A company in Japan found thousands of “phantom” coins, believed to have been destroyed after World War II, in a warehouse. Photos show the rare ceramic currency.
Shofu Inc., a dental equipment manufacturer, found 15 wooden boxes filled with small pottery discs in a warehouse of Kyoto in August 2023, the Japanese outlet The Mainichi reported on Oct. 21.
The Japan Mint identified the unusual discs as a rare type of WWII currency known as “phantom” coins, according to an Oct. 18 Facebook post. Photos show the reddish brown coins.
“Phantom” coins or “phantom” currency are an unusual type of Japanese Yen coin made of ceramic during the metal shortages of WWII, according to an FAQ page from the Japan Mint. Mass production of these coins began in July 1945 but stopped roughly a month later due to the end of the war. The ceramic coins were never issued but were destroyed instead, leading to their ghostly nickname.
In total, about 15 million ceramic coins were made, mint officials said in a news release. The recently rediscovered boxes likely contain over 500,000 of these coins.
Officials described the massive coin collection as an “extremely rare” find, according to the Japanese outlet NHK.
The face value of the coins is 1 sen, the equivalent of one-one hundredth of a yen. Today, 1 yen is worth 0.65 cents in USD, less than a penny.
Close-up photos show the ceramic coin, adorned with Mount Fuji on one side and a cherry blossom on the other, Asahi Shimbun, another Japanese outlet, reported.
The “phantom” coins were found “on the site of the former Shofu Industries, which was responsible for manufacturing the coins,” the Mainichi reported. Mint officials said the manufacturing company dissolved in 1967.
Officials plan to further study the ceramic coins in hopes of better understanding currency at the end of WWII.
Kyoto is an iconic city on the southern end of Japan’s largest island and a roughly 280-mile drive southwest from Tokyo.
Google Translate was used to translate the Facebook post, news release and FAQ page from the Japan Mint.
