1 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Hidden Treasure from WWII: 500,000 Phantom Ceramic Coins Found

About 500,000 Maboroshi (phantom) ceramic coins manufactured due to metal shortages during World War II were discovered in a warehouse at the site of a former manufacturer in the city of Kyoto.

These long-lost relics were circulated briefly and were thought to have been destroyed after the war. The coins were discovered, stashed in 15 wooden boxes at Shofu Inc.’s Kyoto site, the former Shofu Industry Corporation, which had crafted them during the war.

The coins are in denominations of a single “sen” and have a diameter of 15 millimeters, with one side decorated with Mount Fuji and the other cherry blossoms. One sen is said to be worth 1/100 of a yen (1 yen is around 0.7 cents).

An official from Shofu Industry Corporation expressed shock at the find, remarking, “There are unexpected things in unexpected places.” Shofu Industries Corp. were specialist ceramicists and manufactured high-quality porcelain teeth at the time. They were one of three companies designated as offices of the Mint to produce ceramic coinage.

According to the Japan Mint, in Osaka’s Kita Ward, there was a shortage of metal used to make coins during WWII, because the material was used to create munitions. As a replacement, a total of about 15 million ceramic coins were produced in the city of Kyoto, the city of Seto in Aichi Prefecture, and the town of Arita in Saga Prefecture, where the pottery industry was flourishing. However, with the end of the war, the coins were crushed and discarded without ever being circulated, and called “phantom coins.”

WWII Ceramic coins found in Kyoto. Photo: Japan Mint
WWII Ceramic coins found in Kyoto. Photo: Japan Mint

Officials say the discovery of such a large amount of ceramic coins is extremely rare. Packed in a total of 15 wooden boxes, the coins were found along with ceramic tea sets and plates made for export.

The Mint owned the coins, which were passed back to them recently. The mint accepted the coins and plans to exhibit them at the Mint Museum on its premises, as well as at its Saitama and Hiroshima branches.

The head of the Japan Mint, Goto Kenji, handed a letter of appreciation to Takami Tetsuo, the president of the firm that discovered the coins.

These coins offer a rare glimpse into an unusual chapter of wartime coinage.  “This discovery holds great historical value,” a Mint official said. “It sheds light on a little-known period of Japan’s coin-making history.”

Japan Mint

Cover Image Credit: Japan Mint

Related Articles

Explore 1,400-year-old ruins, submerged in Eastern China – Atlantis of China

10 June 2023

10 June 2023

Deep in Qiandao Lake, between China’s Five Lion Mountains, lie the mysterious ruins of two ancient cities, dating back to...

The First Native Americans were Among the First Metal Miners in the World

20 March 2021

20 March 2021

An arrowhead made of pure copper 8,500 years ago dates the history of the copper age to an earlier period,...

Surprising Genetic Findings from Early Middle Ages Burial Sites in Austria

22 January 2025

22 January 2025

In a groundbreaking archeogenetic study, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, in collaboration with an international team,...

The first Dutch Neanderthal’s ‘Krijn’ face was reconstructed

7 September 2021

7 September 2021

World-renowned “paleo-artists” Kennis brothers have reconstructed the face of the first Neanderthal in the Netherlands. After more than 50,000 years,...

Roman era total of 46 early settler burials discovered in Germany

17 September 2023

17 September 2023

Students from Goethe University Frankfurt, in collaboration with the Hesse archeology department at the Darmstadt branch of the State Monument...

A Mysterious Deity’s Ancient Gold Gift was Discovered at Georgia’s Gonio-Apsaros Roman Fort

25 October 2024

25 October 2024

During excavations at the Roman fortress of Apsaros in Georgia, archaeologists discovered a unique gold votive plaque presented to Jupiter...

Archaeologists find a Roman military watchtower in Morocco for the first time

7 November 2022

7 November 2022

A Roman military watchtower the first of its kind was discovered by a team of Polish and Moroccan archaeologists in...

The largest stone coffin grave found so far at the Yoshinogari Ruins -3.2 meters

30 May 2023

30 May 2023

A grave with a stone coffin around 2.3 meters long and dating to the latter part of the Yayoi Period...

Archaeologists discover one of the largest Phallus Relief Carving of ancient Rome

28 August 2022

28 August 2022

According to an announcement by the region’s local history museum, a large Roman-era relief carving of a phallus has been...

A rare 2500-year-old saw, the first of its kind, discovered in Anatolia

28 November 2023

28 November 2023

Archaeologists conducting excavations in Çorum, the capital of the Ancient Hittite Empire in northern Turkey, discovered a 2,250-year-old saw. Recent...

1300-year-old stone sculpture from the ancient Turkish era found in Kazakhstan

3 August 2021

3 August 2021

A 1,300-year-old stone sculpture from the early Turkish period was discovered in Kazakhstan’s south, around 250 kilometers (155 miles) from...

New Dead Sea Scrolls in The Horror Cave

16 March 2021

16 March 2021

On Tuesday, Israeli archaeologists revealed dozens of recently discovered fragments of Bible text, the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were based...

Archaeologists Discovered Remarkably Preserved Shrines inside the Assyrian Temple of Ninurta, in Nimrud

29 December 2024

29 December 2024

Recent archaeological work in Nimrud, led by the Penn Museum in collaboration with Iraqi archaeologists, has uncovered two remarkably well-preserved...

A Roman bridge from the Republican era was discovered on Via Tiburtina

27 February 2022

27 February 2022

The remains of a rare Republican-era bridge have been discovered on the 12th kilometer of the Via Tiburtina, the ancient...

Ancient Funerary Stones Looted from Yemen Will Be Exhibited at the Victoria & Albert Museum

14 September 2023

14 September 2023

The Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) has signed a historic agreement with the Yemeni government to temporarily keep and display...