I mean, besides exchange it for dollars (or cents) and buy a hat or something.
A woman from Japan gave it to me (I can’t remember why, though ).
I have to admit I’ve been too lazy to even figure out what it’s worth. But it looks kind of cool. On one side is a statesman-type guy with a mustache. On the other is a nice, symmetrical picture of two cranes facing each other.
This obviously not a question of practicality; I’m just curious of other people’s ideas. U.S. currency is so dull: always the same size, color and rarely creative. (E.g., the “new” five dollar notes–big change…not. It almost always portrays a president or political figure; never an artist, etc., though I’m still a big fan of the Sacagawea dollar, and demand that all my bank withdrawals be in two-dollar bills.)
I ask because I’ve been acquiring a lot of clutter, and would like to reduce it. But like someone who might have a picture of their cat on their desk, I wonder
-Make an interesting origami figure out of it; ideally one that leaves some important detail on the note still visible
-Frame it in a really cheap, oriental-looking box frame from some budget store
-Sell on eBay
-Profit!
If the guy has a good haircut, then you have one of the old design with author Natsume Soseki. He was replaced a couple of years ago with Dr. Hideo Noguchi, who looks kinda simlar but with more of a mop for a hairdo (the rest of the bill design stayed the same).
I used to have a photo of a really clever piece of origami. The bill was folded into a cat shape with Soseki’s face in the center. What made it clever was that Soseki’s most well-known book is titled “I Am a Cat.”
I’d put it in a clear photo frame that lets both sides show and keep it as a memento of a friend from overseas. She might have given it to you as a friendship gift, a rememberance, or just as a goodwill type gesture.
As someone who travels a lot; I found myself with a lot of relatively worthless foreign currency. We took magnetic backing that’s sticky on one side --find it at any craft store – and made custom fridge magnets. So now when I go to grab a beer, I can look at 10 Yugoslav dinars, 500 Italian lira; etc.
).