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10 Sen - Shōwa Pattern, plain hole obverse
| Issuer | Japan Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1933 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3.75 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese (traditional, regular script) |
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| Reverse description | The reverse features a central round hole flanked by two broad vertical panels filled with an interlocking wave or overlapping scale (seigaiha) pattern in fine relief, interspersed with small chrysanthemum rosettes. A vertical rectangular cartouche runs through the centre, bearing the inscriptions '大日本' (Great Japan) at the top and '昭和八年' (Year 8 of Shōwa) below, arranged in vertical columns. The design is enclosed by a beaded border consistent with the obverse. |
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| Additional information |
This is a pattern piece, not a circulation strike — the Japan Mint was actively experimenting with holed coinage designs throughout the early Shōwa period as part of a broader effort to rationalize the subsidiary coinage system. The "plain hole obverse" designation distinguishes it from companion patterns where the hole was surrounded by ornamental detail, suggesting the mint was testing whether a cleaner, unadorned perforation would perform better in vending and counting machinery then being introduced in urban Japan.
Nickel was abandoned for Japanese coinage entirely by 1938, replaced first by aluminum bronze and then by aluminum alone as military procurement consumed strategic metals ahead of the Second Sino-Japanese War.