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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;The Eidolon, post: 4386177, member: 102103&quot;]Part 10:&nbsp; 5 sen</p><p>From Top L:&nbsp;&nbsp; Meiji 6 (1873), Meiji 30 (1897), Meiji 31 (1897), Taisho 12 (1937), Showa 9 (1934), Showa 14 (1940), Showa 17 (1942) [ATTACH=full]1104587[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1104588[/ATTACH]</p><p>The 5 sen is another type series with a lot of nice varieties and changes in material.&nbsp; In early Meiji (year 3-4 = 1870-1871) it was a 0.800 silver coin at 1.25 g.&nbsp; The weight was raised to 1.34 g from Meiji 6-10 (1873-1880), of the type shown top left.&nbsp; A copper-nickel version (second from top L) was made from Meiji 22-30.&nbsp; The design was changed to a radiant sun pattern (top 3rd from L) for Meiji 30-38 (1897-1905)&nbsp; Many of these early types have the denomination both in Japanese characters and in Western lettering.&nbsp; As nationalism became more pronounced, the images on the coins become more explicitly martial, and the Western legends disappear.</p><p><br /></p><p>Next is a pattern with a flower outline around a center hole from Taisho 6 to Showa 7 (1917-1932).&nbsp; A nickel holed coin (bottom L) from Showa 8-12 (1933-1937) has a rather warlike eagle on the reverse.&nbsp; (I&#039;m skipping pattern types and years where only a tiny number of coins of the type were issued.)&nbsp; The composition was changed to aluminum-bronze and a new type (center bottom) for Showa 13-15 (1938-1940).&nbsp; Next an aluminum 5 sen was made from Showa 15-18 (1940-1943).</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1104609[/ATTACH]</p><p>Above from L:&nbsp; Showa 15-19 (1940-1944)</p><p><br /></p><p>The first four aluminum ones are of the same type, but the weight was successively reduced.&nbsp; Year 15 is 1.2g, 16 is 1.2 or 1.0 g (both exist, I can&#039;t tell which), 17 is 1.0 g, and 18 is 0.8 g.&nbsp; If you look at the edge photo you can see they get slightly thinner from left to right.&nbsp; A tin-zinc 5 sen was made in Showa 19 (1944), shown far right above.&nbsp; There are two more types from 1945-1946 which I don&#039;t have:&nbsp; A baked clay coin was produced but didn&#039;t enter circulation, and a tin-zinc coin issued by the &quot;Japanese government&quot; was made in Showa 20-21 (1945-1946).&nbsp; After that year, the denomination was discontinued.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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