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• November 24, 2008 11:03 AM
• News

Coin of the Realm: What to Do With Your €5 Chanel Piece

By Gabriel Bell

If you haven't noticed, it's getting harder to get your hands on money these days. Leave it to Karl Lagerfeld to spin the world economic downturn into a great photo op. Holding one of his newly designed Coco Chanel 125th Anniversary coins created by the French mint he of cold, hard cash, said "There might be less of it, but money can still be beautiful." Valid point—it's not very inspiring to think that the sweat from your brow converts into gray-and-green portraits of dead White guys. The Chanel coin, however, is a shiny bauble worth toiling for—even if it's not legal tender. Created in limited numbers, the 5 Euro coin will only be available in a limited run of 11,900 silver pressings and 99 gold pressings from the mint (no profits go to Chanel). Now granted, at $58 and $7,540 respectively,
they're a little more inflated than the actual Euro (approximately $1.25). But, if you can get your hands on one (the gold versions seem to have already sold out), we suggest throwing in a little extra change to get a nice costume gold or silver chain, hitting up your local jeweler, and crafting your own wearable tribute to Ms. Gabrielle Chanel and the price of luxury. Just remember not to spend it all in one place.

Photos: The Moment, High Snobiety

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