And besides the date, opinions on the authentication of this coin. I save U.S. classics so I'm really a fish out of water here. I found the coin's identity to be a One Yen silver dragon. However, I am really concerned about it's surfaces and the fact they are counterfeited a lot. They seem porous and the detail is not sharp. Maybe back then this was a common condition and it fits the norm? I don't know. I could take the time to read up on how to decipher the date and era, but I am doing this as a favor for someone, and may never go through the exercise again. So I am going to rely on the world coin experts to chime in and lend a hand.
Meiji year 28, but it is a modern fake. Sorry. Your trained eye is universal, which is always nice to have. You were suspicious even without being familiar with these types of coins. Thumbs up.
Thanks for the answer and the comment. I needed a second opinion, especially since it belongs to my son's fiancee'. It was given to her by her deceased grandfather, so I didn't want to make a critical mistake.
I'm not sure I can offer an expert opinion but it doesn't initially seem like a fake to me. In other words, I don't get that feeling right away upon seeing it. Do a few basic tests first. See if a magnet sticks. Second, find out the correct weight and see if it's close or off quite a bit. Sorry I don't have my world catalog right now to tell you year and weight. I think year 28 is correct because I see the year symbol to the viewers top right, so that means you read to the left, multiply 2 by the cross (means 10) and add the last symbol which is probably 8. The two symbols on other side are the emperor/reign, but again I don't have my guide. I'm not sure the mintage and how scarce this is, so that should be considered too. If it's quite common, I don't think you'd run into many fakes. But of course higher grades and their values tempt forgers as well.
It is a common date. You can tell it is fake without doing any further tests by the weakly struck and porous looking areas. Genuine examples of this type were struck with very high standards of quality.
Yeah I see that too. It really helps when you have another example to compare it to. I'd suggest the person who created this post just google pics of genuine coins and compare the coins to his. I suggest the magnet since it's so easy and would rule out any more work.
