Coin Japan 5 Sen - Dragon - Meiji Year 6 - 1873 - Silver

Remarks:

Slight signs of wear.

This 5 sen coin, struck in 900? silver, bears witness to Japan during the Meiji era. It weighs 1.35 grams and measures 15.15 millimeters in diameter. Produced in 1873, the sixth year of Meiji, it is one of the common coins issued during the reign of Emperor Meiji (1867-1912).

The obverse features a dragon depicted in a beaded circle. Legends in Japanese characters appear above this central motif, while the face value is inscribed below.

The reverse is adorned with a wreath composed of paulownia and chrysanthemum flowers, framing the coin's denomination. The imperial crest is placed at the top of this floral composition. The coin was issued in the context of the 1871 monetary reform, which aimed to modernize the Japanese monetary system by adopting the yen, divided into 100 sen, and drawing inspiration from Western models. Its mintage was 5,593,172 copies.