1899 Japanese 50 Sen Coin Ring

This beautiful baby has been on my bench for a few weeks. I felt a snowy day would be time well spent, and yield a stunning coin ring. This 80% Silver coin did not disappoint.  With both the Obverse and Reverse sides having such great design, it was tough to decide which would be the facing side of the ring.

Obviously I went with the Reverse side because the floral design was more universally understood than the Obverse side containing Japanese words or dates of which I haven’t a clue mean. 

Given their high silver content and the age, these coins are not easy to find in great shape. Since silver is fairly soft, the art would wear off by simply being carried around in the pockets and purses of millions of people over more than 100 years.

I have to give credit to the fact that I have hunted down some pretty good sources when it comes to purchasing rare coins. Here is the semi-finished product. It’s at a U.S. Size 9 now and can be up or down sized 2 sizes without too much loss of detail.