I was in Japan last year. I found it quite hard to find the new 500 yen coin in circulation. It's seen as a nuisance as it's not readily accepted by vending machines despite in circulation for 3 years. (issued since 2021). Reiwa issued coins (except 100 and 500 yen) are surprisingly difficult to find despite being in a capital city.
I have managed to gather all 3 years of 500 yen... (500 yen makes it very expensive to do a complete year set!)
I'll try to take a photo of the 500 yen coins when I get a chance.
Thought I'd share a video of the production of the coin. This is not my video - one that I found online. You can change the subtitle to English or other languages.
This is cool to see actual metal to end production, even showing the press Schuler unlike the Canadian mint. The only thing with this 500 yen coin is why use a 2 piece planchet when the center is almost the same colour, unlike most two piece coins the insert is different colour
gxseries - thanks for posting this, very interesting! I haven't been to Japan since 2004. Are the earlier 500-yen coins still in circulation? And are 1-Yen coins still used? They were very common back then, but according to Numista haven't been struck for circulation in recent years.
NumisRob - the cupronickel 500 yen coin (silver looking) no longer circulates even though it's legal tender. I'm not sure if they can still be used in vending machines.
Most of the 500 yen coins that I have seen are the nickel-brass coins. I'm sure it's only a matter of time when the bimetal coins become common.
1 yen coins are still very common. However the newer issue 1 and 5 yen coins can be difficult to find due to very low mintage.
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Posted 01/06/2024 1:49 pm
