Looking good! This means auction values are gradually lowering. Good time to buy if you’ve been on the fence.
Looking back across just 10 years, the highest point of strength for USD to JPY was late 2022. But in early February 2024 a new high was reached. 151.6 JPY to 1 USD. It started a rather rapid drop-off from there, slipping by 10, but is now rebounding.
10 years ago (2014), it was 101 JPY to 1 USD. So that’s about a 50% increase in currency strength for the USD.
The worst time to be a buyer of Japanese auctions in the USA was 2012, where at the lowest point the JPY was 76 to 1 USD! And still painful were the years before, back down to 2009. Just prior to the housing market crash in late 2008, it was over 100 JPY to 1 USD. Today an equivalent item selling for about the same JPY selling price back in 2012 would be over 50% cheaper now.
We are in a phenomenal time now. Who knows how long it will last? Will we even see a new high towards the end of 2024?
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Its been tough, when I started my job here in early 2021, the war had not started and the conversion rate was stable. Also the cost of energy, food and other goods was steady for years, but recently its all gone up significantly. At the same time the salaries have remained static. I think if I had a family or supporting another person I would have had absolutely zero Yen to spare for my hobby. Wish I was earning USD in Japan, that is literally the best case scenario.
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Pencils prices did go up significantly though… it probably would have been much cheaper to be a collector a couple years back still. Man I should’ve had this hobby earlier 
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That’s generally EVERYONE’s thought looking back. I believe I started collecting in 22. Hearing everyone’s experiences from 2011-2016 made my heart sink. Many of today’s most valuable pieces were a tenth the price they are today, brand new.
I’ve been seeing issues with people trying to get a Orenz Nero as of late. When I first bought mine (which I recently used for the first time in ages…an AMAZING pencil). They were easily acquired for 20-30$.
M.Pencils are an interesting, and seemingly PROFITABLE investment.
I hoping to sell my Dive for $2000 dollars in 5 years 
(jking…maybe)
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Maybe Elton was just ahead of his time
Elton doubles worth from my experience.
Is that slide over, I wonder. Notably, the high peaked at a record breaking ¥162 JPY to $1 USD in early July. In just a matter of a couple of weeks, the JPY jumped in strength, now at ¥149 to $1 USD. Looks like those great exchange rate deals could be over for us collectors buying from the Japanese marketplace.
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That slippage last August (2024) continued into September, but then a rebound occurred. By early January, USD to JPY nearly reached 160.
But as you can see, a spike in instability has occurred after the 1s week of January. More rapid fluctuations (can you guess why? heh).
The JPY is on a rising trend now, due to increased Japan GDP. And with some notable financial instability now being inserted by the US political regime’s tariff scheme, it may continue. The wonderfully strong USD to JPY days are likely to fall behind us for some years to come. I just hope we don’t tumble back to 2020 and earlier.
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It’s starting to look like the best strength of the USD against the JPY has come and gone… and won’t return for some years to come, if trends continue. So as they say, buy now while the going is good!
USD to EUR is also dropping sharply…
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