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← 1938–1940 SHŌWA 10 SEN
WORLD COINS - JAPAN - 10 SEN - CIRCULATION

1938 Japan 10 Sen — Shōwa 13

Aluminum Bronze · Holed Type · 22 mm · 4 g

01 IDENTITY

Coin Identity

CountryJapan
Denomination10 Sen (0.10 Yen)
Calendar Year1938
Japanese EraShōwa 13
Date Inscription昭和十三年 (coin legend arranged right-to-left)
Coin TypeHoled Aluminum Bronze 10 Sen
Issue FormatStandard circulation issue
Minting AuthorityJapan Mint
02 PHYSICAL PROFILE

Physical Specifications

CompositionAluminum bronze — copper 95%, aluminum 5% [Japan Mint]
Standard Weight4.0 g [Japan Mint]
Diameter22.0 mm [Japan Mint]
Catalogue Thickness1.74 mm [Numista N#14006; secondary type-level figure]
ShapeRound with central round hole
EdgePlain [Numista secondary catalogue]
Type Period1938–1940 [Japan Mint]

Japan Mint's official museum guide gives the type standard as 22.0 mm / 4.0 g / Cu 95%–Al 5%. The special-exhibition list records measured 1939 and 1940 specimens at approximately 21.98 mm and 4.00–4.03 g. Numista's 1.74 mm thickness is retained only as a secondary catalogue value.

03 DESIGN & CONTEXT

Design & Historical Context

Authority & Date Side

A large cherry blossom surrounds the central hole, flanked by paulownia emblems, with the national authority above and the Shōwa date below against concentric-line ornament.

Value Side

The chrysanthemum appears above, the 10 Sen denomination is divided by the central hole, and stylized wave-and-ray ornament fills the lower field.

Temporary Currency Act Context

Japan Mint explains that the Temporary Currency Act was enacted in 1938 as demand for subsidiary coinage increased and military requirements changed the supply of coinage metals. The 10 Sen aluminum-bronze issue is listed among the wartime coins introduced under that framework.

Artwork & Rights Note

Only independently composed archive text is presented. No third-party Numista or PCGS photograph, valuation table, logo or copyrighted catalogue illustration is reproduced.

04 ISSUE & MINTAGE

Issue Information

Calendar Year1938
Japanese DateShōwa 13 (昭和十三年)
Reported Mintage46,999,990 coins
Mintage Source BasisNumista N#14006 secondary catalogue cross-check
Japan Mint VerificationType, alloy, standard weight/diameter and 1938–1940 production period confirmed; annual mintage not represented here as a Japan Mint-published quantity
Issue FormatStandard circulation issue

The annual mintage shown above is retained as a secondary catalogue figure from the data supplied for Numista N#14006. It is not promoted to an official Japan Mint annual quantity unless separately verified from an official production table.

05 COLLECTION RECORD

Archive Information

Archive IDJP-10S-1938-SHOWA-ALBR
Coin Codejp10s38b
QR Short Codejp10s38b
QR Short URLhttps://metacoinart.com/q/jp10s38b
Canonical Path/world-coins/japan/10-sen/1938-1940-showa/1938/
Catalogue Cross-checkNumista N#14006 · Y#58 · JNDA#01-29
Archive StatusOfficial type/specification verified; annual mintage retained as secondary catalogue data
06 SOURCES & REFERENCES

References

01 — PRIMARY OFFICIAL COIN-SPECIFIC SOURCE

Japan Mint — Mint Museum Guide

Official Japan Mint museum material identifies the 1938 10 Sen aluminum-bronze issue and gives the standard as 4.0 g, 22.0 mm, copper 95% / aluminum 5% under the Temporary Currency Act.

Open reference

02 — OFFICIAL SPECIMEN / PRODUCTION-PERIOD SOURCE

Japan Mint — Mint Museum Special Exhibition Exhibit List

The official exhibit list records 1939 and 1940 specimens at approximately 21.98 mm and 4.00–4.03 g and states that the 10 Sen aluminum-bronze type was produced from 1938 through 1940.

Open reference

03 — OFFICIAL HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Japan Mint / Bank of Japan Currency Museum — Wartime Coinage Context

Official institutional material documents the wartime legal and material-policy changes affecting subsidiary coinage in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

Japan Mint history · Bank of Japan Currency Museum

04 — SECONDARY NUMISMATIC CROSS-CHECK

Numista — Japan 10 Sen, Shōwa (N#14006)

Secondary cross-check for calendar year, inscriptions, 4 g / 22 mm type data, 1.74 mm catalogue thickness, holed form, plain edge, catalogue identifiers and annual mintage. No Numista photographs, valuation table, logo or catalogue prose is reproduced.

Open reference

Independent research archive. ALL THAT CURRENCY is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Japan Mint, Bank of Japan, Numista, or PCGS. External sources are linked only as identified references.