Half sen coin

Half Sen
Japan
Value   1⁄200 Japanese Yen
Mass 3.56 g
Diameter 21.8 mm
Shape circular
Composition 98% Copper
2% Lead & Zinc
Years of minting 1870–1888
Obverse
Reverse

The half sen coin (半銭) was a Japanese coin worth one two-hundredth of a Japanese yen, as 100 sen equalled 1 yen.[1] These coins were minted from 1870 to 1888, but another denomination which had the same value was later minted for a brief period in the late 1910s. All half sen coins were minted during the Meiji period, and are made from nearly pure copper.[2] Two different varieties exist for the half sen coin in regard to the dragon featured on the reverse side of the coin. One variety has "V scales", while the other design shows "square scales" with the latter being more scarce. The mintage figures shown on the table are in thousands of coins.

Circulation figures

Meiji

The following are circulation figures for the half sen coin, all of which were minted between the 3rd, and 21st year of Meiji's reign. The dates all begin with the Japanese symbol 明治 (Meiji), followed by the year of his reign the coin was minted. Each coin is read clockwise from right to left, so in the example used below "二十" would read as "year 12" or 1879. Half sen coins with "V" scales are common, and can usually be obtained for under $20 (USD) in circulated condition.[1] Exceptions to this are coins minted in 1870 (year 3) which are rare, and coins minted in 1877 (year 10) with square scales.

Year of reign Japanese date Gregorian date Mintage
3rd 三 1870 Unknown[3]
6th 六 1873 16,804,440[4]
7th 七 1874 10,881,710[5]
8th 八 1875 17,037,928[4]
9th 九 1876 24,292,478[4]
10th 十 1877 29,278,520[4]
11th 一十 1878
12th 二十 1879
13th 三十 1880
14th 四十 1881
15th 五十 1882
16th 六十 1883
17th 七十 1884
18th 八十 1885
19th 九十 1886
20th 十二 1887
21st 一十二 1888
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Japan 1/2, 1, and 2 Sen 1873 to 1892". www.coinquest.com. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  2. ↑ "半銭青銅貨" (in Japanese). www.buntetsu.net. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Japan 1/2 Sen KM# Pn8 Yr.3 (1870)". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Japan 1/2 Sen Y# 16.1 Yr.10(1877)-Yr.9(1876)". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Japan Weekly Mail". Jappan Meru Shinbunsha. 1875. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
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