Description
Country or authority: Japan
Year or date range: Meiji 3 (1870), date on coin
Denomination: 20 sen
Composition: Silver
Ruler or portrait: Emperor Meiji (Mutsuhito); no portrait
Weight g: 5.1
Mint or mintmark: Osaka, proposed from the type; no mintmark visible
Catalogue references: Y# 3; JNDA 01-20
Obverse description: Coiled dragon, head facing left, within a beaded circle. Readable surrounding legend: 大日本 · 明治三年 · 二十錢 ·, meaning Great Japan, Meiji year 3, twenty sen.
Reverse description: Radiant sun with a vertically lined centre inside a beaded circle. Chrysanthemum crest above, flanked by paulownia emblems; floral branches tied with a bow below. No legend.
Description and condition notes: Reported weight 5.10 g; diameter not supplied. Uneven brown-grey toning with pale patches, scattered surface marks and softened dragon detail.
