Advertisement

Rare Japanese coins auctioned

TOKYO, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Japan's Finance Ministry has auctioned off 1,105 gold coins issued between 1870 and 1932, with some extremely rare coins fetching $100,000 or more each.

A 2-yen gold coin, of which only 39 were minted in 1877, was sold at the highest price Monday, $165,000. Ten 20-yen gold coins called "phantom gold coins," which were minted in 1932 but never circulated, were auctioned off for $73,000 to $100,000 each in the first public auction of its kind in Tokyo, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported Wednesday.

Advertisement

"This was a bargain because there are none on the market," said a 71-year-old coin trader.

The gold coins were temporarily seized by the Allied command after World War II, but were returned to the government when the San Francisco Peace Treaty was signed in 1951.

Latest Headlines

Advertisement

Trending Stories

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement