Interest in large, oval Japanese coins and commemorative coins made of gold is deep-rooted among collectors, as exemplified by a recent bid of more than ¥30 million for a ¥2 gold coin issued in 1880.
The first commemorative coins issued in Japan were to mark the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games — 80 million silver ¥100 coins and 15 million silver ¥1,000 coins, the Finance Ministry said.
"They triggered a coin boom in Japan. At the peak, a ¥1,000 silver coin sold for nearly ¥20,000," said an official at Taisei Coins Corp., a major coin importer and seller in Tokyo.