Gold Coins Marking Osaka Expo to Be Sold for ¥268,000 Apiece

Jiji Press

17:21 JST, September 21, 2024

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The Finance Ministry said Friday it will issue gold coins in the denomination of ¥10,000 commemorating the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo for sale at ¥268,000 apiece, a record for gold coins.

Silver coins in the denomination of ¥1,000 will be issued for sale at ¥15,200 apiece, a record for silver coins.

The ministry attributed the record prices to soaring prices for gold and silver.

The gold coins will be made from pure gold and weigh 15.6 grams each. Their surfaces will carry designs of the Japan Pavilion, the Japanese government’s pavilion at the exposition’s venue, and the event’s official character, Myaku-Myaku.

The silver coins will feature Myaku-Myaku and a rainbow.

A technology will be used that allows the letters EXPO to appear three-dimensionally when the rainbow on the silver coins is exposed to light-emitting diode, or LED, lighting. The ministry said it will use the technology for coins for the first time in the world.

The ministry will issue 30,000 gold coins and 50,000 silver coins. Applications for purchases will be accepted at the Japan Mint for about three weeks from March 6 next year. Shipments will start around late August the same year.

The ministry will also sell 1,000 sets featuring all five types of coins commemorating the exposition.