Hole in the wall

The Filipino saying “pera na, naging bato pa” (sure money, turned to stone) describes a business deal gone sour or a failed sales opportunity. But a rock can also be of value and can make money.

One such rock found in the Sahara Desert in Niger in November 2023 was sold for 4.3 million euros at a Sotheby’s auction in New York on 16 July, Euronews reported.

The 25-kilo rock named NWA 16788 is a very rare artifact, being the largest meteorite from the planet Mars.

Even if it could be brought to Earth in a spacecraft, nothing compares to how NWA 16788 reached the planet.

It was blown off the surface of Mars by a massive asteroid strike and traveled 225 million kilometers to Earth, according to Euronews, citing a statement by Sotheby’s.

Moreover, the Martian rock is the only one of its kind that fell on land, as meteorites usually land and sink in the ocean, according to the BBC.

Meanwhile, a family in Basey, Samar made sure their money won’t “turn to stone.”

In fact, couple Joel and Evelyn had their money in the bag with their unique way of saving.

In an episode of the Jessica Soho show KMJS, Joel is shown breaking open a wooden wall of their bedroom. Coins then gushed out of the gap, filling two large laundry basins.

Since 2023, the couple and their two children have been inserting coins behind the wall through a hole in it. Joel said using the wall as a piggy bank made the money hard to get at and spend. He intended to buy his dream motorcycle with it, according to KMJS.

After counting the coins for three days, the savings reached P223,000. Joel was able to pay for the motorcycle worth P158,000 in cash and had enough spare change to renovate their home, according to KMJS.