Marvel Pogs Used as Money on US Bases in Iraq and Afghanistan

So, the Army has been using POGS on their bases in Iraq and Afghanistan -- not as toys, but as currency:

Think of the AAFES pogs like chips in a casino; the pog, like a casino chip, is assigned a monetary value and can be traded in for cash when a soldier has completed his or her tour of duty. However, soon after the program started, Skibo and the folks at AAFES realized that soldiers and airmen were keeping them as mementos of the war. That's when they decided they should make them more interesting.

Yes, they decided to make them into Marvel superhero pogs, using familiar characters like Iron Man, She-Hulk, and of course, Captain America. This has created demand for the pogs among some collectors, as they are not available to civilians.

"We've had numerous requests from people who are not in the military but collect military paper to ship them sets [of pogs], but we don't," Skibo said. "I can't tell you how many coin collectors asked us for sets of these. We didn't mean to create that demand, but it made them more than just handing the soldiers and airmen a dime or a nickel.

The collectors mentality: surprising to the army, unsurprising to anyone who knows comics fans.