Went on a rampage to buy a hoard of Manchukuo coins - they seem to be drying up quite quickly. There is probably more than 100 coins in this lot. This did not come cheaply but found some key dates and upgrades in here. While catalog value seems to suggest otherwise, I have been looking for these coins for at least a couple of years. 5 li coins - this is dated 1933 1936 The most common 5 li coins are 1934 (Da Tong 3 and Kang De 1) and 1937 (Year 4). Other years are significantly difficult. Probably paid a few times more than the suggested catalog value. New type 1943 5 fen This coin is surprisingly difficult to find despite what catalog value suggest. This coin is actually harshly cleaned but I know that if I miss this opportunity, I will not see another one any time soon. Both the new and old 5 fen coin was difficult to find but this I reckon is a lot harder than the old type. I have about 4 coins left to find in this series but they all pose serious challenges. 1 fen copper: 1933 - despite what all catalog value say, I have not seen one for sale. 10 fen / 1 jiao aluminum old type: 1943 - this is the most expensive key date 5 li copper: 1935, 1939. Now I reckon these two could be as hard as the key date especially the 1939 5 li.
Congrats on the hoard. I too am in the works of procuring some rares, not of this series, but in general. I see sometimes catalogs say a coin is "common" or "scarce" when in fact I have never seen one....and I looked !
BTW I wouldn't mind having one of each denomination of these coins. Its really an interesting time and place.
Cool pickup. Always buy hoards when you can is my motto. Right now I am buying a lot of those Palembang tin pitis from the hoard discovered in Indonesia. If anyone is interested in SE Asian cash coins, I highly suggest taking advantage of this current hoard. They seem to be everywhere right now, but trust me eventually they will just poof be gone.
