Meiji 5 Sen

One quirk of the Meiji 5 Sen is that it was often struck from silver recycled from foreign coins, like melted Spanish reales, as Japan scrambled to standardize its currency.

That practical reuse helped fund the Meiji reforms, turning old-world loot into symbols of a modern nation. The coin itself shows a simple dragon motif on the obverse, paired with the chrysanthemum crest—nothing flashy, just efficient design for everyday use. Mintage records from those early years? They're spotty at best, likely scattered in some long-forgotten archive.

For a coin that's turned up in attics across Japan, it's endured more hype than it deserves.