1889 Japan Meiji Yen - Real Or Fake?

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 7 / Views: 2,377
CalzoneManiac Pillar of the Community United States 2233 Posts	Posted 07/18/2016 1:02 pm I found this coin in a junk box today. There were two other coins in there - a 1741 8 reales and an 1878 goloid dollar (I will not be posting pictures of them because they are magnetic Chinese fakes). The 1889 Yen is not magnetic like the other two fakes. I do know that the Forty Thieves website has other dates of this type. EDIT: I did a weight test on the coin. Genuine 1889 Japanese yen coins weigh about 27 grams. The coin in question weighs just 17g. Pretty damning evidence towards it being a fake. The other two counterfeits have similar weights. To make sure that the reading wasn't skewed, I weighed a real 1885 Morgan dollar which had a weight of about 27g. (The scale I use is an El Cheapo made in China scale) Here are scans of the coin. Edited by CalzoneManiac 07/18/2016 1:12 pm Report this Post to the Staff

Finn235 Pillar of the Community United States 6130 Posts	Posted 07/18/2016 1:40 pm Couldn't possibly be real at that weight. Actually, no I have to wonder what it is made of. Plated tin? Does it ring if you give it a heads or tails toss? Report this Post to the Staff
CalzoneManiac Pillar of the Community United States 2233 Posts	Posted 07/18/2016 1:49 pm I'm not an expert at detecting ring pitch. Report this Post to the Staff
jgenn Pillar of the Community United States 1156 Posts	Posted 07/18/2016 1:59 pm If your scale is portable, you should take it with you to your LCS. Report this Post to the Staff
gxseries Pillar of the Community Australia 3831 Posts	Posted 07/18/2016 1:59 pm Poor details is a dead giveaway. Sometimes you can't be too cheap - you need to see a genuine example and buy from a reputable dealer. My partial coin collection http://www.omnicoin.com/collection/gxseries My numismatics articles and collection: http://www.gxseries.com/numis/numis_index.htm Regularly updated at least once a month. Report this Post to the Staff
CalzoneManiac Pillar of the Community United States 2233 Posts	Posted 07/18/2016 2:05 pm @gxseries: I actually didn't buy that---I don't know how that coin got here. Maybe a dealer threw it in not knowing what it was. @jgenn: Yes, my scale is portable. Unfortunately, there aren't any real coin shops in my area. Report this Post to the Staff
Finn235 Pillar of the Community United States 6130 Posts	Posted 07/18/2016 2:44 pm As far as the "ring" goes, you can test it with an Ike dollar, a Morgan or Peace, and something like an aluminum 5 franc. Aluminum, tin, zinc etc don't make a "ring" when you flip them because something about tonality and molecular structure. Report this Post to the Staff
Loaded1975 New Member Russian Federation 37 Posts	Posted 07/18/2016 4:35 pm modern copy, we are transported from China in 2002-2004, then China has become a full-fledged minted silver, this stuff. Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 7 / Views: 2,377

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: World Coins and Currency Forums Forum: World Coins and Commemoratives

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

View Last 100 New Topics

View Last 100 Active Topics

Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.27 seconds to rattle this change.