Japanese Commemorative Coins - What Actually Did Circulate?

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Author	Replies: 4 / Views: 2,542
gxseries Pillar of the Community Australia 3831 Posts	Posted 05/04/2015 10:24 am I'm in the middle of designing a newer version of a Japanese type set album and was stumped over what commemorative coins did circulate. (trust me this album has been taking way too long) Believe bungle is the best person to answer this. As I only traveled to Japan once in a while, I don't remember picking up any commemorative coin except the Okinawa 100 yen coin issued in 1975. I am aware that the 1964 silver coins did circulate and the 1000 yen coin was promptly hoarded by the public. Just looking briefly at the mintage figure, I would not be too surprised if all of them actually did circulate only to be removed from circulation faster than a tornado gone through a town. Were the prefecture 500 yen and shinkansen 100 yen coins ever released in circulation and hoarded by the public? How about the earlier issues? I realized that the size and metal types for some coins do vary from normal circulating coins which would mean that some are not likely accepted in vending machines. List of commemorative coins can be found here: http://www.mint.go.jp/eng/coin-eng/...e_index.html My partial coin collection http://www.omnicoin.com/collection/gxseries My numismatics articles and collection: http://www.gxseries.com/numis/numis_index.htm Regularly updated at least once a month. Report this Post to the Staff

bungle Valued Member Japan 349 Posts	Posted 05/04/2015 12:32 pm None of them really circulate where I am. The Okinawa expo 100 yen coin can be used in most vending machines. They are 75% Cu 25% Ni like normal coins. The Shinkansen 100 yen coins were just released last month. They are "clad" and 87.5% Cu 12.5% Ni I read that the prefecture 500 yen coins are circulating a bit, but I have never seen one myself. They are nickel brass, same as the current normal 500 yen coin. I have seen a total of two Cu-Ni 500 yen commemoratives in circulation. Nowadays even a normal Cu-Ni 500 yen coin is rarely seen. I looked for them just now and could only find one of them...this probably happens often. Report this Post to the Staff
gxseries Pillar of the Community Australia 3831 Posts	Posted 05/06/2015 12:34 pm bungle - how about the other commemorative coins such as the Sapporo 100 yen coin, Tsukuba 500 yen, Nagano Olympics 500 yen, Aichi expo etc? Am I safe to assume that there were limited attempts to have them circulated? Also are the modern 500 yen coins Cu-Ni or Cu-brass? Funny how you mention it as a couple of years old while I was in Japan, I offloaded about 10 of older 500 yen coin as they were in terrible condition. I remember my aunt telling to keep them but not when they are scratched / damaged etc. I don't think the Cu-brass coins were that uncommon either as I received a couple from circulation and kept them. If anything, I just found 5 yen coins difficult to hoard. I personally like it and can never get enough of them! I'll scan a picture of the 500 yen coins that I kept when I get round to it. Obviously having a date run of them can be very expensive! My partial coin collection http://www.omnicoin.com/collection/gxseries My numismatics articles and collection: http://www.gxseries.com/numis/numis_index.htm Regularly updated at least once a month. Report this Post to the Staff
bungle Valued Member Japan 349 Posts	Posted 05/07/2015 06:38 am Quote: bungle - how about the other commemorative coins such as the Sapporo 100 yen coin, Tsukuba 500 yen, Nagano Olympics 500 yen, Aichi expo etc? Am I safe to assume that there were limited attempts to have them circulated? I don't know about the older coins like Tsukuba and Nagano, but recently people go to the banks and buy all the coins the first day they are released. For example, the Shinkansen 100 yen coins have a mintage of over 2 million each coin, but people are still flipping them for double face value or more. There was a 10 coin (2 sets of 5 coins) limit on the first day, but the next day you could buy as many rolls as the bank had left. Quote: Also are the modern 500 yen coins Cu-Ni or Cu-brass? Funny how you mention it as a couple of years old while I was in Japan, I offloaded about 10 of older 500 yen coin as they were in terrible condition. I remember my aunt telling to keep them but not when they are scratched / damaged etc. I don't think the Cu-brass coins were that uncommon either as I received a couple from circulation and kept them. If anything, I just found 5 yen coins difficult to hoard. I personally like it and can never get enough of them! I think I deposited to my bank account the Cu-Ni Nagano coin that I couldn't find...it was well circulated, no luster remaining. Modern 500 yen coins are all Nickel brass, 7g: From 1982-1999 they were cupronickel, and weigh a bit more, 7.2g: Report this Post to the Staff
winterfell Valued Member United States 231 Posts	Posted 05/16/2015 9:50 pm I lived in Japan for 4 and a half years, only one of which I was collecting coins. I never noticed receiving any commemoratives, and I used cash exclusively. My father-in-law gave me a few older ones that he had though, and I believe he got them from circulation, or at least at face value from the bank. I'm glad I clicked on this thread, I didn't know about the shinkansen 100 yen commemoratives, I think I am going to try to get those! Report this Post to the Staff
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