Japan 20 Yen Gold coin, Meiji 39, 1906
The
20 yen coin is a coin that was minted numerous times by the Empire of Japan. The first issue was introduced in 1870, the third year of the reign of Emperor Meiji (Mutsuhito), and was issued sporadically for circulation until 1880. Pieces of the type were later minted in 1892 but were never put into circulation. A second 20 yen coin was first issued in 1897, the thirtieth year of the Meiji period, and continued to be produced until the emperor's death in 1912. The same coin was then issued by the newly coronated Emperor Taishō (Yoshihito) later that year and was issued every year until 1920. A 20 yen coin of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) was made in 1930, but production only lasted until 1932.
Second coin design (1897-1932)
A second variety of 20 yen coin was introduced in 1897, the thirtieth year of Meiji's reign as emperor. The piece was again minted in 1903, and was from that date produced annually until the emperor's death in 1912. Later in 1912, his successor, Taishō, issued a similar coin, which was then issued every year until 1920. After this, a final 20 yen coin was issued during the reign of Emperor Shōwa from 1930 to 1932. Such coins are composed of .900 fine gold, weigh 16.6667 grams (literally half the weight of the earlier 20 yen piece), and measure approximately 28.78 millimeters in diameter. An image of a sunburst superimposed over the sacred Yata no Kagami mirror, similar to the one found on the reverse of the earlier 20 yen coin, is displayed in the center of the obverse. The state title of Japan is written from right to left along the left rim of the coin as "本日大" (Dai Nippon), while the date is written in the same direction and extends from the upper to the right periphery. The system used for the date is similar to that on the earlier 20 yen coin, starting with the "年" (nen) character, followed by the number of years the emperor was in reign at the time of production, and ending with the name of the emperor written backward. On coins from the reign of Meiji the name reads "治明" (Meiji), on those of Taishō it says "正大" (Taishō), and on those of Shōwa it features "和昭" (Shōwa). Written at the bottom of the obverse is the Japanese value "圓十二" (Ni-jū en). All three of the legends are separated from each other by small Government Seals, as opposed to bullet points. The Imperial Seal of Japan is featured at the very top of the reverse. Directly below it is the value, inscribed vertically as "二十圓" (Ni-jū en). A wreath starts at the bottom of the coin and extends up both sides of the reverse before ending near the Imperial Seal.
A total of 49,524,656 examples of the coin were produced during the combined reigns of all three emperors. Of these, 13,737,180 were made under Meiji; 17,205,500 were minted under Taishō; and 18,581,976 were produced under Shōwa.
Coins of Japan
Japan Gold Yen Coin, Meiji Period, 1871 2 Yen Gold Coin Meiji 3, 1870 5 Yen Gold Coin, Meiji 25, 1892 10 Yen Gold coin, Meiji 4, 1871 10 Yen Gold coin, Meiji 30, 1897 10 Yen Gold coin, Meiji 42, 1909 20 Yen Gold coin, Meiji 39, 1906
