Japan 1872 (M5) 5 yen
This specimen was lot 50066 in Stack's Bowers Hong Kong auction (Hong Kong, April 2021), where it sold for $5,280. The catalog description[1] noted, "JAPAN. 5 Yen, Year 5 (1872). Osaka Mint. Mutsuhito (Meiji). PCGS MS-66 Gold Shield. Fully struck with silky, unimpaired luster in the fields that illuminates both sides. As a date, seldom surpassed in certified quality. From the Pinnacle Collection." This type was struck 1872-97 in substantial quantities but only the 1872 and 1873 are not extremely rare. As the weight of the five yen was reduced to 4.16 g in 1897, it suggests that all the other dates were retained by the government and then melted to make the lighter weight coin.
Recorded mintage: 1,057,628.
Specification: 8.33 g, 0.900 fine gold, 21.8 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: Fr-47; KM-Y11a; JNDA-01-3a.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- The Catalog of Japanese Coins and Banknotes, Tokyo: JNDA (Japanese Numismatic Dealers Assn.), 2014.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The April 2021 Hong Kong Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
Link to: