It's almost Christmastime, and while my Austrian relatives are opening their gifts right about now, I'm stuck here... waiting. What better way to pass the time than to show off some chocolate currency? I'm sure you could write a catalog on the different variations of chocolate loonies (some have a 2020 date! take a closer look next time you're at the dollar store), but this post is dedicated to other, more interesting pieces of Choconumia.
First, a friend gave me a little bag of chocolate Euros. They are off-metal and the sizes are inconsistent!
They all came from three countries: Netherlands, Ireland, and Malta. I've already eaten all the duplicates from the Netherlands and Ireland, but since there was only one Maltese euro in the entire bag I'm saving it for last.
There were also little Euro bills. Unlike the coins, these are much smaller than the genuine articles.
The chocolate isn't patterned beyond the raised dots you see, and the printing is misaligned, but they still taste pretty good (although they are prone to shattering).
The same friend gave me this toonie, with a real toonie taped on. It's huge! Notice the tiny Ike (and other large coins) for scale. They are being sold at Shopper's Drug Marts (and others) all around the country for $2, so look out for them on Boxing Day - you may find a good discount. However, it lacks the word "CANADA", making it an evasion piece.
Five will get you ten that the polar bear shows up on both sides, but sadly there is a bilingual candy label in the way. American products always freak me out when there's no French involved... you don't notice it until it's gone. The lack of a Queen on this toonie, and its origin in Laval, Quebec, makes me think this is yet another expression of Quebecois republicanism. The scoundrels!
Determined to up the ante, I bought this surprisingly good Gold Maple Leaf imitation to give to the friend mentioned above. It cost $4, but it is about twice as thick as the chocolate toonie, plus it is much more interesting.
This is actually a German product... the box that these came in showcased a number of other chocolate imitations, all of them very high-quality. I remember a 1949 pfennig coin, some Euros (much nicer than the ones above!), British pound coins, classic U.S. designs, and more. Collect them all!
Feel free to post your own acquisitions of Choconumia, and let us know how they taste
Posted 12/24/2013 2:48 pm
with Joseph.
