Russia's love affair with Donald Trump has been well documented—and investigated—and now what was once one of America's greatest adversaries is honoring the 45th president of the United States with his own currency. Sort of.
Related: Decoding Trump's staged inaugural speechwriting photo
A Russian metalworking company called Art-Grani has minted 45 limited-edition coins commemorating Trump's presidency. One side of the coin features a particularly jowl-y profile of Trump, while the other side features the Statue of Liberty and the words "In Trump We Trust" and "United States of Amerika." Twenty-five of the coins are silver, five are gold and 15 are silver and gold.
Vladimir Vasyukhin, director of Art-Grani, told the Associated Press Television Network that the coins are meant to express "hopes associated with Trump," particularly in regard to lifting sanctions, and that "maybe the environment (between the U.S. and Russia) will change."
On Monday, Trump said that he would be willing to relax sanctions against Russia in exchange for a deal to reduce nuclear arms. This comes after months of praising Vladimir Putin on the campaign trail, during presidential debates and, of course, on Twitter.
The commemorative coins are not meant to be kept in a dish with the rest of your loose change. They measure close to five inches in diameter and weigh about two pounds each. Vasyukhin plans to present the first coin to Trump. A specific price has not been set for the other coins, but Vasyukhin says that they will be sold for thousands of dollars.
The coin isn't the only way Russians are celebrating America's 45th president.
What will come of Trump's curious relationship with Russia remains to be seen, but it's probably not a good sign that a ruthlessly authoritarian adversary is more excited about America's new president than America is.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Ryan Bort is a staff writer covering culture for Newsweek. Previously, he was a freelance writer and editor, and his ... Read more
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