...when the slab is wrong. The slab reads "M25 (1892)" or "Meiji Year 25" which should look like this on the coin: 明治二十五年 (going clockwise from about 11:00 to 3:00 above) But the coin instead shows the following Kanji: 明治二十九年 Which is actually "M29 (1896)" or "Meiji Year 29." In Japanese 五 = 5 and 九 = 9. The discrepancy doesn't make a huge difference in rarity, price or mintage, so it's really not a big deal, but I actually wanted year M29 so I purchased it. Of course I checked the coin out on NGC before buying it. This is the first time I've seen such a mistake on a slab, so I found it interesting. And now... it really seems like a good time for a Dragon close-up: I can't get enough of the Meiji dragons... despite the slabs, which are nearly always spot on accurate anyway... given the language difference, this mistake is somewhat understandable. But were it a real rarity with such a flub then some dragons may really breathe fires of fury.
The mix ups are rare but they do happen. I once had a couple of sen coins that both PCGS and NGC had gotten the number right but not the Emperor. Both companies fixed the slabs without a problem. Nice yen btw!
Hm. Something makes me want to keep the slab as it is regardless of the error. The discrepancy doesn't really bother me and it does serve as a constant reminder to "buy the coin and not the slab." Plus, to have it corrected I'd have to send it in, pay postage and insurance, etc. That's obviously not a huge deal, but it does involve a little hassle and a little bit of risk. Hm. For now I'll keep it as is. My brain may change course at a future time.
Yep, the mailing/insurance is a pain. I was lucky enough to drop them both off at a Baltimore show so no cost . Probably slab-heresy but when I have an error or unattributed variety I use a fine tip Sharpie and make a note of it right on the slab (avoiding the coin and the label areas directly of course!).
They're not extremely expensive in AU grades. You can typically find decent Meiji 1 Yen dragons in the most common years somewhere between $100 - $200. The extremely high grades, as expected, go for extremely high prices soaring up on a nearly logarithmic scale. The JNDA (the annual Japanese-language dealer guide, sort of a Japanese "Red Book"), lists prices for the Meiji year 29 without a counter stamp ranging from 5,000円 to 80,000円, or, using today's exchange rates, approximately $44 to $700. But Japanese coins often sell for less in Japan, so add some premium to these values when purchasing elsewhere.
You'd be better off using a sticker. You can make any note you want that way and it is removable. Once a slab is marked permanently a lot of people will factor in reslabbing costs if you try and sell
