✅ SOLVED Japanese Coin and a couple other finds...

[Swartzie]

I was out for a morning hunt along the banks of the Ohio river and came across some interesting finds. The first one I learned is a Japanese coin (100 mon) from 1835-1870. The second one was found in the same hole as the coin. I thought it was an effigy of some sort when I first saw it in the dirt. But, it looks too whimsical for that. It's lead and is molded. I can't tell if the figures are cats or bears. The third looks like personal adornment, but what? Obviously it attached to something and would swing open. It's fairly ornate and has a nice green patina on it. The area hunted goes back to late 1700's.

Thanks for any input,
Swartzie

 

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[Indian Steve]

Could # 3 be the front part of an old clip on earing?

 

[unclemac]

that looks like "maneki-neko" to me...the beckoning cat...or in other words...."hello-kitty". Japanese good luck...

 

[Discrimination Dave]

April Fools Day was three months ago.
You Joshin' Bro?

 

[unclemac]

you mean me?....here is a link

Maneki-neko - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Discrimination Dave]

you mean me?....here is a link

Maneki-neko - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

No, I mean the initial poster. The coin and the Netsuke are from the long period of isolation in Japan.
To find those together on the Ohio River is more than fortunate. Its like powerball lottery odds.

Google Netsuke for the cat figure. They were attached to small satchels carried on mens clothing as the traditional clothing had no pockets.
They fell out of favor after the Meiji restoration (1868).

 

[Swartzie]

Guess I should be playing the lottery then. They were indeed found along the banks of the Ohio in the the same hole about two inches down in an erroded run off. A lot of immigrants came into this particular area from the late 1700's on.

Sure would be nice to get a guess on the third item.

-Swartzie

 

[Discrimination Dave]

Virtually zero Japanese immigrants to the United States before the Meiji Restoration.
Google Japanese immigration to the U.S.trends.

Large seaworthy ships were illegal and banned for 200 years prior to the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
When sparce immigration did begin in the 1880's to 90's, the coinage had not only changed, but there were never large groups of Japanese immigrants who bartered among themselves with traditional coinage as the Chinese did.
Japanese immigrants by their very nature would have conformed to their new culture (western clothing, U.S. coinage, etc). Quite opposite of the more abundant Chinese immigrants, a little research will confirm.
More likely lost by a 20th century collector as opposed to period.
Still cool finds though.

 

[unclemac]

this is good

Otokichi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Discrimination Dave]

That WAS good.
Thank you for that.