Canadian Finds $100 Bill On The Train, But It Turns Out To Be Currency For A Different World


For most people, $100 is no chump change.
So when Canadian Imgur user MysteryPineapple found a peculiar-looking hundred dollar American note on the train, he did what most of us would do — he put it away until he had a chance to take a closer look later.

The $100 note seemed a little worn; perhaps it had even been wet at some point.




"I thought, 'Hey, best case scenario I get free money, worst case scenario, it's fake,'"MysteryPineapple wrote in the post.

He placed it close to a light to look for watermarks or security features that all currencies have on either side ...


... but came up empty-handed.



Where the words "In God We Trust" are supposed to be printed, it says instead "Ngân Hàng Địa Phủ."
According to the Cultural Heritage Association of Vietnam, the words mean "Bank of the Other World."

Turns out, the $100 bill was "hell money" that the Vietnamese burned for the departed.

Like many Asian cultures, the Vietnamese burn flammable objects as offerings to the dead. The belief is that the departed will receive and use these items in the afterworld.
As the times change, so do the objects being offered. Besides hell money, families today burn paper-made iPhones and luxury cars for the deceased.
The dollarization of Vietnamese hell money is a reflection of economic trends in the world of the living. Similar to other developing countries, both local and American currencies are accepted as legal tender.
So, hey, it may not have been a real $100 note, but at least it was something way more interesting.




Previous
Next Post »