Description: Ichibu or sometimes called “samurai bar money.” Sword sheaths sometimes contained secret compartments to carry these.Minted in Japan from 1859-1860~90% silver ~8.6 gramsObverse: “One Bu [weight unit] Silver” Reverse: “Guaranteed Silver Mine Joze [government official]”These were made using melted foreign silver and intended for use in trade. They weighed roughly 1/3 an American or Mexican silver dollar but because of a quirk in the conversation rate between these and Japanese gold, there was actually a way to use triangular arbitrage to make money. Based on the position of the inverted sakura (star) marks on the border [Fa]according to Hartill’s chart, this particular ichibu was minted during the “Ansei”era. There appear to be sakura marks on the edges to prevent clipping and shaving of the precious silver.
Price: 54.99 USD
Location: Columbus, Ohio
End Time: 2025-01-14T18:23:19.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Composition: Silver
Year: 1860
Country/Region of Manufacture: Japan
Circulated/Uncirculated: Circulated
Certification: Uncertified
