Japan 5 Sen (五銭) Meiji 6 (明治六年) 1873

ewomack · September 28

In an effort to keep the world coin momentum going, not too long after I picked up a 10 Sen Japanese dragon, I came across a 5 Sen example in an equivalent condition. So the dragon family has expanded to 5. This one is so tiny, 15.15mm, it's a little difficult to actually see many details of the dragon in hand. It magnified pretty well, though. In a strange reversal, I often prefer slabbed modern coins, but have overall avoided slabbed ancients. This one graded NGC MS 63 and was marked as "characters separated." This remains one of my favorite coin types ever produced.

Empire of Japan (大日本), 5 Sen (五銭), Meiji 6 (明治六年) or 1873, NGC MS 63, JNDA 01-35

And here is the updated dragon family from 1 Yen to the smallest 5 Sen, all date between 1871 and 1903:

Please share any dragon coins, or any Japanese coins, that you possess!

JayAg47 · September 28

That’s a nice little coin!
Here’s my Japanese trifecta,

Gold Meiji 2 BU-BAN-KIN, EDO (1868 - 1869), 3.08g.

Silver Ansei 1 SHU-GIN Isshu Gin, EDO (1853 - 1865), 2g.

Bronze 100 Mon "Tenpotsūhō", 1835-1870.

Edited September 28 by JayAg47

sand · September 28

Interesting cast and struck Japanese coins.

Here's my Japanese collection. 3 cast coins from the 17th century, 18th century, and 19th century.

Japan. AE. Cast 1668 AD To 1683 AD. Hartill 4.100. Maximum Diameter 25 mm. Weight 3.44 grams.

Japan. Iron 1 Mon. Cast 1765 AD To 1774 AD. Hartill 4.204. Maximum Diameter 24.2 mm. Weight 3.37 grams.

Japan. Tempo Tsuho. AE 100 Mon. Cast 1835 AD To 1869 AD. Cast At Honza, Edo, Musashi Province. Hartill 5.5. Maximum Diameter 49 mm. Weight 20.38 grams. Obverse : "Tem Po Tsu Ho" Meaning "Currency Of The Tempo Era", The Vertical Sides Of The Hole Are Longer Than The Horizontal Sides Of The Hole. Reverse : Above Hole "To Hyaku" Meaning "Value 100", Below Hole Signature Of The Mint Official.

ewomack · September 28

Nice coins! I have not delved into pre-Meiji Japanese coins very much, but I have read 2 books on that era. Someday I'll take the plunge.

I forgot that I have a 1/2 Sen copper Dragon coin as well. I also have raw 1 and 2 Sen examples, but no photos.

Empire of Japan (大日本), 1/2 Sen (半銭), Meiji 18 (明治十八年) or 1885, PCGS MS64RD, JNDA 01-53

ChrisB · September 29

I purchased this lot at a recent CNG sale. Nice little group of dragons.

Finn235 · September 29

Nice example!

Japanese coins were my first serious undertaking; I have a full type set from 1870-2006 or so, minus gold or the significantly expensive coins like the trade dollar.

I agree that I've always had a soft spot for the dragon designs, although I prefer the sunburst reverse from 1870-71

The 1870 dragon is a relatively rare type coin; it was plagued by striking issues and used to be a $100+ coin in any grade, although the market of course cooled off as soon as I bought mine...

And also an 1873, also separated characters

ewomack · September 29

14 hours ago, Finn235 said:

I agree that I've always had a soft spot for the dragon designs, although I prefer the sunburst reverse from 1870-71

I agree with that as well. The sunburst (or what the JNDA calls "rising sun") type provides the pinnacle design of all of the dragon type coins. I also like that this specific type includes all Japanese characters and no English. They come at a cost, though, and I haven't run across many mint state examples in my searches. So far, I've only found the 20 Sen shown below, which qualifies as one of my favorite coins. I had a near miss on a mint state 10 Sen Rising Sun, but the transaction didn't work out (apparently, the dealer thought he still had it, but he didn't).

Empire of Japan (大日本), 20 Sen (二十銭), Meiji 4 (明治四年) or 1871, NGC MS 62, JNDA 01-20