Today's Cash Coin oldies!

[Anonymous]

Hey All,
Bagged these today!- Found one other cash coin but I gave it to a very friendly, inquisitive japanese family. The coins were concentrated in maybe a 12x6 ft area. There are probably a few more, but it was pouring down rain. Only got about an hour and a half in before I had to call it a day.
Anybody have any advice on how to clean these coins?

 

[Anonymous]

Good Morning Jim,
Congratulations on some awesome finds.
If you could see the Characters (kanji) on your cash coins I would leave them alone. If you still want to clean them I would recommend a non abrasive method such electrolysis. The coin on the bottom right is a Japanese bronze 1 Sen which was minted from 1916-1938. From 1939 to 1943, the Japanese 1 Sen was made out of aluminum and has a picture of Mount Fuji on the front. I found many of these 1 bronze and aluminum 1 Sen coins in Korea because Korea was under Japanese colonial rule from 1910-1945. You also might find some brass buttons with a swival back. These buttons are uniform buttons from the Japanese Imperial Army. The Japanese Imperial Army Dress uniforms had buttons with Cherry Blossoms on them but the standard Army uniform buttons were plain. These plain buttons come up out of the ground with a nice green patina. If you are on base or even off post pay real close attention to any construction sites. In Korea I found many old coins as well as Japanese beer bottles, Japanese Imperial Army sake cups, and bowls at these sites. In addition to the many coin I found over there, I have pretty close to 400 Japanese bottles and glassware from 1890-1945 that I found at construction sites in Korea. I think you will find many cool relics from the Japanese Imperial Army (1868-1945 time period). Happy hunting and congratualtions your cash coin finds.

 

[Anonymous]

Nice ones! Did the Japanese use silver or gold for coins?