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Representative issue study

Showa 21 (1946) Large 50 Sen Brass

A surrender-period brass bridge made under an official composition range.

昭和二十一年大型五十銭黄銅貨

Obverse of the Showa 21 (1946) 50 Sen of Japan Reverse of the Showa 21 (1946) 50 Sen of Japan
As6673, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; deterministic crop and conversion. · Exact dated pair
Date
昭和二十一年 (1946)
Denomination
50 Sen
Material
brass
Issue class
postwar-transitional

Context

Historical and monetary setting

Japan Mint history links postwar brass to mixed military scrap.

Identification

How to classify the object

Inspect color change, verdigris, spotting, cleaning, fingerprints, strike, mass, and diameter.

Evidence boundary

What this page does not claim

The alloy range is official; do not invent a single exact percentage.

Issue evidence

Specifications, grading, and authentication

Mass
4.5 g
Diameter
23.5 mm
Hole
none
Edge
plain
Production year
1946
Legal issue year
1946

Material-specific grading

Brass and bronze: assess color change, verdigris, spotting, cleaning, fingerprints, and strike.

Authentication

Verify weight, diameter, thickness, alloy, magnetism, hole, edge, date and character style, die alignment, and evidence of casting, plating, altered dates, fake patina, or modern reproduction. Do not use destructive testing.

Continue

Related Taisho–Showa references

Evidence

Sources and scope

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

Coins from the Meiji era onward Bank of Japan Currency Museum

Official specifications, first-issue years, legal-expiry dates, wartime and postwar regular types.

Open source
150 Years of the Japan Mint Japan Mint

Institutional history, Temporary Currency Act, strategic-metal substitutions, ceramic production, surrender, occupation supervision, and postwar scrap reuse.

Open source
File-level licensed Japan coin photographs Wikimedia Commons

Image identity and file-level reuse metadata only; historical claims are verified elsewhere.

Open source