Reichspfenning
Nov. 8th, 2004 10:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mojocattMy daughter had spread out some of her toys. In the piles of toys was a coin; I assumed it to be a quarter. A good old American quarter dollar, good for one game of Asteroids or song on the jukebox. But when I picked it up I realized it was a misplaced coin from my grandfathers coin collection.
50 fenning, a Reichspfenning with a 50 on the heads side. Deutfches Reich, a eagle grasping a wreath that encloses a swastika. The year 1944, the coin is extremely light, pure aluminum.
As we face similar madness, I am forced to wonder if this coin speaks to me of a previous madness that failed in 1945 after much pain, death and toil. This little chunk of aluminum minted into a coin as the people began to see the psychosis that had gripped the majority by the prerogative of a well organized minority. But at the time of this little gems minting it was already too late.
This one coin may hold more wisdom than our entire administration and a considerable percentage of the American populace.
50 fenning, a Reichspfenning with a 50 on the heads side. Deutfches Reich, a eagle grasping a wreath that encloses a swastika. The year 1944, the coin is extremely light, pure aluminum.
As we face similar madness, I am forced to wonder if this coin speaks to me of a previous madness that failed in 1945 after much pain, death and toil. This little chunk of aluminum minted into a coin as the people began to see the psychosis that had gripped the majority by the prerogative of a well organized minority. But at the time of this little gems minting it was already too late.
This one coin may hold more wisdom than our entire administration and a considerable percentage of the American populace.
