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Half sen coin

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Half Sen
Japan
Value+1⁄200 Japanese Yen
Mass3.56 g
Diameter21.8 mm
Shapecircular
Composition98% Copper
2% Lead & Zinc
Years of minting1873–1888[a]
Obverse
DesignDragon with value and date of reign.
Reverse
DesignWreath with the Chrysanthemum seal.

The half sen coin (半銭) was a Japanese coin worth one two-hundredth of a Japanese yen, as 100 sen equalled 1 yen.[3] All half sen coins were minted during the Meiji period between 1873 and 1888, and are made from nearly pure copper. These coins were later replaced for a brief time by another coin with the same value in the 1910s. The half sen coin was demonetized at the end of 1953 along with other subsidiary coinage and is no longer legal tender. They are now readily available for collectors to own as coins from this denomination were minted in large quantities.

History

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Half sen coins along with twelve other denominations were adopted by the Meiji government in an act signed on June 27, 1871.[4] This new coinage gave Japan a western style decimal system which was based on units of yen, sen, and rin.[5][6] Each half sen coin was authorized to weigh 55 grains (3.56 g) struck in a copper alloy.[5][7] The first coins minted are dated 1870 (year 3), but these were intended as trial strikes or pattern coins. Circulating coins were officially minted starting in 1873 (year 6) with a newly adopted design which eliminated a sunburst previously used on the reverse.[5][8] All of these coins have the value written in both Arabic and Kanji on opposing sides. The obverse features a dragon with the date of reign, while the reverse has a wreath with a Chrysanthemum seal located above. The half sen was legal tender only up to the amount of 1 yen which was fixed by government regulations.[9] Production of half sen coins continued with the exception of 1878 (year 11) for every year until 1888 (year 21). It is possible that non circulating half sen coins were made again in 1892 (year 25) for display at the World's Columbian Exposition.[a] Coins with a value of one-two-hundredth of a yen were not mentioned again until the Japanese government went on the gold standard in 1897.[10] The half sen coin was later replaced for a brief time by another coin with the same value in the late 1910s. Half sen coins were eventually demonetized at the end of 1953 when the Japanese government passed a law abolishing subsidiary coinage in favor of the yen.[11]

Half 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 condition as collectors in general prefer uncleaned appealing coins. 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.[12] Overall, coins from this series can easily be obtained as they were issued in large amounts. An exception includes coins dated 1877 (year 10) with square scales, as this rare variety is worth a premium amount.[13]

Circulation figures

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Half sen coin from 1873 (year 6)

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.

  • "Year" ← "Number representing year of reign" ← "Emperors name" (Ex: 年 ← 二十 ← 治明)
Year of reign Japanese date Gregorian date Mintage
6th 六 1873 16,804,440[14]
7th 七 1874 10,844,710[15][b]
8th 八 1875 17,037,928[14]
9th 九 1876 24,292,478[14]
10th 十 1877[c] 29,278,520[14]
12th 二十 1879 29,963,706[18]
13th 三十 1880 14,090,894[18]
14th 四十 1881 17,929,026[18]
15th 五十 1882 26,458,976[18]
16th 六十 1883 38,202,062[18]
17th 七十 1884 38,480,248[18]
18th 八十 1885 31,166,240[18]
19th 九十 1886 31,831,244[18]
20th 十二 1887 35,651,564[18]
21st 一十二 1888 25,744,686[18]
25th 五十二 1892 Not circulated[a]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Several unique coins dated 1892 are known to have been produced to display at the World's Columbian Exposition.[1] While there are no known existing examples of half sen coins dated 1892 (year 25), they are mentioned by Krause Publications.[2]
  2. ^ The mintage total for 1873 and 1874 as a whole could be 16,804,440 coins.[13][16]
  3. ^ 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.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Japan: Meiji gold Proof 10 Yen Year 4 (1871) PR66 Cameo". Heritage Auctions. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  2. ^ "Japan 1/2 Sen Y# 16.2 Yr.25(1892) None struck for circulation". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  3. ^ John Crowdy (1873). "The British Almanac". Stationers' Company. pp. 112–113. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  4. ^ A. Piatt Andrew, Quarterly Journal of Economics, "The End of the Mexican Dollar", 18:3:321–356, 1904, p. 345
  5. ^ a b c "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.
  6. ^ Wm. Crosby and H.P. Nicholes (1873). "Coinage at Home and Abroad". The Bankers' Magazine, and Statistical Register. Vol. 27. p. 983.
  7. ^ "半銭青銅貨" (in Japanese). www.buntetsu.net. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  8. ^ "Japan: Meiji copper Pattern 1/2 Sen Year 3 (1870)". Heritage Auctions. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  9. ^ "Commercial Notes". Monthly Summary of Commerce and Finance of the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1900. p. 2264.
  10. ^ Ōkurashō, Japan (1899). "Law No. XVI of the 20th day of March of the 30th year of Meiji (1897)". Report on the Adoption of the Gold Standard in Japan. pp. 192–193.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ "Japan 1/2, 1, and 2 Sen 1873 to 1892". www.coinquest.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  13. ^ a b "【半銭硬貨･銅貨】買取価値はいくら？平均価格＆査定相場《最新版》". Kosen Kantei (in Japanese). 11 December 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  14. ^ a b c d "Japan 1/2 Sen Y# 16.1 Yr.10(1877)-Yr.9(1876)". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  15. ^ "Japan Weekly Mail". Jappan Meru Shinbunsha. 1875. p. 146. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  16. ^ "Japan 1/2 Sen Y# 16.1 Yr.7(1874)". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  17. ^ "Japan Type Set #7460 Meiji, 1/2 sen, v-shaped scales, 1877-1888". NGC Collector's Society. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Japan 1/2 Sen Y# 16.2". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
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