Great Japanese coins

mrbrklyn · Oct 24, 2012

http://www.numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article.jsp?ad=article&ArticleId=26007

In 2008 Japan began issuing a series of coins honoring its 47 prefectures. Each coin is issued in colored silver, bimetal (nickel-brass) proof and bimetal uncirculated in 500-yen denomination. The coin in this article honors the Shiga Prefecture that is a part of the Kansai region on Honshu Island and is the 17th in the coin series. The capitol city is Otsu with a 2011 population of 336,430. I find it interesting that the official city bird is the great black-headed gull (Larus ichthyaetus), and Otsu is the sister city of Lansing, Mich., USA.

Depicted on the coins are one Biwa catfish (Silurus biwaensis) and two smaller fish of a different species. All are endemic to Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan. I purchased this coin from an Internet dealer’s list that stated the two small fish were round crucian carps. In my research for this article, I found that this fish should not be called a carp, but in defense of the dealer this designation likely came from the source where he purchased it. Because of this confusion about its identity, I want to first review the fish family to which it belongs – Cyprinidae.
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areich · Oct 26, 2012

How many are they going to do?

hontonai · Oct 26, 2012

Japan has 47 Prefectures.

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Great Japanese coins

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