Well, I wasn't expecting this. I was checking my mail yesterday and what did I find? Have a look below.

Yep, it's a goldback. Wow!

For those who don't know, the goldback is a private currency, currently marketed in five US states. They look like a normal banknote, but instead of being worthless paper, they have a thin layer of gold in between two clear polyester layers. Not much—it is 1/1000th of an ounce for this one—but having any is pretty cool. As I understand it, a number of individuals have taken the note apart and confirmed that it is real gold and in the amount claimed.

In the US there are a number of businesses that will accept goldbacks as payment instead of US dollars, which is really neat.

The company behind the notes is taking care to avoid angering the government. They make clear that it's not US legal tender, that it's privately issued, that it's only voluntarily accepted.

Whether this will continue to spread or whether the US government will try to shut it down in the future, time will tell, but for now it's pretty cool.

Here are a few more shots.

Even if I could spend it here, I don't think I would. I'll just hold on to it. Having just one is more of a curiosity and not really useful or valuable, but just the same it is really need to have.

David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Twitter or Mastodon.