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.

Fifty Sen
Japan
Value​ 1⁄2 Japanese yen
MassVarious g
DiameterVarious mm
EdgeReeded
Shapecircular
CompositionSilver/copper, then later brass
Years of minting1870–1948
Obverse
DesignEncircled dragon, with Emperor's name at the top, and 50 Sen written out on the bottom. (Pre-1922)
Design date1873
Reverse
DesignTwo-sided wreath with a cherry blossom, and denomination. (Pre-1922)
Design date1873

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
50 sen coin from 1870 (year 3)
Design 1 - (1870 - 1871)
50 sen coin from 1873 (year 6)
Design 2 - (1873 - 1905)
50 sen coin from 1906 (year 39)
Design 3 - (1906 - 1912)

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.[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
50 sen coin (Same design as previous but with Taishō)
Design 1 - (1912 - 1917)
50 sen coin from 1922 (year 11)
Design 2 - (1922 - 1926)

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
50 sen coin (Same design as previous but with Shōwa)
Design 1 - (1928 - 1938)
50 sen coin from 1946 (year 21)
Design 2 - (1946 - 1947)
50 sen coin from 1947 (year 22)
Design 3 - (1947 - 1948)

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
  1. 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.
  2. Some 1871 dated coins were struck measuring 31mm with a weight of 12.5g.[13]

References
  1. John Crowdy (1873). "The British Almanac". Stationers' Company. pp. 112–113. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  2. A. Piatt Andrew, Quarterly Journal of Economics, "The End of the Mexican Dollar", 18:3:321–356, 1904, p. 345
  3. Walter Del Mar (1904). Around the World Through Japan. A. and C. Black. p. 136. Retrieved June 12, 2017. Japan one rin coin.
  4. "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.
  5. "Japan 50 Sen Yr.3(1870)-Yr.4(1871)". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  6. Kokusai Tsushin-Sha (1915). Japan as it is. Imperial Japanese commission. p. 262. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  7. "Japan 50 Sen Yr. 18 (1885)-Yr.9(1876)". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  8. Chester L. Krause & Clifford Mishler. Collecting World Coins 10th edition. Krause Publications. p. 431.
  9. Chester L. Krause & Clifford Mishler. Collecting World Coins 10th edition. Krause Publications. p. 432.
  10. "Japan 50 Sen Yr.21(1946)-Yr.22(1947)". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  11. "Japan 50 Sen Yr.22(1947)-Yr.23(1948)". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  12. "Japan 50 Sen Y# 4a.1". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  13. "50銭銀貨". www.buntetsu.net. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  14. "50銭黄銅貨". www.buntetsu.net. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
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