Japan 1 Shu and 1 BU Bar Coins

[Daniel]

The SHU is the silver and the BU is the gold. I see some people calling these Sumari Bar Coins from mid to late 1800's. They're small with the silver SHU weighing 2.59 grains and the BU is 2.12, the BU is supposed to be silver and gold and I am not certain if it's authentic.

I am not certain about either one, but the BU should weigh more than the silver SHU because they're the same size and the BU should have gold. If anyone has any info on counterfeits then let me know.

[mhonzell]

Some more tidbits to share on these:
The bar on the left, as you said, should be gold. 1868-1869. 11mm x 19mm. NiBu Kin. 3 grams. First coin of Meiji Restoration after samurai overthrown. (Think Tom Cruise movie: The Last Samurai.) Later replaced with round coins (with square holes in them) three years later.

A very similar coin to the NiBu Kin. 1856-1860. It weighed 5.6g. Exact same markings.

The one on the right, as you state, is silver. Probably 1824-1830. 2 Nishu Gin? (You said 1, I'm not sure.) C-13a. PCGS identifier: 419217.63. Later Shu have a more defined rectangle around writing creating a kind of frame.

The coins were made in a time when Japan was forbidding foreign coinage. So, many millions of each were made, which should make counterfeiting them a waste of time.

[Daniel]

Thanks for that, but from experience, counterfeiters don't think twice about wasting their time and will counterfeit any coin denomination. It's easier to pass off common coins than rare coins, people don't notice them as much. If I hadn't weighed the BU then I would not have questioned it's authenticity, it just doesn't weigh enough and it's larger than the silver SHU.

I might be wrong on the SHU, but I got all mixed up looking at my coin catalogue in PDF and just gave up. I am just not much of a world coin person, so glad you are!

[Paul]

stuff