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Mameitagin 'Bunsei Mameitagin' Large 寳
| Issuer | Japan |
|---|---|
| Year | 1820-1837 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Monme Silver / Monme-Gin / Ginme (1601-1874) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse displays a single large Japanese character 寳 (Takara, meaning 'Treasure') prominently rendered in bold, deeply impressed strokes, filling the majority of the irregular flan. The character is executed in a stylized calligraphic form typical of Edo-period hammered silver coinage, with the strokes showing the characteristic uneven pressure of hand-struck production. The field around the character is plain, with no border or additional inscription, allowing the central motif to dominate the composition. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | 寳 (Translation: Treasure) |
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| Additional information |
Mameitagin — literally "bean-shaped silver" — were produced at the Ginza mints as an explicitly weighed currency, their irregular form a deliberate artifact of hand-cutting rather than any lapse in quality control. The Bunsei era issues followed a significant debasement: the Bunsei Mameitagin dropped silver fineness sharply from the preceding Bunka pieces, part of the Tokugawa shogunate's repeated attempts to manage chronic fiscal deficits by quietly degrading the coinage. Merchants quickly noticed and adjusted their exchange rates accordingly.
The "Large 寳" designation distinguishes this by the size of the stamped character — a die classification, not a denomination difference.