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'Tenpō Mameitagin' Daikoku Uniface
| Issuer | Japan |
|---|---|
| Year | 1837-1858 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Mameita Gin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Uniface hammered billon piece of irregular bean-shaped flan bearing a stamped design of Daikoku, one of the Seven Gods of Fortune, centrally placed within the field. The primary authentication stamp consists of the character 保 (Hō), denoting the Tenpō era, enclosed within the Daikoku cartouche. A cluster of additional 保 characters surrounds the central motif, serving as mint verification marks. On certain examples, partial impressions of the characters 常 (upper) and 是 (lower) are visible along the left margin, representing further assay or mint official stamps. The overall surface exhibits the characteristic uneven, rounded texture resulting from the hammered bean-silver production technique. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Japanese (Kanji) |
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| Additional information |
The Tenpō Mameitagin was struck under bakufu authority as an emergency measure during the Tenpō era monetary crisis, when chronic silver shortages and chronic budget deficits forced the Tokugawa shogunate to drastically debase its coinage. At .260 fineness, this piece contains a fraction of the silver found in earlier Edo-period issues. The shogunate attempted to pass it at face value through official decree — a policy met with immediate market skepticism and rapid price inflation.
The "Daikoku" designation identifies this as the variety bearing the Daikoku-za mint stamp, distinguishing it from other authorized issuers of the same type.