--- title: "Value and Market Price of the Taishō Small-Type 50-Sen Silver Coin: How to Identify Rarity by Year" url: "https://ittendo.com/en/article/news-jp-1361-4ea1f206" site: "ITTENDO" type: "article" category: "近代貨幣" published: "2026-08-23T22:00:00Z" source: "一点堂編集部" source_url: "https://ittendo.com/" lang: "en" --- # Value and Market Price of the Taishō Small-Type 50-Sen Silver Coin: How to Identify Rarity by Year > The Taishō Small-Type 50-Sen Silver Coin is a modern silver coin that appeared in 1922 with silver fineness reduced to 720/1000. Value is determined by the combination of date rarity and state of preservation. Individual prices and auction results are listed only once verifiably matched records — with sale, lot, source URL and review date — exist. Against the backdrop of the silver-price instability that confronted the interwar Japanese economy, the Taishō Small-Type 50-Sen Silver Coin was born in 1922. By halving the silver content compared to its predecessor, the Rising-Sun type, this coin's rarity—and therefore its market valuation—varies dramatically depending on the year of issue. --- ## What Is the Taishō Small-Type 50-Sen Silver Coin? — A Small Silver Coin Born from Reduced Silver Content The Taishō Small-Type 50-Sen Silver Coin (officially the "Kiri-mon Gojūsen Ginka (桐紋50銭銀貨)," or Paulownia-Crest 50-Sen Silver Coin) was first struck in 1922 and is a modern Japanese silver coin. Its birth is deeply connected to the fluctuations in international silver prices following the First World War and to the rapid changes in Japan's domestic economic conditions. The Kyokujitsu Gojūsen Ginka (旭日50銭銀貨, Rising-Sun 50-Sen Silver Coin, Taishō type), produced from 1912 to 1917, had a fineness of 800/1000 and a weight of 10.13 g. However, the sharp rise in silver prices during the First World War caused the cost of producing silver coins to climb rapidly, making it financially difficult to maintain small-denomination silver coins. After 1917, production of the 50-sen silver coin was temporarily suspended. In 1922, circumstances changed. A new 50-sen silver coin was designed with a substantially reduced silver content. With a fineness of 720/1000, a weight of 5.00 g, and a diameter of 23 mm, its silver content was reduced to less than half that of the Rising-Sun 50-Sen Silver Coin. This dramatic reduction is the origin of the "small-type" designation and reflects a design philosophy that prioritized economy and practicality. Technically, the coin is composed of an alloy of 72% silver and 28% copper, giving it a bright silver-white appearance. The obverse features the paulownia crest—the emblem of the Japanese imperial household—at the center, with the denomination "五拾銭" inscribed. The reverse carries the country name "大日本" and the year of minting, with a reeded (milled) edge around the periphery. The 28% copper content means that, depending on storage conditions, reddish discoloration may develop over time. This coin functioned as a practical response by the minting authorities to the silver-price instability that confronted the interwar Japanese economy. ## Comparison with the Taishō Type and the Divergence in Rarity by Year To understand the Taishō Small-Type 50-Sen Silver Coin, a comparison with the preceding Kyokujitsu Gojūsen Ginka (旭日50銭銀貨, Rising-Sun 50-Sen Silver Coin, Taishō type) is indispensable. Although both carry the same 50-sen face value, the two differ decisively in both physical specifications and design. **Changes in Specifications** The Rising-Sun type measures 28 mm in diameter and weighs 10.13 g, whereas the small-type paulownia-crest coin measures 23 mm in diameter and weighs 5.00 g—noticeably smaller and lighter. Fineness also declined from 800/1000 to 720/1000, and the pure silver content dropped from approximately 8.1 g in the Rising-Sun type to approximately 3.6 g in the paulownia-crest type—less than half. Behind this reduction in specifications lay the rise in silver prices after the First World War and Japan's fiscal difficulties. In terms of design, there was a shift from the beautiful rising sun, cherry blossoms, and eight-pointed mirror of the Rising-Sun type to the simple, practical motif of the paulownia-crest type. **Surviving Numbers and Their Effect on Market Valuation** Because the paulownia-crest type was produced for approximately fourteen years, from 1922 through 1936, continuing into the Shōwa era, a large number survive, and speculative price surges of the kind seen with rare dates of the Rising-Sun type are limited. Collector preferences vary, but market records reflect the commonness of the paulownia-crest type in price formation. **Rarity by Date** For beginners, an efficient path is to learn the basic characteristics of the coin through common dates before advancing to collecting rare dates. ## Recent Trends in the Modern Coin Market and Distribution of Price Ranges The median hammer price across the modern-coin category as a whole has settled at ¥12,000 for the most recent ninety-day period with a reference date of 24 August 2026. Because the sample size for each period exceeds 30 lots, this movement functions as a moderately reliable indicator. Taking a broad view of the overall market, the range of hammer prices is extremely wide. Even within the same one-yen silver coin category, prices vary greatly depending on the date, state of preservation, and the results of authenticity grading. The median figure of ¥12,000 reflects the typical transaction value across the category as a whole, while also reflecting the nature of a market in which high-priced and low-priced items coexist. Where the Taishō Small-Type 50-Sen Silver Coin sits within this category depends on the individual date, grade, and grading result. For a detailed look at the trend in hammer-price records, see [Check price trends on the market chart](/market/index) or [View the complete auction history](/auctions). ## Conditions That Determine Value: Condition and Rarity The market value of the Taishō Small-Type 50-Sen Silver Coin is heavily influenced not so much by counterfeit risk as by **differences in condition assessment and rarity by date**. ### Current State of Authenticity Assessment Regarding authenticity: because this coin falls mostly in the lower price range, there is little incentive to counterfeit it, and the number of counterfeits in circulation is considered small. However, for high-value examples of rare dates such as the Taishō 12 (1923) issue, the risk of date alteration—achieved by filing and re-engraving the date from another year—is not zero. When acquiring high-value examples of rare dates, it is necessary to watch for signs of tampering in the date area. ### Criteria for Condition Assessment Grading examines the following four points. First, the presence of scratches or scuffs on the fields (the flat areas surrounding the lettering and design). Second, the sharpness of the details of the paulownia crest—specifically, the flower spikes and leaf veins. Third, the degree of wear on the reeding. Fourth, the quality of the natural age-related toning (toning) of the silver. Unnatural luster resulting from artificial cleaning significantly lowers valuation. For a determination of uncirculated class (MS equivalent), checking for extremely fine surface marks (mint marks, bag marks, etc.) is particularly important. If a coin receives a score of MS-63 or higher from an international grading service such as PCGS or NGC, its future liquidity increases. For detailed criteria, please refer to [Standards and How to Read Coin Grading](/guide/grading). ### Differences in Rarity by Date The Taishō Small-Type 50-Sen Silver Coin was struck in all fourteen year-dates from Taishō 11 (1922) through Shōwa 11 (1936), with some exceptions. Of these, the Taishō 12 (1923) date is a rare date, and fine examples appear on the market infrequently. Common dates, by contrast, appear relatively often at coin dealers, antique markets, and online auctions. Even when the same grading standard is applied, a significant difference in market liquidity and price formation arises between a fine example of a rare date and an ordinary example of a common date. Auction records show that high-grade examples of rare dates tend to attract many bidders in competitive auction formats, while low-grade examples of common dates see limited transaction volumes. The key point in assessing value lies in **the combination of date rarity and condition grade**. Even at the same MS-60 equivalent assessment, the Taishō 12 (1923) date and a common date are treated very differently in the market. ## Storage and Condition Monitoring: Practical Aspects of Long-Term Holding After acquiring a Taishō Small-Type 50-Sen Silver Coin, storage suited to the characteristics of the silver alloy is essential to maintaining its value over time. The greatest challenge is the sulfidation of silver. This phenomenon—in which trace amounts of sulfur in the air react with silver to darken the surface—is a problem common to all silver coins. As a countermeasure against sulfidation, it is recommended to store coins in airtight coin holders (flip type or slab type) with activated-charcoal silica gel enclosed. Contact with materials containing rubber or PVC should be avoided, as these accelerate sulfidation. Because the alloy contains 28% copper, there is also a risk of verdigris forming. Verdigris is a copper oxide and manifests as green or blue discoloration that is particularly likely to develop in high-humidity environments. Attempting to remove verdigris once it has formed carries a high risk of damaging the surface, and consultation with a specialist is recommended. Careless polishing or cleaning is one of the leading causes of a significant drop in value. For long-term storage, regular condition checks are important. Checking for discoloration or abnormalities approximately every three to six months means that if a problem is detected early, appropriate action can minimize the damage. For rare dates or high-grade examples, storage in a slab (rigid plastic encapsulation case) from a reliable grading service is A highly reliable option. For details on storage conditions, please refer to [Proper Storage Methods for Old Coins](/guide/storage). ## Factors That Determine the Value of the Taishō Small-Type 50-Sen Silver Coin The Taishō Small-Type 50-Sen Silver Coin, with its paulownia-crest design and 72% silver fineness, represents a turning point in modern silver coinage from its appearance in Taishō 11 (1922). What determines the value of any individual example comes down to which dates one focuses on when pursuing a collection centered on the first year of issue and rare dates. As discussed above, this silver coin was struck in multiple year-dates from its first minting in Taishō 11 (1922) through its discontinuation in Shōwa 11 (1936). What the market records reveal is that the number of transactions for the Taishō 11 (1922) first-year date and subsequent rare dates differs from that of other dates. Auction records show that collectors and hobbyists targeting these dates are active participants. When examining a Taishō Small-Type 50-Sen Silver Coin, what one should look at is the relationship between the difference in mintage by date and the frequency with which examples appear on the market. The rarer the date, the more limited the transaction records in the market become, and the condition and provenance of individual examples tend to be examined in greater detail. By building a collection around the first-year and rare dates, one simultaneously establishes both the historical significance of this silver coin and the differentiation of each individual example. As a turning point in modern silver coinage, the Taishō Small-Type 50-Sen Silver Coin is a coin whose essential value becomes clear through narrowing focus by date. [Monitoring prices for coins of interest in the Vault](/vault) provides a basis for ongoing observation of market movements as a reference for collecting decisions. Individual prices and auction results are listed only once verifiably matched records — with sale, lot, source URL and review date — exist.