Special Delivery From Greece (Japanese Coins)!
JamminJ
Posts: 1,413 ✭✭✭
I received my winnings from Dimitir's last round of auction this week; two more additions to my meandering Japan set - have a look:
First up a large sized Taisho sen in full red. It has the beginnings of a crusty skin and some light fingerprinting but overall an attractive original coin. Luster is superb and the strike full. One contact mark just above the denomination. I don't see many large sized sens nice, let alone in full red, so I was glad to grab this one. Dimiti might point out not so glad I grabbed it at full price int he weekly swap!
I let a red-brown Meiji sen go a while back. I really liked that one but wanted to do Japan coppers in full red (no real reason, just a collecting whim). Just to prove the full red rule my exception is a nice glossy brwn rin.
The other one is a nice Meiji Yen. This is my second yen joining a Taisho sample in my collection. Coin is blast white and lustrous, probably dipped sometime in the past as you can see a few small areas with what looks like the remains of blah toning. Again a wonderful full strike. Compared to my other one (also in an MS64 holder) this has slightly cleaner but also slightly less dramatic luster so I guess they are both accurately graded. Mine are the two best yens I've seen, although I don't look for them quite as hard as I do for thalers. Most have lots of contact marks, but I heard rumors on a common date in MS67 being offered at the last ANA show. Perhaps I'll be successful in hunting that one down someday!
Most every UNC Japansese coin seems fully struck, perhaps they were sticklers for craftsmanship.
As always, comments are welcome!
First up a large sized Taisho sen in full red. It has the beginnings of a crusty skin and some light fingerprinting but overall an attractive original coin. Luster is superb and the strike full. One contact mark just above the denomination. I don't see many large sized sens nice, let alone in full red, so I was glad to grab this one. Dimiti might point out not so glad I grabbed it at full price int he weekly swap!
I let a red-brown Meiji sen go a while back. I really liked that one but wanted to do Japan coppers in full red (no real reason, just a collecting whim). Just to prove the full red rule my exception is a nice glossy brwn rin.
The other one is a nice Meiji Yen. This is my second yen joining a Taisho sample in my collection. Coin is blast white and lustrous, probably dipped sometime in the past as you can see a few small areas with what looks like the remains of blah toning. Again a wonderful full strike. Compared to my other one (also in an MS64 holder) this has slightly cleaner but also slightly less dramatic luster so I guess they are both accurately graded. Mine are the two best yens I've seen, although I don't look for them quite as hard as I do for thalers. Most have lots of contact marks, but I heard rumors on a common date in MS67 being offered at the last ANA show. Perhaps I'll be successful in hunting that one down someday!
Most every UNC Japansese coin seems fully struck, perhaps they were sticklers for craftsmanship.
As always, comments are welcome!
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Comments
It's always amazing to see how varied your interests are. How do you become (and stay) knowledgeable about so many different types?
It seems like the reverses of the yen coin always get banged up in the fields, doesn't it? Nice looking coins.
Obscurum per obscurius
<< <i>It seems like the reverses of the yen coin always get banged up in the fields, doesn't it? Nice looking coins. >>
That is 100% correct. If ever I see a really clean one it's coming home with me!
<< <i>Nice coins!
It's always amazing to see how varied your interests are. How do you become (and stay) knowledgeable about so many different types? >>
My core collection has always been the Holy Roman Empire stuff in all shapes and sizes but particuarly Hapsburg portrait thalers and gemmy minors. However, I have a rotating side collection of just whatever interesting theme I can think to put together amoung the stuff that passes through my hands. Also I buy and sell pretty much anything so I recall generally how most coins are usually seen with regards to grade and characteristics.
A Japan quasi type set recently beat out a few other candidates (Portuguese Colonial, French Indo China, Roman Imperial silver) for my new side collections. I settled on Japan mostly because I like the designs, to my eye they have an exotic look and I picked up a few killer coins in the research stage.
This coin set me up:
and this one mowed me down:
My previous side collection was Ottoman coinage. I liked them as they;re a challenge to find nice but once you do they can be had cheap. After amassing a half dozen nice coin the magic faded.
<< <i>Building a Portuguese colonial type set is a challenge. And you won't have to worry about them being too cheap, either.
One of the things I liked about Portugal Colonial was the variety of places the coins can be had: Mozambique, Angola, India, Macao, St Prince. Also, the coat of arms is an attractive one as are the ones with the lady on them. i was thinking mostly 20th centruy stuff so I cuold get them in high grade. Who knows, one day I may give it a whirl! Apparently, I'm never more than two coins away from starting a new set.
Ever attempted to collect Korean coins that was under the Japanese protectorate era, JamminJ? Some of them were minted in the Osaka mint too.
<< <i>That is 100% correct. If ever I see a really clean one it's coming home with me! >>
If you see two of them, grab one for me
Cathy
Shep
<< <i>It seems like the reverses of the yen coin always get banged up in the fields, doesn't it? >>
I think that's a characteristic of just about any coin that has large unbroken fields.
Those are some great coins, and I'm envious. My highest quality dragon yen is a raw Meiji 25 with an Osaka Gin countermark, that's probably in the MS62-63 range.
<< <i>I still love that colorful 50S >>
09/07/2006
<< <i>
<< <i>I still love that colorful 50S >>
Yea, verily.
Obscurum per obscurius
Looks like a great start to your type set. Wonderful pics as usual
Dimitri's always happy when the coins end up in the hands of another Darksider.
As for the Japanese coins, I had to let them go in favour of my Swiss collection which has now being elevated to number two with Great Britain filling up the third place. FYI ,it was Cathy who got the best deal of them all,a truly beautiful Meiji RB sen, but there was only red fields and a blue dragon on that coin.
myEbay
DPOTD 3
<< <i>I had to let them go >>
Now if JamminJ would decide to let his Japanese coins go too....
<< <i>Ever attempted to collect Korean coins that was under the Japanese protectorate era, JamminJ? Some of them were minted in the Osaka >>
Never even seen one inperson! I have bought and sold a few Manchukuo coins but none have stuck.