These five coins were Japan’s first circulating commemorative 100 yen in 39 years; the previous ones had appeared in 1976 for the 50th anniversary of Emperor Showa’s reign. The occasion was half a century of the Shinkansen: the first high-speed line, the Tokaido, opened on 1 October 1964.

Each coin is devoted to one line: Tokaido (the N700A train), Sanyo (500 Series), Tohoku (E5), Joetsu (E4) and Hokuriku (E7/W7), with the line’s name also in Latin letters. The common reverse shows a head-on view of the 0 Series, the first Shinkansen train, with a 50th anniversary inscription and the date «Heisei 27».

Mintages are close but not equal, from 2,288,000 for Joetsu to 2,360,000 for Hokuriku, the line that reached Kanazawa from Nagano in March 2015. The coins are clad, copper beneath a layer of cupronickel, with slanted edge reeding.

The set is the first part of a nine-coin series; the second, of four coins, followed in 2016. Uncirculated condition: never circulated, no wear, mint lustre preserved.

Other coins from the VPcoins catalogue will help you continue a series or start a new collection.