WORLD COINS - JAPAN - 1 SEN - SHŌWA 13

1938 Japan 1 Sen — Shōwa 13

Paulownia Bronze Type · official standard 23.03 mm · 3.75 g · plain edge

01 IDENTITY

Coin Identity

CountryJapan

Denomination1 Sen (0.01 Yen)

Calendar Year1938

Japanese EraShōwa 13

Date Inscription昭和十三年

Coin TypePaulownia Bronze 1 Sen

Issue FormatStandard circulation issue

Minting AuthorityJapan Mint

02 PHYSICAL PROFILE

Physical Specifications

CompositionBronze — Copper 95%, Tin 4%, Zinc 1%

Official Standard Weight3.75 g

Official Standard Diameter23.03 mm

Catalogue Diameter23 mm [Numista N#13954 secondary figure]

Catalogue Thickness1.3 mm [Numista N#13954 secondary figure]

ShapeRound

EdgePlain

OrientationMedal alignment [Numista secondary catalogue]

The Bank of Japan Currency Museum records the reduced 1 Sen bronze standard introduced in 1916 as Cu 95%, Sn 4%, Zn 1%, 23.03 mm and 3.75 g. Numista's 23 mm diameter and 1.3 mm thickness are retained as secondary catalogue values for this Shōwa type.

03 DESIGN & CONTEXT

Design & Historical Context

Paulownia Side

The coin uses the paulownia emblem as a principal motif together with the national inscription and Shōwa-era date. The supplied Numista description identifies the Paulownia Flower Seal on this type.

Denomination Side

The opposite side places the 1 Sen denomination within a circular floral design.

Historical Continuity

Japan Mint history records the 1916 reduction of the 1 Sen bronze coin's diameter and weight. The Bank of Japan Currency Museum gives the resulting bronze standard as 23.03 mm and 3.75 g. In 1938, wartime legislation and material policy led Japan Mint to replace the bronze 1 Sen with new brass and then aluminum issues.

1938 Type Boundary

Multiple Japanese 1 Sen types occur with the 1938 date. This page records only the earlier Paulownia bronze type represented by Numista N#13954. The 1938 Yatagarasu aluminum type and other 1938 transition issues belong to separate type folders and are not merged into this record.

Artwork & Rights Note

No Numista or PCGS coin photograph is reproduced in this archive. The supplied catalogue images are excluded because no commercial-use licence for those photographs was established in the supplied material.

04 ISSUE & MINTAGE

Issue Information

Calendar Year1938

Japanese DateShōwa 13 (昭和十三年)

Secondary Reported Mintage87,649,338 coins [Numista N#13954]

Official Type / Specification VerificationJapan Mint / Bank of Japan sources support the reduced bronze 1 Sen standard and its replacement by wartime issues in 1938

Official Annual Mintage VerificationNot located in the official sources consulted; the annual figure remains explicitly secondary

Mintage Data RuleOfficial source preferred; secondary annual figure retained only with explicit source labeling

Numista N#13954 secondary catalogue figure for the 1938-dated coin: 87,649,338 coins. This number is not promoted to an official Japan Mint total.

05 COLLECTION RECORD

Archive Information

Archive IDJP-1S-1938-SHOWA-PAULOWNIA-BR

Coin Codejp1s38b

QR Short Codejp1s38b

QR Short URLhttps://metacoinart.com/q/jp1s38b

Canonical Path/world-coins/japan/1-sen/1927-1938-showa/1938/

Catalogue Cross-checkNumista N#13954 · Y#47 · JNDA#01-48

06 SOURCES & REFERENCES

References

01 — PRIMARY OFFICIAL SOURCE

Japan Mint — 150 Years of History

Japan Mint records the 1916 reform that reduced the diameter and weight of the 1 Sen bronze coin and later explains that, under the Temporary Currency Act in 1938, the 1 Sen bronze coin was changed to brass as wartime material policy altered coinage.

Open reference

02 — OFFICIAL HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Japan Mint — Mint Museum Guide

The Japan Mint Museum guide documents the 1938 Temporary Currency Act and the replacement wartime 1 Sen brass and aluminum issues, providing the official context for the end of the earlier bronze 1 Sen phase.

Open reference

03 — OFFICIAL INSTITUTIONAL SPECIFICATION CROSS-CHECK

Bank of Japan Currency Museum — Coins Since the Meiji Era

The Bank of Japan Currency Museum lists the reduced-size 1 Sen bronze standard introduced in 1916 as copper 95%, tin 4%, zinc 1%, plain edge, 23.03 mm diameter and 3.75 g weight. This official specification is used as the physical standard for the continuing Shōwa bronze type.

Open reference

04 — SECONDARY NUMISMATIC CROSS-CHECK

Numista — Japan 1 Sen, Shōwa (N#13954)

Secondary cross-check for Shōwa 2–13 dated issues, annual mintage figures, the 23 mm / 3.75 g catalogue specification, 1.3 mm thickness, inscriptions, orientation and catalogue identifiers. No Numista or PCGS photograph, valuation table, logo or catalogue prose is reproduced.

Open reference