Japan 5, 10, 20, and 50 Sen, and 1 Yen 1870

1870, the third year of the Meiji Dynasty, saw the introduction of imperial Japanese coinage. (We have a short write-up about dating Japanese coins at this CoinQuest link.) There are 10 rin in a sen, and 100 sen in a yen. This page applies to the 5, 10, 20, and 50 sen coins of 1870, as well as the 1 yen coins which look the same. These are valuable coins and highly sought by collectors, especially in high grades, i.e., with little wear. As always, with any valuable coin, you must be aware that counterfeits are possible and you must take steps to protect yourself.

The listings below show approximate catalog values for these coins. Catalog values are inflated values. Actual buy and sell values will be less, as explained on our Terminology page.

5 SEN, 15 mm diameter, 0.032 troy ounces silver
worn: $150
average circualted: $250
well preserved: $350
fully uncirculated: $950

10 SEN, 18 mm diameter, 0.064 troy ounces silver
worn: $15
average circualted: $25
well preserved: $50
fully uncirculated: $170

20 SEN, 25 mm diameter, 0.128 troy ounces silver
worn: $15
average circualted: $25
well preserved: $50
fully uncirculated: $150

50 SEN, 32 mm diameter, 0.322 troy ounces silver
worn: $30
average circualted: $60
well preserved: $100
fully uncirculated: $200

1 YEN, 38 mm diameter, 0.780 troy ounces silver
worn: $300
average circualted: $400
well preserved: $700
fully uncirculated: $900
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