The Coin

Yesterday, I received the Spanish silver coin I gave my mom (step-mom) Kay. The coin brought back memories. After my trip to Scandanavia in which I offered to give her a Hard Rock Cafe t-shirt for a present and got a very chilly no thanks, I was determined to get her something nice during my cruise in the Caribbean. I looked in the gift shops on board the ship. I checked out various shops in Aruba and Curacao. I wasn't able to check out the shops in St. Maarten. The last stop on the cruise was St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. I kept trying to think of what to get her. I didn't want to get her perfume as I figured she had enough of that. T-shirts were definitely out. Other items looked kitschy. Finally, I came up with the idea of getting her some kind of Spanish silver coin. It never occurred to me that the coin could be a tad expensive. I found a shop that sold such things. I looked at what they had and then innocently asked how much. I got one heck of a shock. Still, I was in dire straights. I couldn't think of anything else to get my mom. I didn't want to get ragged on when I got back to the states. So, I spent $300! and bought her a legitimate Spanish silver coin that was recovered from the Nuestra de Atocha by Mel Fisher's company. It was seriously cool. So cool in fact that I wanted to get myself one when I could afford it. I thought it would be neat to own a bit of real Spanish treasure. I checked out Fisher's website and got another price shock. Apparently, I did get a very good deal at the shop in St. Thomas. The cheap coins on Fisher's website were going for twice what I paid in St. Thomas. So, I held off buying one.

My mom thoroughly enjoyed the coin and, I earned a gold star from her for it. She was so chuffed with the coin, she framed it and hung it up on the wall at her home. That was where they found it after she died. I was glad I'd bought the coin for her and, she enjoyed it. I still regret that she didn't get to enjoy the china plate I bought for her at Chateau Chenonceau. After her death, I remembered the coin I'd given her and asked about it. I was willing to pay whatever the market value was of the coin. To my surprise, I was given it back for nothing. So, I have a double memento now. The coin reminds me of my visit to St. Thomas and my mom Kay. Those are the things I'll remember whenever I look at the coin.