Chopmarks and countermarks. Gin countermark (in the circle) on left reverse added by the Osaka mint.
Type:
Meiji 35 (1902) 1 Yen ...
To understand chopmarks you must understand the Chinese attitude to silver coins in the 17th through to the early 20th centuries. The Chinese saw silver coins as round pieces of bullion, tradeable silver, not money at all.
Some of them have oriental chopmarks which were counterstamps from the orient. Many trade dollar coins of the western powers and of the large silver coins from China, Korea, and Japan have these chopmarks.
Certain higher graded coins with chopmarks (punchmarks stamped on the coins by Oriental merchants, to signify that the pieces were of good weight and fineness) are cheap, ...
Trade dollar: a special Silver Dollar made from 1873 to 1885 that was sent to Asia to compete with silver bullion coins of other countries. Many of these have interesting chopmarks.
 See also: Chopmark, Mint, Marks, Reverse, Revers
  
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