Featured Japanese Reiwa coins (令和元年)...

I thought the proof sets ran more in the $90 - $100 range? I paid around $35 for my mint Reiwa set, which was not a proof set.

 

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@ewomack: I misread the initial post and now realized the writer was referring to "Proof". I have yet to see a proof coin set. Perhaps I will find one during my next visit to Japan in late spring. Mada sagasshite mimasu.

 

@Sullykerry2 - Yes! Please give us updates on your coin shopping in Japan! It has been great to get stories, tips or anything about coins and Japan.

 

Will do. If you are attending the New York International Numismatics Show in January I will be there as will several Japanese dealers.

 

By the way, I forgot to mention, there's another coin shop on the floor above the Nozaki shop!!!

 

@Dnas: You are truly the coin sleuth in the Yokohama and Tokyo area. Thank you very much. Yokohama (near Izezakichou) is the first place I lived when I was a student. Many years ago.

 

I live about 2.5km away from there just off the top of "The Bluff", about 100m from the old foreign cemetery.

 

You live near my favorite places in Yokohama: Chinatown, Sacred Heart Cathedral and Honmoku. I was walking around Sankeien this past March and caught the early blossoming of the Sakura. Natsukashii.

 

Okay, so I broke down and also ordered the Heisei 31 (平成31年) mint set for 2019. The prices have really come down on them, so I moved.When they first appeared, I saw them for $150 or more, which was way too much for an uncirculated mint set. I bought mine for about 1/5 of that.

I'll post photos when it arrives.

 

The Heisei coins arrived, so these, along with the earlier posted Reiwa (令和元年) coins, complete the two Japanese coin sets for 2019. The Heisei coins all carry the dates 平成三十一年 or 平成31年, to mark the final year of the Emperor Akihito on the throne (he requested abdication due to age and the Japanese government had to create a special constitutional dispensation for an Emperor to step down; typically a reign ends only upon an Emperor's death).

This set contains the same wild boar medal as the Reiwa set, with the 2019 reverse. The characters 造幣局 (pronounced "Zôheikyoku"), not surprisingly, mean "Mint." I've also included some closeups of the Heisei dates on a few coins.

I don't buy many mint sets, but the changing of a Japanese Emperor, and a corresponding era, doesn't come along too often. Thankfully, the prices finally came down enough to warrant purchasing them. Upon release, both of these sets sold for $150.00 or more each. By waiting for a mere few months, I was able to get them both for well under $100.00, including postage. Buying into initial hype rarely pays.

It will be interesting to see the final mintage figures and whether they line up with the historical trend of releasing far less of the outgoing Emperor's coins than the incoming Emperor's.

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Ed: Thank you for posting your message and pictures. I wish you, your family and all those reading these posts a joyous holiday season.

 

I was able to get the last of the Heisei and first of the Reiwa mint sets for a total of $80. They've definitely come down in price. (Not so for the proof sets though.)

 

By the way, if you are looking for coins while in Japan, you should go to certain antique markets in Tokyo. Of course, you need to be careful, but some are legitimate:

1. Oedo Antique Market. I've sometimes seen that Ginza Coins occasionally has a stall there!!! There are usually a bit cheaper than at the Ginza Coins shop. (usually 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month)

2. Tomioka Hachmangu Shrine in Fukagawa. There is sometimes a dealer who has a coin stall, with a tent top(maybe 50% of the time). All his coins are legitimate. Generally 1st, 2nd & 4th Sundays of the month He usually has an extensive variety of Meiji 1 yen and 50 sen coins, and a lot of other Japanese coins and notes. There's also a few non Japanese coins.

3. Yamato Antique Fair. 3rd Saturday of the month. There are two coin stalls there.
(a.)At the eastern side of Yamato Station near the end, there is a dealer who sells a variety of quality coins and notes. There's a variety of mint/proof non Japanese silver coins. He also has a big collection of Japanese coins. His coins are legitimate. Sometimes has Japanese mint/proof sets.
(b.)At the western end, about halfway along, there's a coin guy that sells a variety coins, including a table of sort through Japanese coins. Then he has non Japanese coins in coin holders.... You need to look at these carefully, as there are one or two that are counterfeit, but they are priced accordingly and he will tell you they are fake. The Japanese coins in coin holders are all legitimate. This guy's coins are lesser in quality to the first guy(a.)

See here for dates of these markets:
http://yumemakura.travel.coocan.jp/Antique.html

 

Well as an early Christmas present I got one of these, which I am very pleased with. I couldn’t get good pictures of the coins so I thought I’d show some pictures of the case it’s in instead. I like the edge with the dots. Additionally, I got the 500 yen enthronement comemmorative as well. It depicts the Crysanthemum Throne that the emperor used in the ceremony.
I can’t afford, or much less find, the gold one.

 

Reiwa coins are turning up regularly in pocket change now.
There's quite a few close to uncirculated, so it's a good time to find them while they are recently released

 

Do you see any price changes on the PROOF Reiwa sets. I am thinking of ordering one from one of the Japanese dealers that will be attending the NY International Numismatic Convention on January 17th.

Shinnen akemashite omedatou gozaimasu.

 

No, I haven't seen any, although I've been away (In Texas actually!! )
I'll take a look in Ginza Coins at some stage... they may have some.

 

Thank you. I believe one of the Takeuchi brothers will be coming to NYC for the International Numismatic Show. Don't you miss Texas BBQ living in Japan?

 

Yes, I have BBQ everytime I visit my GF in Texas. I also miss a number of things from my home country (Australia). But these days, you can get many more western foods, particularly in Yokohama.
I think I'll head to Ginza coins on Thursday.

 

Thank you for letting me know. I bought some coins from them last October at one of their auctions. I had a dickens of a time getting th funds to them as their bank would not accept my payment instructions UNLESS it was written in hiragana. That was a lessone for both me and the Takeuchis. They were very patient. Please say yorishikku on my behalf.