Japanese Trade Dollar
1876 ・ silver ・ 19th century ・ Osaka Mint
The Japanese yen also follows in the lineage of Western silver coins. The New Coinage Act of 1871 established the yen and created the one-yen silver coin. From 1875 to 1877, a special trade dollar was also struck exclusively for foreign commerce. Both were silver coins intended to compete with the Mexican dollar, which had dominated accounts in Japanese ports since their opening. The site for this production was the Osaka Mint. The country that once saw its koban drained away overseas now entered the arena of the 'Eagle Dollars' with its own Western-style silver coin.