Crazy Canadian Dime

So I was looking at the change in my pocket the other day when I came across this weird looking coin. I caught the back of the coin first or I may not have even noticed. It was a dime, but a Canadian dime. The back side of the coin bugged me for two reasons: (1) I couldn’t figure out what the picture was supposed to be – looked like some plant trying to eat three little heads, and (2) I couldn’t read the ribbon that went across the coin – which I figured would give me some clue as to what was going on.

Dime in my hand on middle finger – a little fuzzy, but look at the detail on my skin and the small part of my wedding ring. Not that out of focus and basically what I saw anyway. Frustrating.

The text on the coin has got to be about 1mm in height and I couldn’t make it out at all. Laura, of course, could read the word “volunteers” and said that there was something else in another language. I think I may need bifocals the next time I get glasses (as if turning 39 doesn’t make me feel old enough).

My camera on “digital macro” on a mini-tripod to keep it from shaking – oooh I can finally read it.

It seems that the heads on the coin represent “ ‘Marching Mothers’ who were women who went door-to-door in the 1950s to raise money to help cure polio disease.” Ahh, the “March of Dimes” – get it, dimes. The “swirl” underneath represents the “rising sun and the joy of giving one’s time to make a difference in the lives of others.”

My favorite thing is the guy on eBay who wants $.50 for a dime that isn’t even worth 10 American cents, and that is a whole 7 years old (On his auction photo you can’t even see the image on the coin, let alone the writing). Add to that $2.50 in shipping – so $3.00 for a coin that is maybe worth $.10. Kinda greedy. Though I am watching to see how the auction goes .