I've been trying to identify this coin for over fifteen years, now, and it's about time I started looking for outside help. It's an east-Asian coin, probably from the 18th-19th century with an unusual shape as seen in the attached pics. It measures 34mm top-to-bottom, 30mm from side-to-side across the 'points,' and 24mm across the 'waist.' The weight of this coin is exactly 15.0 grams. (Yeah, how often does that happen?) It appears to be made out of bronze and the finish has substantially deteriorated to the point that it is rough to the touch. I do not know the country of origin, the exact date of mintage, or the denomination. For that matter, I'm not entirely certain it IS a coin. Sure looks like one, though. Out of several thousand coins, there have been fifteen to twenty that have consistantly mystified me for a loooooong time, but this bugger has been the biggest mystery. I'd really appreciate any assistance you guys can offer. Even vague guesses would be of help, really. I'm out of ideas! Thanks.
Aran,this piece is from Japan,but it is not a coin.I think that it is an offering token issued at one of the Shinto temples,but I cannot say with certainty. Aidan.
Welcome to the forum Aran. Actually, it could probably date to any time in the Tokugawa Era - the period from 1603-1867 during which the Shoguns (Warlords) ruled in the Emperor's name. While it wasn't issued by the national government, or any provincial government, it was a form of "money", somewhat equivalent to the English Conder Tokens, or the U.S. Hard Times and Civil War Tokens. Unfortunately my best efforts at modifying your pictures weren't good enough to make the legends completely readable, but the central part of Side B, under the decorative circle, is "go ju mon" (50 mon), a monetary value. The most common size round "cash" coins with the square center hole are 1 mon. The center legend under the circle on Side A is "nin soku tsuyo sen" (roughly "laborer's money"). The shape of the coin is that of the official weights used in feudal Japanese balance scales, which is depicted on - among others - the ¥50 coins of 1955-58. A most interesting and unusual piece that is extremely difficult to place a value on. I'm not aware of any English language catalog of this type of token.
Wow. Thanks for both replies. Maybe this will help narrow things down a bit. It's a shame there's no English publication that might help identify/value it, but I can check around at some of the local shows.
