The other day I picked up two American Silver Eagles with the dates 2013 and 2016.

These years are special to me because they are the birth years of my two sons. I had wanted to buy ASEs for these two years for awhile, but buying ASEs is not exactly as easy to do in Japan as in the States, so I delayed doing it and didn't get around to it until recently when I happened to come across a place that had them.

As you can see, very good condition. Not that the condition matters. I'll explain what I mean by that in a minute. If the price of silver just goes completely nuts, I won't hesitate to sell and make a profit, but assuming just slow growth I'm planning on holding these until my kids are 30-40 or so and then giving the coins to them.

Rather than put the two coins in some kind of protective sleeve and lock them away, they immediately went into my pockets, one on each side. They've been in my pockets for over a week already, which accounts for some of the wear you already see on them. I figure that it will make a much more sentimental gift to pass on if it's a worn coin I've been carrying for them for 30 years rather than some mint coin I had locked away and never looked at or touched. I don't know, I might be thinking crazy, and maybe it would be better to put them away somewhere safe, but that is my rational anyway.

Now also whenever I reach in my pockets and touch the coins, I think of my kids, and that is always a good thing. I still have very vivid memories of the birth of my first son. My second is a little less clear than the first because I was trying to control my curious oldest son—he was only three at the time and my wife wanted him in there to witness the birth with us—but still it is strong. He helped me cut the umbilical cord. They are both growing up way too quickly: seven and almost eleven already. Thoughts of them are always near, so I don't need the carry piece to bring them to mind, but it also won't hurt.

The are attractive coins when new, aren't they? But old and worn silver coins are also attractive. Hopefully the idea that the coins were carried daily by their old man will make them even more attractive to my boys.

Who knows—on one of my next trips to the States, I may seek out and buy another two ASEs at a coin shop for these years and then put them away to keep them mint, so that will always be an option. Maybe I'll put a few more. President Eisenhower is said to have always collected silver dollars from the year of his birth (1890) and given them away to people he met. I could see myself collecting not only ASEs but other coins and rounds with these dates.

But for now I really like the idea of keeping these both as pocket coins, to finger when I get nervous or just when I want to think of my kids, or just to carry with me, and to pass on the worn coins when they are both old enough to appreciate the gift.

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.