Gifts to President Obama

• Large, black Hermes golf accessory bag including set of lock and key, and extra strap in bottom compartment, presented in cream colored drawstring bag. Est. Value — $7,750.00
From: His Excellency Nicolas Sarkozy, President of the French Republic, and Mrs. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, First Lady of the French Republic

• Bronze 48″ statue of Abraham Lincoln by the artist Yuan Xikun, includes a red leather booklet describing the gift. Est. Value — $9,800.00
From: His Excellency Hu Jintao, President of the People’s Republic of China

• Basketball, signed by 2010–2011 Toronto Raptors NBA basketball team, in a 10″ x 10″ hard-plastic display case, presented in a 14.5″ x 22.5″ green leather-bound box that has the Prime Minister seal on the top. 23.25″ x 18.25″ golden-framed 19th Century antique map of North America, surrounded by drawings of North American Indians, beavers, and other images, and drawn by Tallis & Co. Est. Value — $1,880.00
From: The Right Honorable Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P., Prime Minister of Canada

This list of gifts given to President Barack Obama from foreign dignitaries in 2011 is fascinating — especially because each gift has a value assigned to it, including the reason the gift was accepted (usually because it’d be embarrassing to turn down the gift). The gifts are usually placed in the National Archives, though I’d like to imagine the president having a special room for everything. [via]

Photo: The White House

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