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Japanese and Vietnamese Coins

The Chinese Neighbors Coinages


The coinages of the Chinese neighboring countries had been strongly influenced by the Chinese system since Tang Dynasty. These countries cast their own round coins, with a square hole in the center. As the development of the international commercial economy, that kinds of foreign copper cash occasionally flowed into China too. From eighteenth century, plenty of the Annames, Japanese and Korean copper coins bore legends in Chinese character were smuggled into China and circulated in mixed strings in the market. A typical example is the Japanese K'uan Yung T'ung Pao (Kan ei tsu hou) copper cash, which is commonly found in China until now.

I have posted here with some non-Chinese copper cash images. I received them from Mr. E.L.Dunkerly of USA a few days before. I know only a little about their mint evolution and peculiarity. But luckly, Mr.Shuichi Yamashita of Japan has kindly written the backgrounds of the coins. I appreciate much. Thanks indeed to Mr.Shuichi Yamashita. If you want to share your knowledge and enthusism in this hobby, feel free to drop me a line. Thank you in advance.


Marks of Rareness of the Collected Currencies
Extremely Rare A ~ Very Rare B ~ Rare C ~ Not So Many D ~ Common E

ObverseReverseDescription
No. 150
Diam.
? mm
Wt. ? g.
Rareness ?
Mint Evolution & Peculiarity
No.150
Name : Ryu kyu tsu hou.
O : from up to down : Ryu kyu tsu zu.
"Ryu kyu" is an old name of "Okinawa" island of Japan. "tsu hou" means "circulating treasure".
R : from up to down : Tou hyaku.
Tou mesans "deserve". hyaku means "one hundred".
Therefore this inscription means "This coin deserves 100 pieces of Kan ei tsu hou". "Kan ei tsu hou" is a general coin of Japan and deserved one "Mon". "Mon" is an old currency unit of Japan.
Casting era : AD 1863.
Casting place : Isonohama, Kagoshima, Japan. There are many type of this coin. But,representative type is, 49.4mm. by 33.1mm. 20g. This coin was made by the feudal domain of Satsuma (=Kagoshima). This coin is a "Daiji sen" type. Price : 8.000 - 22.000 JPY. This is a real coin.
ObverseReverseDescription
No. 151
Diam.
? mm
Wt. ? g.
Rareness ?
Mint Evolution & Peculiarity
No.151
Name : Chiku zen tsu hou.
O : from up to down : Chiku zen tsu hou. "Chiku zen" is an old name of "Fukuoka" of Japan. "tsu hou" means "circulating treasuer".
R : from up to down : Tou hyaku. A signature of the Director of the Mint Bureau. "Tou hyaku" is the same as reverse of No.150.
Casting era : AD 1863.
Casting place : Fukuoka, Japan.
Representative type is, 49.2mm. by 32.3mm. 20g.
Price : 500.000 - 1.000.000 JPY.

Please feel easy. This is a forgery. Because,
1. The letter is too thick.
2. The signature is too big.
3. The color of metal is different from the real coin
( As I can't see the real coin of No.151, this is supposition ).
ObverseReverseDescription
No. 152
Diam.
? mm
Wt. ? g.
Rareness ?
Mint Evolution & Peculiarity
1. Certainly, the model of No.152 is "Shun tian yuan bao" (AD 760) of Tang Dynasty. But "Shun tian yuan bao" was made by "Shi Si ming". "Shi Si ming" is a traitor (=rebel) for Tang Dynasty. Therefore, after Tang Dynasty, the inscription of "Shun tian yuan bao" was not used by any official government in any country. Because this inscription was made by a traitor. Therefore,
Conclusion A - The coin of No.152 was made by Non-official (=private) people.

2. In the reverse of the true coin of "Shun tian yuan bao", there is no inscription. Please see your coin dictionary. But, in fact, "Shun tian yuan bao" deserved 100 pieces of usual coins. But, this coin-system was not mentioned on the reverse of true coin "Shun tian yuan bao".

How did Non-official people know this Chinese coin-system ("Shun tian yuan bao" = 100 coins) in ancient or medieval world ?
Non-official people in ancient or medieval world can not absolutely know the coin-system of "Shun tian yuan bao". Because there is no inscription in the reverse of true coin.
But, in the reverse of No.152, there is inscription of "100". Therefor, this coin (No.152) was made by people who know Chinese coin system very well. They are people who can see Coin Dictionary. Of course they are Modern People.
And ancient or medieval people did not forge traitor-coin. Because there are no merit. Why did they forge traitor-coin deliberately ?
Therefore No.152 was made by people who can get merit by making traitor-coin deliberately. Of course they are Modern People.
Conclusion B - The coin of No.152 was made by modern people, who know Chinese coin-system very well and get merit by making traitor-coin.

Conclusion A and B indicates that this coin of No.152 is a modern forgery.
I would like to change my former report of No.152 a little. 100%, this coin is a modern forgery.

[ I think this copper cash may be an imitation of the ancient Annamese cash of the Thuan Thien period (1428). If you know anything about this coin, feel free to drop me a line. Thank you in advance. YKL]
ObverseReverseDescription
No. 153
Diam.
? mm
Wt. ? g.
Rareness ?
Mint Evolution & Peculiarity
No.153
Name : Sentence is perpetual, circulating treasuer : Bun kyu tsu hou.
O : up : Bun (Sentence), down : kyu (perpetual), right : tsu (circulate), left : hou (treasuer).
R : Tou hyaku mon. A sinature of the Director of the Mint Bureau. About "Tou hyaku mon", please see my explanation of No.150. This inscription means that this coin deserves 100 "Mon". Casting era : AD 1863.
Casting place : Asakusabashi and Higashidaikumachi,Edo (Tokyo). Representative type is, D-40mm. W- I don't have data.
Price - I am sorry. I don't have data. But this coin is a real coin. Surface of this coin, especially a fissure of reverse, shou the right and natural aging. If this coin were a modern forgery, this coin could not show fissure like this.


More about Japanese coins by Mr.Shuichi Yamashita or
A Japanese Cash of the Keicho period



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Any additional comment would be much appreciated, you can send it to ykl