The mystery 50p coin I found

Over 50 years ago a coin entered circulation. A coin that once belonged to a man named Sean Creamer.

Engraved on the faces of this coin are the words

This once belonged to Sean Creamer 58 Henry St Limerick — worth £5 to me if returned

Today this mystery coin resides with me, after what I suspect has been a very long journey.

I'm not sure who Sean Creamer is or what motivated him to inscribe his message, though the words do make me think there's a certain desperation in the creative fight to declare our existence. Much like the reason many of us post online, we're participants of the past speaking our own timeless messages like a familiar chapter in a tattered book — messages that we hope might survive the test of time and someday outlive us.

"See me. Remember me. I was here."

Perhaps this small relic of the past is intended to function as more than a memento, a keepsake, or a souvenir. Maybe it's an artifact of history that truly belongs to nobody, only temporary caretakers during its journey, and serves to teach an important lesson about value.

Maybe a value worth more than we ever realise at the time.

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Jacob Riggs

Jacob Riggs is a senior cyber security professional based in the UK with over a decade of experience working to improve the cyber security of various private, public, and third sector organisations. His contributions focus on expanding encryption tools, promoting crypto-anarchist philosophy, and pioneering projects centred on leveraging cryptography to protect the privacy and political freedoms of others.

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