World Coin BookWorld coin encyclopedia

Representative transition issue

Early Meiji 1 Sen

An early one-sen copper coin representing decimal small change after the mon system.

明治一銭銅貨

Obverse of an early Meiji one-sen copper coin Reverse of an early Meiji one-sen copper coin
As6673 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · exact denomination representative
Date
明治六年 (1873)
Denomination
1 Sen
Form
round
Local status
Published

Context

Historical and monetary setting

The coin joined a modern denomination to machine-struck dragon and wreath devices.

Identification

How to classify the evidence

Read 明治六年 and confirm denomination, dragon, metal, mass, diameter, edge, and lettering.

Evidence boundary

What this page does not claim

The exact Meiji 6 image is not a stand-in for every 1 Sen subtype.

Issue evidence

Specifications and date record

Display date
明治六年 (1873)
Mass
—
Catalog fineness
—
Edge
verify exact type
Image status
cleared exact dated representative
Identity confidence
high

Era-date rule: Meiji 6 is stored separately from Gregorian 1873; Meiji gannen is 1868.

Continue

Related transition references

Early Meiji Copper and Bronze CoinageBakumatsu and Early Meiji CoinageForeign Silver in JapanNew Currency Act of 1871Early Meiji Gold CoinageEarly Meiji Silver CoinageJapanese era-date guide

Evidence

Sources and scope

These links support the claims on this page. Source authority does not imply permission to republish source images.

Early Meiji coin display records Bank of Japan Currency Museum

Identification of early gold, silver, trade, rin, and sen coinage.

Open source
Coins from the Meiji era onward Bank of Japan Currency Museum

Official museum comparison table for modern coin denominations and specifications.

Open source