50 sen coin
The 50 sen coin (五十銭硬貨) was a Japanese coin worth half of a Japanese yen, as 100 sen equalled 1 yen.[1] These coins circulated from the late 19th century to the early 1950s, when Japan adopted a single currency unit and this coin was demonetized.
Japan | |
Value | 1⁄2 Japanese yen |
---|---|
Mass | Various g |
Diameter | Various mm |
Edge | Reeded |
Shape | circular |
Composition | Silver/copper, then later brass |
Years of minting | 1870–1948 |
Obverse | |
Design | Encircled dragon, with Emperor's name at the top, and 50 Sen written out on the bottom. (Pre-1922) |
Design date | 1873 |
Reverse | |
Design | Two-sided wreath with a cherry blossom, and denomination. (Pre-1922) |
Design date | 1873 |
History
Fifty sen coins were first minted in 1870 during the reign of the Meiji emperor. The New Currency Act of 1871 stipulated the adoption of the decimal accounting system of yen (1, 圓), sen (1⁄100, 銭), and rin (1⁄1000, 厘), with the coins being round and manufactured using Western machinery.[2] Although mintages numbered in the hundreds of thousands, it was reported in 1904 that fifty sen coins were not commonly seen in circulation.[3] Production of silver coins stopped in 1938, and the coins were replaced by brass ones starting in 1946. The final fifty-sen coins were produced two years later, and the coin was eventually taken out of circulation at the end of 1953.[4]
Composition
Years | Material |
---|---|
1870–1871[5][6] | 80% silver, 20% copper |
1873–1905[7][6] | 80% silver, 20% copper |
1906–1917[8][6] | 80% silver, 20% copper |
1922–1938[9][6] | 72% silver, 28% copper |
1946–1947[10] | Brass |
1947–1948[11] | Brass |
Circulation figures
Meiji
The following are circulation figures for the coins that were minted between the 3rd, and the 45th and last year of Meiji's reign. Coins for this period all begin with the Japanese symbol 明治 (Meiji). Fifty sen pieces that were minted between 1874 and 1877, and in 1880, are considered key date coins with a value in the thousands of US dollars. Early silver fifty sen coins have often been counterfeited, so grading by an expert is recommended for collectors.[1][7]
- Inscriptions on Japanese coins from this period are read clockwise from right to left:
"Year" ← "Number representing year of reign" ← "Emperor's name" (Ex: 年 ← 五十三 ← 治明)
Year of reign | Japanese date | Gregorian date | Mintage[8] |
---|---|---|---|
3rd | 三 | 1870 | 1,806,293[5] |
4th | 四 | 1871 | |
4th | 四 | 1871 (19mm circle[lower-alpha 1]) | 2,648,309[12] |
6th | 六 | 1873 | 3,447,733[7] |
7th | 七 | 1874 | 95,304[7] |
8th | 八 | 1875 | 109[7] |
9th | 九 | 1876 | 1,251[7] |
10th | 十 | 1877 | 184,348[7] |
13th | 三十 | 1880 | 179[7] |
18th | 八十 | 1885 | 409,920[7] |
30th | 十三 | 1897 | 5,078,437[7] |
31st | 一十三 | 1898 | 22,797,041[7] |
32nd | 二十三 | 1899 | 10,254,431[7] |
33rd | 三十三 | 1900 | 3,280,091[7] |
34th | 四十三 | 1901 | 1,790,000 |
35th | 五十三 | 1902 | 1,023,200 |
36th | 六十三 | 1903 | 1,503,068 |
37th | 七十三 | 1904 | 5,373,652 |
38th | 八十三 | 1905 | 9,566,100 |
39th | 九十三 | 1906 | 12,478,264 |
40th | 十四 | 1907 | 24,062,952 |
41st | 一十四 | 1908 | 25,470,321 |
42nd | 二十四 | 1909 | 21,998,600 |
43rd | 三十四 | 1910 | 15,323,276 |
44th | 四十四 | 1911 | 9,900,437 |
45th | 五十四 | 1912 | 3,677,704 |
Taishō
The following are circulation figures for the coins that were minted between the 1st and the 15th (and last) year of Taishō's reign. Coins from this period all begin with the Japanese symbol 大正 (Taishō).
- Inscriptions on Japanese coins from this period are read clockwise from right to left:
- "Year" ← "Number representing year of reign" ← "Emperor's name" (Ex: 年 ← 三十 ← 正大)
Year of reign | Japanese date | Gregorian date | Mintage[8][9] |
---|---|---|---|
1st | 元 | 1912 | 1,928,649 |
2nd | 二 | 1913 | 5,910,063 |
3rd | 三 | 1914 | 1,872,331 |
4th | 四 | 1915 | 2,011,253 |
5th | 五 | 1916 | 8,736,768 |
6th | 六 | 1917 | 9,963,232 |
11th | 一十 | 1922 | 76,320,000 |
12th | 二十 | 1923 | 185,180,000 |
13th | 三十 | 1924 | 78,520,000 |
14th | 四十 | 1925 | 47,808,000 |
15th | 五十 | 1926 | 32,572,000 |
Shōwa
The following are circulation figures for coins minted between the 3rd and the 23rd year of Emperor Shōwa's reign. Coins from this period all begin with the Japanese symbol 昭和 (Shōwa).
- Inscriptions on Japanese coins from this period are read clockwise from right to left:
- "Year" ← "Number representing year of reign" ← "Emperor's name" (Ex: 年 ← 二十 ← 和昭)
Year of reign | Japanese date | Gregorian date | Mintage[9] |
---|---|---|---|
3rd | 三 | 1928 | 38,592,000 |
4th | 四 | 1929 | 12,568,000 |
5th | 五 | 1930 | 10,200,000 |
6th | 六 | 1931 | 27,677,501 |
7th | 七 | 1932 | 24,132,795 |
8th | 八 | 1933 | 10,001,973 |
9th | 九 | 1934 | 20,003,995 |
10th | 十 | 1935 | 11,738,334 |
11th | 一十 | 1936 | 44,272,796 |
12th | 二十 | 1937 | 48,000,533 |
13th | 三十 | 1938 (Silver) | 3,600,717 |
21st | 一十二 | 1946 (Brass) | 268,161,000 |
22nd | 二十二 | 1947 | |
22nd | 二十二 | 1947 (Reduced size) | 849,234,445 |
23rd | 三十二 | 1948 |
Weight and size
Minted | Size | Weight |
---|---|---|
1870–1871[13] | 31.5mm[lower-alpha 2] | 13.47g[lower-alpha 2] |
1873–1905[13] | 30.9mm | 13.47g |
1906–1917[13] | 27.3mm | 10.12g |
1922–1938[13] | 23.5mm | 4.95g |
1946–1947[14] | 23.5mm | 4.5g |
1947–1948[14] | 19.0mm | 2.8g |
Notes
- This coin is broken up into two major varieties other than the regular issue strikes mentioned above. Type 1 (mintage included here) has a 19mm circle of dots around the obverse side dragon. The second more scare variety features a 21mm circle of dots around the dragon.
- Some 1871 dated coins were struck measuring 31mm with a weight of 12.5g.[13]
References
- "Japan 5, 10, 20, 50 Sen and 1 Yen (Fakes are possible) 1873 to 1900". www.coinquest.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
- A. Piatt Andrew, Quarterly Journal of Economics, "The End of the Mexican Dollar", 18:3:321–356, 1904, p. 345
- Walter Del Mar (1904). Around the World Through Japan. A. and C. Black. p. 136. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
Japan one rin coin.
- "小額通貨の整理及び支払金の端数計算に関する法律" [A law of the abolition of currencies in a small denomination and rounding off a fraction, July 15, 1953 Law No.60]. www.shugiin.go.jp. Archived from the original on June 28, 2002. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
- "Japan 50 Sen Yr.3(1870)-Yr.4(1871)". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
- Kokusai Tsushin-Sha (1915). Japan as it is. Imperial Japanese commission. p. 262. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
- "Japan 50 Sen Yr. 18 (1885)-Yr.9(1876)". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
- Chester L. Krause & Clifford Mishler. Collecting World Coins 10th edition. Krause Publications. p. 431.
- Chester L. Krause & Clifford Mishler. Collecting World Coins 10th edition. Krause Publications. p. 432.
- "Japan 50 Sen Yr.21(1946)-Yr.22(1947)". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
- "Japan 50 Sen Yr.22(1947)-Yr.23(1948)". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
- "Japan 50 Sen Y# 4a.1". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
- "50銭銀貨". www.buntetsu.net. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- "50銭黄銅貨". www.buntetsu.net. Retrieved March 13, 2020.