last christmas is, i appreciate, a bit of a subjective term. also, of course, the name of a quite (rather) popular song, look you see. so, for some clarification, it was christmas last year (2020) what i received one (or 1) of the items pictured here. the other is from some time ago and was likely showcased here, but for the sake of completeness here it is again.
also, yes, this is me showcasing my commitment to not doing something explicitly Bowie related at least once a month, which is going ever so well. so, on that note, here's a picture, presented in the greater good and glory of Commodore 64 mode, of course.
your attention is drawn, if you so wish it, to the top (upper) part of the image, as that was the gift element from last festive season (see previous comments for year clarification). it is a kind of commemorative, or special, £5 coin off of The Royal Mint (them what do the money and that, well, just the money) for us here in the UK. or England, and indeed Wales, mostly, for Scotland and Northern Ireland have a quasi free for all approach to producing cash representative notes.
indeed it is a £5, or fiver, coin. such things are not widely used here, and tend only ever to be issued as these sort of "special" things. but, oddly, they are not just ceremonial. they are, as the saying goes, perfectly acceptable as "legal tender". but, or yet, no, one would not, i would assume, think that anyone possessing one of these would go off and rush to spend it. or otherwise dispense of it.
so far as i am aware, and they do tend to make this quite clear on the website and what have you, this coin in no way, shape or form is considered an "investment", and is (highly) unlikely ever to have a value which exceeds face value, which would be £5. my reasonably safe (further) assumption is that anyone what procured one of these did not do so in the hope that the value beyond aesthetic would appreciate. also, i doubt big player investors would dabble in the speculative market of low value coins.
my ability to picture something clearly, or lack thereof, means that i don't have all that decent an image for you, save the above. for some sort of narration, then, the portrait is a late 70s "Berlin" Bowie, surrounded by (or with in the background) the celebrated Aladdin Sane lightning bolt, plus stars which one can presume references Blackstar.
quite a lot of scorn, sneering and contempt appeared to greet the launch of this commemorative, yet perfectly serviceable, coin. not sure why, really. from what i can ascertain the royal mint issue several such coins each year. as for Bowie merchandising, cashing in and what have you, this is far from being the silliest thing to have 'Bowie' written on it. a casual glance of the official webstore thing reveals, from memory (or off the top of my head), items such as barstools and what have you.
well, anyway, mostly, or for the most part, f*** what anyone else thinks of things. i really like this coin, the image on it and what have you, as well as the dapper presentation it comes in. nice cd size sort of box, too, so looks good as part of the regular Bowie collection on the shelf.
pictured above is the previous venture into Bowie currency that i mentioned (and pictured in the greater good and glory of Commodore 64 mode). no doubt this featured before here, but we are here now. that's a £10 note off of Brixton, London (England). apparently, and i am not so good with fiscal terms, it is tied, index linked or what have you, to the same equal nominative value of the Bank of England £10.
that last point, as clumsy and convoluted as i have presented it, is really rather important. i have noted one or two of the rather more entrepreneurial types (scam artists) are trying to sell editions of this note for considerably higher than £10. one person was trying to sell one on that great virtual car boot sale of the internet, ebay, for north of £80. be careful not to get conned.
just why, exactly, Brixton felt the need to introduce, or impose, its own currency is something that i was probably aware of at the time, but have since forgotten. oh. well, i am sure anyone interested can do a google or what have you to resolve the mystery. if, indeed, it is a mystery.
for a huge chunk of my life it was so that never once did i consider having Bowie on any sort of form of physical currency. when i got the first such thing, the Bowie note, i suppose it never occurred to me that one day i would have a second of them. and yet here am i with two. shall a third exist? perhaps.
no, i really have no intention of ever parting with either of these. should you wish for one or both of them yourself, it does not strike me as all that difficult for you to obtain them. but, if it satisfies a need in you, feel free to look at them on here for as long as you wish.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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