Description

Period: Japanese Emperor Meiji

Date: 1868-1869

Origin: Kinza, Edo (Tokyo) mint

Obverse Kirimon flower crests top and bottom, in the centre the value 2 bu

Reverse Characters for the Mint Official and his signature, Mitsutsugu

Features and provenance: These rectangular electrum coins were introduced during great changes in Japan. They are officially called ‘nibu-kin’, meaning 2 gold Bu, but are also known as ‘Samurai coins’ as they were first issued by the Tokugawa shogunate. They were produced from about 22% gold and 78% silver, introduced to regulate the amount of gold that was leaving the country with increase in world trade.