On 25 April 2014, Japan Ministry of Finance has released a ¥1000 50 years Shinkansen Silver coin to commemorate the Shinkansen 50th years anniversary on 1st October 2014. The coin is made of sterling silver with only 50,000 pieces minted. The coin will only be available around October 2014 and the sale procedure will be announce later by Japan Mint.
The coin obverse show a bullet train on the front-side gliding among bright pink sakura with the majestic Mt. Fuji in the background.
The coin reverse show the head of the Shinkansen train all decked out in rainbow colors. A message proclaiming 50 years of the Shinkansen is also printed along with the current year.
Technical Specifications:
Face value: 1000 Yen.
Material: Silver.
Grade: Sterling silver.
Weight: 31.1 g
Diameter: 40.00 mm
Mintage: 50,000 pcs
Mint: Japan Mint
Selling Price: ¥8,300
Shinkansen literally means new trunk line, referring to the high-speed rail line network. The Tōkaidō Shinkansen began service on 1 October 1964, in time for the first Tokyo Olympics. The conventional Limited Express service took six hours and 40 minutes from Tokyo to Osaka, but the Shinkansen made the trip in just four hours, shortened to three hours and ten minutes by 1965. It enabled day trips between Tokyo and Osaka, the two largest metropolises in Japan.
Source: Ministry of Finance Japan
