The "New" 500 Yen
Japan recently released a new version of its
500 yen coin that will replace the one used up until now. The
new coin with the exception of a a few cosmetic changes is basically
the same. So... why change it? The 500 yen coin is the
same size and almost the same weight as the Korean 500 won.
Then by drilling holes into the 500 won coin Japanese vending machines
were able to be tricked into thinking the coin was an actual 500 yen
coin. In 1999 these incidents became serious and it was decided
to change out the current coin. The new coins are in circulation
but still most vending machines, train ticket sales machines etc. do
not accept the new coin yet (as of 11/2000).
Korean 500 Won
Front |
Holes created to match
the weight of the 500 Yen |
|
NEW 500 Yen Front
NEW 500 Yen Back
|
