TCV Roundtable Blog

100 Greatest Modern World Coins: Japan 1901 Silver Yen Pattern

A new era requires new money, or at least that is the approach Japan took in the mid to late 1800s. With a new outlook and major overhaul of their government, out came a new money system that would lead to the creation of a pattern coin that has graced Whitman Publishing’s 100 Greatest Modern World Coins list. With guidance from authors Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker, we will take a closer look at what led to the pattern coin mentioned and the reason that only two were ever minted.

#44 – Japan 1901 Silver Yen Pattern

With the West at their backs, the Japanese government looked to modernize their society and become an imperial power to preserve not only their independence, but their sovereignty. In the 1850s, Japan was forced to open its ports to international trade and let Western...read more