Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1 Mon 'Kan'eitsūhō' Iron alloy, blank reverse
| Issuer | Japan |
|---|---|
| Year | 1739-1859 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Mon |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Four Chinese characters in kaisho (regular script) arranged in the traditional cross-reading order around a central raised square perforation: 寛 (top), 通 (right), 寶 (bottom), and 永 (left), together reading 寛永通寶 (Kan'ei Tsūhō, meaning 'Currency of the Kan'ei Period'). Each character is rendered in relief within the flat field, enclosed between a raised inner square rim surrounding the central hole and a raised outer circular rim. The bold, angular calligraphic style is characteristic of Edo-period cast iron mon coinage produced at multiple official mints across Japan. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain reverse with a smooth, flat field devoid of any inscription or decorative element. A raised circular outer rim and a raised square inner rim surrounding the central square perforation are the only features present, consistent with the standard blank-reverse type of Edo-period iron Kan'ei Tsūhō mon coinage. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Kan'ei Tsūhō coinage was first authorized in 1636 under the Tokugawa shogunate and became the backbone of small-denomination exchange across Japan for over two centuries. The iron-planchet variant emerged in 1739 as copper supplies tightened under shogunal resource management — a deliberate substitution driven by domestic metal policy rather than shortage alone. Iron pieces were struck at multiple han mints operating under shogunal license, producing significant variation in flan quality and surface texture across the production run.
The blank reverse distinguishes this from later issues that carried mint marks or backing authority identifiers. That absence of attribution makes precise mint assignment nearly impossible without die study.