UPDATE - It won't do any good but

satootoko · November 14, 2003 2:04PM

I just had to notify E-Bay's fraud desk about

this fake!

Let's see - if ¥1 weighs 26.9568g containing an ASW of .78 oz, then ¥10,000 must have an ASW of 7,800 oz. (about 535 av. pounds!), and a total weight of almost 270 kilograms (~590 lb.) in .900 silver; but this one is all of 165 g (less than av. 6 oz.)!!!!!

The inscription on the side with a readable picture does indeed specify a value of ¥10,000, and the chrysanthemum/leaves pattern is very Japanesey, but that hardly certifies the coin

. I was unable to enhance the other picture enough to read anything.

I wonder how many times his other identifies have been NARU'd.

I told E-Bay about the weight discrepancy, and pointed out that there is no reference to anything like it in any of the four definitive works on Japanese coins of the Meiji era: Krause, JNDA, Japanese Coinage by Jacobs & Vermuele, or Modern Japanese Coinage by Cummings. Anyone who thinks E-Bay will act on the basis of that information, please PM me with offers for the bridge I have for sale. It extendis from San Francisco to Marin County!

EDITED TO ADD:

Here's the reply I got from the seller to my message telling him that I was reporting his fake item to EBay:

<< <i>This silver coin is my grandfather to stay of, my house has collected and keep for more than 60 years.This silver coin I did not take away to authenticate, but I make sure it is true.If take this catalogue book and then can discriminate the silver coin is really false, that everyone all authenticated the expert.Thanks for your letter. >>

If I read it right, he's claiming that some (unspecified) expert has authenticated the coin.

Yeah, sure!