2 sen coin
Japan | |
Value | +1⁄50 Japanese yen |
---|---|
Mass | 14.26 g |
Diameter | 31.8 mm |
Edge | Plain |
Shape | Circular |
Composition | 98% Copper 2% Tin and Zinc[1] |
Years of minting | 1873–1884 1892[a] |
Obverse | |
Design | Dragon figure surrounded by legend.[b] |
Reverse | |
Design | Emblem of the Imperial family. |
The 2 sen coin (二銭硬貨) was a Japanese coin worth one-fiftieth of a
History
Two sen coins were introduced on August 29, 1873 by government notification stating that they were to be double the weight of a
The dragon on the obverse side of the coin was later altered in 1877. Two different major coin varieties were made that year when the scales on the dragon were changed from a square pattern to a V-shaped pattern.[15] No coins are dated from year 11 or 12 (1878 and 1879) as a sufficient amount of 2 sen had already been issued in the years preceding.[13] While production resumed in 1880 with coins dated year 13, the continuation of the issue would be short lived. Two sen coins were eventually discontinued in 1884 as their large size had caused them to be inconvenient.[1][16] It is possible that non circulating two sen coins were made again in 1892 (year 25) for display at the World's Columbian Exposition.[a] The coins continued to retain their legal tender status until the end of 1953 when the Japanese government passed a law abolishing subsidiary coinage in favor of the yen.[17]
Two sen coins are now bought and sold as collectibles with some more rare than others. The value of any given coin is determined by survivability rate and
Circulation figures
Meiji
The following are circulation figures for the two sen coin, all of which were minted between the 6th, and 25th year of
- "Year" ← "Number representing year of reign" ← "Emperors name" (Ex: 年 ← 九 ← 治明)
Year of reign | Japanese date | Gregorian date | Mintage |
---|---|---|---|
6th | 六 | 1873 | 3,949,758[19] |
7th | 七 | 1874 | Unknown[19] |
8th | 八 | 1875 | 22,835,255[19] |
9th | 九 | 1876 | 25,817,570[19] |
10th | 十 | 1877 (Square scales)[d] | 33,097,868[20] |
10th | 十 | 1877 (V-scales) | 43,290,398[21] |
13th | 三十 | 1880 | 33,142,307[22] |
14th | 四十 | 1881 | 38,475,569[22] |
15th | 五十 | 1882 | 43,572,187[22] |
16th | 六十 | 1883 | 19,476,164[22] |
17th | 七十 | 1884 | 12,090,586[22] |
25th | 五十二 | 1892 | Not circulated[a] |
Notes
- ^ a b c Several unique coins dated 1892 are known to have been produced to display at the World's Columbian Exposition.[2] While there are no known existing examples of two sen coins dated 1892 (year 25), they are mentioned by Krause Publications.[3]
- ^ In numismatic terminology, a "legend" is a formal inscription found around the margin of a coin.[4]
- ^ Not including those made in 1892.
- ^ Two varieties were made in 1877 regarding the dragon's body on the obverse side of the coin. One variety has the dragon with "square" scales, while the later variety has the dragon with "V" scales.[15]
References
- ^ a b c "2銭銅貨". www.buntetsu.net (in Japanese). Retrieved December 28, 2018.
- ^ "Japan: Meiji gold Proof 10 Yen Year 4 (1871) PR66 Cameo". Heritage Auctions. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ "Japan 1/2 Sen Y# 16.2 Yr.25(1892) None struck for circulation". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
- ^ "Coin Term Glossary". United States Mint. 3 June 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
- ^ John Crowdy (1873). "The British Almanac". Stationers' Company. pp. 112–113. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
- ^ "Brief History of Coinage Laws Since 1871". Annual Report of the Director of the United States Mint. United States Department of the Treasury. 1899. p. 345.
- ^ A. Piatt Andrew, Quarterly Journal of Economics, "The End of the Mexican Dollar", 18:3:321–356, 1904, p. 345
- ^ Wm. Crosby and H.P. Nicholes (1873). "Coinage at Home and Abroad". The Bankers' Magazine, and Statistical Register. Vol. 27. p. 983.
- ^ "The Japan Daily Mail". 1874. p. 745.
- ^ "Monetary System of Japan". Report and Accompanying Documents of the United States Monetary Commission, Organized Under Joint Resolution of August 15, 1876. Vol. 2. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1877. p. 276.
- ^ "2 Sen, Japan, 1877". American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ "Commercial Notes". Monthly Summary of Commerce and Finance of the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1900. p. 2264.
- ^ a b c "二銭銅貨". Pepper's Square. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
- ^ "明治以降の貨幣" (PDF). www.imes.boj.or.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved October 2, 2020.
- ^ a b "Japan Type Set #7460 Meiji, 2 sen, v-shaped scales, 1877-1884". NGC Collector's Society. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "【永久保存版】2銭硬貨の価値はいくら?買取価格&平均相場《全種類》". Kosen Kanti. 3 December 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
- ^ Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
- ^ "Japan 2 Sen Y# 18.1 Yr.10(1877)". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
- ^ "Japan 2 Sen Y# 18.2 Yr.10(1877)". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "Japan 2 Sen (1880 to 1892)". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved December 28, 2018.