I am sure not many would remember these coins - I don't, but
obviously I remember the copper coin.

There is another one with the Tun Hussein Onn profile engraved on the front.

This Hussein Onn ringgit coin is engraved at the back with
"Rancangan Malaysia Keempat 1981-1985"

Obviously we should remember the copper coin as it is more recent.

Copper ringgit from 1990

Since then we have gone back to the past. There is currently no more ringgit coins. Now we are back with the ringgit note, albeit now they are all no longer paper-notes but polymerized.

Other treasures from the coin album are the Australian coins - the 50 cents coin, again mainly from the 1980s. But there is one from 1969, making it even older than the ringgit coin that I have. I think these coins were mainly coins she kept during her trip to visit me in Melbourne in 1986.

Australian 50 cent coin have twelve sides.

EPILOGUE

I am not sure if it was worth anything beyond their face values to be honest. But surely that they are worth more than RM3.00 that the cab driver was asking to drive bapak from Taiping train station to his house at Sri Kota.

A fee that he was not willing to pay. In the end, he ended up walking the 2.2 km route. Could we have used these coins to pay the cab? I am sure we could.  I am sure he has enough cash to pay - may be he thought it was exorbitant, hence he refused to pay it, and would rather walk.

This is what you called fate?