This was the last year such a coin was made with a jagged edge, and since it was the last year the fewest were issued, making the Giza 10 the rarest of them all and worth about 50 yen.

The most valuable one is a Giza 10 (Jagged 10) from the year Showa 33 (1958). If you were to have 100,000 of these coins in your possession it would be worth roughly (depending on the dealer) 1,005,400 yen versus their 1,000,000 yen face value.ĭepending on the year of the coin, they can be valued from 10 to 20 yen a piece. However, it may also be the most profitable. With its high amount of copper, the 10-yen coin is probably the ugliest of the bunch. Even the name in Japanese (go en) is synonymous with good connections and this coin is the first choice for making a wish at shrines or kept in a wallet for luck. On the tails side there is also a pair of sprouts which is said to symbolize Japan’s growth into a democratic nation. These symbolize Japanese agriculture, fisheries and industry. Also around the hole (which we’ll get to later) are gear teeth. On the heads side we can see horizontal lines representing water, from which a rice plant is emerging.

This material combined with the widespread use of the coin provided a stable and easy way for researchers to measure radiation dosages indoors and out of all areas during the 1999 nuclear accident in Tokaimura.Īside from its bright hues, this coin has a whole bunch of optimistic symbolism packed into it. This coin has a distinctive yellow coloring that’s made from the high content of zinc it possesses. We would try it, but it’s a violation of the Monetary Damage Control Act and punishable by up to a year in prison or 200,000 yen fine. In addition, if you were to put a one-yen coin in a microwave, it would get all squishy. The density of the coin is not buoyant, but its light weight allows the surface tension of the water to hold it up. Actually if you were to toss the coin or push it down with your finger it would easily sink. First, it might be the only coin that floats on water. The pure aluminum used gives this coin some unique properties too. The amount of aluminum used alone is worth 0.7 yen, so after including all the other overhead you’re looking at about 2 yen a coin to produce. Like many small currencies of its type, the one-yen coin costs more to make than it’s actually worth. The artist who created it apparently told a priest which tree it was based on, but he later admitted it was a lie and he just imagined it. In the case of the one-yen coin, heads shows us a picture of a young tree. Although it’s not a hard and fast rule, most people seem to say that the side with the large number and/or the year printed is tails. Let’s start with those beloved little bits of pocket ballast: the one-yen coin.įor Japanese coins, “heads” and “tails” aren’t easily understood. So, why don’t we take a quick look through the modern coins used in Japan and learn a little about why they look the way they do and some other tidbits along the way such as what happens when you microwave a one-yen coin and why you shouldn’t do it. The materials and design that go into making them can say a lot about what a country holds dear. A fun way to get a perspective on another country’s history and culture is by looking at the currency used.

10 yen coins