THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
November 3, 2024 at 10:00 JST
A 1-sen ceramic coin depicts Mount Fuji on one side. (Provided by the Japan Mint)
KYOTO—As many as 500,000 ceramic coins produced during the metal shortages on the Japanese home front during the Pacific War have been discovered here.
The Japan Mint said on Oct. 9 that the earthen coins, never issued due to the end of the war, were spotted in a warehouse on the grounds of a former factory in Higashiyama Ward.
“The artifacts are historically valuable,” said a representative from the Japan Mint, despite the 1 sen originally being worth just one-100th of 1 yen. (0.6 cents)
Measuring 15 millimeters in diameter, the round 1-sen ceramic artifacts were stored in 15 wooden boxes. Mount Fuji and a cherry blossom are depicted on each side.
A total of 15 million ceramic coins, valued at 1 sen, 5 sen and 10 sen, were produced during World War II. However, they were disposed of following the war and gained the nickname “phantom coins.”
It is reportedly rare to find this type of pottery en masse.
In receiving the coins, the Japan Mint plants to eventually display them at the Mint Museum in Osaka and elsewhere.
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