1884 (Meiji 17) 1-rin

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An 1884 (Meiji 17) 1-rin, smallest denomination in the new Western-style coinage introduced by the Japanese in 1870. (1 yen = 100 sen = 1000 rin.) This tiny copper coin (.91 gram weight, 15.75mm diameter) was just too infinitesimal a value to be useful for very long. Indeed, this 1884 edition was the last year coined for circulation.

There were, however, a very few additional 1-rin pieces coined—dated 1892— for display at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

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