Kotobukiya One Coin Figures

All 00 — Prototype image of the first set.

All 00 (1) — Prototype image of the second set.

One Coin Grande Figure Collection (ワンコイングランデフィギュアコレクション) is a series of figurines made by Kotobukiya as part of their ES Series. The first set was released March 2009 and the second in November 2010. The regular sets were released as full complete boxes of 8 figurines plus 1 figure (first box) or 2 figures (second box).

On Animate, the regular figurines could be bought for 714円 ($9.52) each, for a total of 6426円 ($85.68). Second hand, they can be bought from 500円 ($6.67) to 1000円 ($13.33) individually, depending on character, and 3000円 ($40) to 6000円 ($80) for a box.

The special one coins were DVD-exclusive gifts. In order to get them, the DVDs must be purchased through Animate, then the proof of purchases for a certain set of DVDs have to be sent back to Animate. They came in sets of two and were released per four DVDs. The price for these one coins second hand range from 1000円 to 3000円 individually and 1500円 ($20) to 4500円 ($60) per set, depending on the characters.

The first set of OneCoins, along with some of the Movic plushies, are currently the only official Hetalia items to have bootlegs.

Item Details[]

Based on the Axis/Allies set of trading cards, the figurines range from 45~65mm tall and stand on bases which are 1.125" (2.9 cm) in diameter, about the size of a US quarter. The stand consists of a round base with a metal pole near the edge, slightly taller than the height of the character. To keep the figures on the stand, each character's head has a magnet and a small groove (to rest the pole against) on the back of their heads. The back of the character's head attaches easily to the pole, and the figurine can be shifted into place.

The color of the base depends on the set. The first set's base is tan with brown printing. The second set's is pink with white printing. The special set's is white with red printing.

The first set contains France, Russia, UK, Japan, America, Italy, Germany, and China, with Romano being the secret figure. The second set contains Finland, Spain, Canada, Greece, Sweden, Prussia, Austria, and Hungary, with Holy Roman Empire and Chibitalia packaged together as the secret figure.

DVD OneCoins[]

There are currently three Animate-exclusive sets out, with a fourth planned to be released.

The first set was released on September 25, 2009, and consists of Italy and Germany. It required the proof of purchases from volumes 1 to 4 of the Axis Powers DVDs. The second set consists of UK and Japan, and was obatined through DVDs 5 to 8 of Axis Powers. It was released on March 25, 2010. The third set consists of America and France, and was released along with DVDs 1 to 4 of World Series on December 22, 2010. The fourth set, scheduled to be released on September 21, 2011 with DVDs 5 to 8 of World Series, consists of Russia and China.

These special one coins have similar poses to those of the regular sets, except with variation in what they're holding and sometimes in poses and facial expressions.

Italy - Pasta Ver. (「イタリア」パスタVer ) is holding a plate of pasta and raising his hand (instead of holding a flag), while his eyes are closed.
Germany - Cuckoo Clock Ver. (「ドイツ」鳩時計Ver ) looks more irritated, while holding a cuckoo clock under his right arm.
UK - Beef Stew Ver. (「イギリス」ビーフシチューVer ) is holding a bowl of beef stew, with a slight change of facial expression (he looks a bit more relaxed).
Japan ( ) is holding a bowl of nikujaga.
America - Shake Ver. (「アメリカ」シェイクVer ) is holding a milkshake. His eyes seem to be a bit more crooked.
France - Sweets Ver. ( ) is holding ????. (It appears to be dessert-like. If anyone knows, please add here.)
Russia - Sunflower Ver. ( ) is holding sunflowers.
China - Dim Sum Ver. ( ) is holding dim sum.

Bootlegs[]

Bootleg one coins of the first set can easily be found on eBay, ranging from $7 to $15 per box. Luckily, bootlegs rarely show up on Japanese auction sites, such as Yahoo!Japan Auctions. Because of eBay guidelines, sellers are required to post honest pictures of their products, so you can tell from the pictures most of the time whether the item is genuine or fake. (If you do get a bootleg and the seller's picture is of a genuine one coin, you have a right to demand a refund. Go here to find out more.)

If you know the details of a genuine one coin, then spotting a bootleg is rather easy. Here is what you should look for:

One of the most obvious differences is the size of the base. It is nearly twice as big as a base of a genuine one coin.
Another obvious difference is how the figures are held up onto the base. Genuine one coins use a metal pole, with magnets on the back of their heads to hold them up. Bootlegs have an L-shaped pole, which goes into a hole in their "behind area."
As with most bootleg items, the quality of the figurines is much worse than that of the genuine set. The coloring is sloppier (usually lighter than that of the real one coins) and the molding of the figures tends to be less detailed and poor, with rough edges indicating where they were removed from the mold.
A common mistake even in seller's photos is that Romano's and Germany's heads are switched. This can easily be fixed, since their heads are removable.
One some sets, Japan's and UK's hair seems to be switched. This, however, isn't fixable, as the hair is attached to their heads.

It should also be noted that no bootlegs currently exist for the second set or any of the DVD exclusive figures.