JAPANESE COIN FOUND AT AUSTRALIAN GOLDRUSH CAMPSITE

 

A metal detectorist exploring an Australian Gold Rush-era campsite made a remarkable discovery in recent weeks — even without striking gold.

Angus James, a treasure hunter in the Australian state of Victoria, was sweeping an abandoned sports field — known locally as a sports oval — on Jan. 24 when he uncovered an unusual coin.

The field, north of the mining town of Ballarat, had been used as a campsite during the Australian Gold Rush, which began in 1851 and continued for decades.

Digging in the dirt, James realized the coin was Japanese in origin — and made of bronze.

The find was no ordinary piece of currency.

It was a 100 Mon Tempo Tsuho, a coin that held modest purchasing power and was commonly used for small, everyday transactions in 19th-century Japan.

Interestingly, the characters on the coin are Chinese, even though it was produced in Japan during the mid-19th century — a common practice at the time.

To read the complete article, see:
Metal detectorist searching Gold Rush campsite uncovers 'extremely rare' relic: 'Such a buzz' (https://www.foxnews.com/travel/metal-detectorist-searching-gold-rush-campsite-uncovers-extremely-rare-relic-such-buzz)

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