Item number: A2819

Year: AD 1875

Material: Bronze

Size: 31.6 x 31.6 x 2.2 mm

Weight: 14.1 g

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2020

This is a 2-sen bronze coin issued by the Empire of Japan in Meiji 8 (AD 1875).

At the centre of the obverse, the denomination “2 Sen” (二錢) is inscribed vertically in Kanji characters. On either side, a decorative wreath composed of entwined paulownia and chrysanthemum leaves tied with a ribbon surrounds the central inscription. Positioned above is the chrysanthemum crest, symbolising the emperor, accompanied by the inscription “50 pieces equal 1 Yen”.

The reverse features a beaded circle enclosing a prominent, horned flying dragon at its centre. The design of the 2-sen bronze coin is traditionally divided at Meiji 11 (AD 1878) into two varieties: the earlier “Horned Dragon” (角龍), characterised by a slender-bodied dragon, and the later “Wave Dragon” (波龍) type, featuring a more robust, muscular form. Along the lower edge of the coin, the denomination “2 SEN” is inscribed in English, while the upper margin bears the issuing country’s name “Dai Nippon” (大日本) and the year of issue “Meiji 8” (明治八年) in Kanji characters.

In Meiji 4 (AD 1871), the Japanese government promulgated the New Currency Act (Shinka Jōrei), which authorised the issuance of Western-style coinage. Under this system, silver coins were designated as the primary currency, while bronze coins served as subsidiary denominations for small transactions. Initially, bronze coins were issued only in denominations of 1 rin, ½ sen, and 1 sen. It was not until Meiji 7 (AD 1874) that a 2-sen bronze coin was added to the series. However, following its release, the 2-sen coin was found to be inconvenient for daily use due to its large physical size, leading to the discontinuation of its production in Meiji 17 (AD 1884).

It is worth noting that the renowned Japanese mystery writer Edogawa Ranpo featured the 2-sen bronze coin not only as the title but also as a crucial element in the resolution of his debut short detective storey, “The Two-Sen Bronze Coin.”

物件編號: A2819

年代: 公元 1875 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 31.6 x 31.6 x 2.2 mm

重量: 14.1 g

來源: 福君錢幣 2020

這是一枚明治8年 (公元1875年)，大日本帝國發行的面額2錢銅幣。

錢幣正面的中央以直豎的日本漢字打印面額「二錢」，左右兩側以打結的桐葉和菊葉編織的花圈作為裝飾。錢幣正上方是象徵天皇的菊紋，並且標示「五十枚換一圓」字樣。

錢幣背面有一道珠圈，正中央是一條龍角高聳的飛龍。二錢銅幣以明治11年 (公元1878年) 為分界，此前為身形較為纖細的「角龍」，後續則是身形較為粗壯的「波龍」版別。錢幣下緣以英文打印面額「2 SEN」(2錢)，上緣則以漢字打印國號「大日本」和發行年份「明治八年」。

明治4年 (公元1871年)，日本政府頒布《新貨條例》決定發行歐式的錢幣，其中規定以銀幣為主要貨幣，銅幣則是小面額的輔助貨幣。起先發行的銅幣僅有一厘、半錢和一錢，直到明治7年 (公元1874年) 才又追加二錢的面額。然而實際發行之後，由於二錢銅幣的體積過大攜帶不甚方便，因此於明治17年 (公元1884年) 停產。

值得一提的是，日本知名的推理小說家江戶川亂步，發行的短篇推理小說處女作《二錢銅幣》中，二錢銅幣不僅是篇名更是解謎的重要關鍵。