PMG Registry Featured Set: Japan

During the warm month of July, many people around the world enjoy summertime celebrations with family and friends. Americans celebrate the 4th of July; Canadians celebrate Canada Day; the people of Burundi gather for Independence Day; and some regions of Japan begin the annual Obon Festival.

However, this July, Japan has added something new to the mix, with big numismatic news. What could it be? After 20 years, Japan released notes with new designs. As such, let’s check out this comprehensive PMG Registry Japan set by Collectoroldthings, found here.

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Collectoroldthings began assembling this extensive set back in 2021, and he has loaded it with many unique, high-grade PMG examples. His ND (2000) 2,000 Yen and ND (1963) 1,000 Yen, for example, both have a double-letter Serial Number prefix. Several other notes have fancy serial numbers, block numbers and more, as attributed by PMG experts. Be sure to check out the slideshow here. The evolution of Japanese design over the past century and a half is truly lovely to behold.

As reflected in the constant set upgrades, this collector is obviously passionate about these notes. He now commands the respected first-place rank in this set type, the most popular of all PMG Registry Japanese sets. With 110 slots and still growing, this is no easy task, to be sure.

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The new 2024 issues are a great addition to this Japan complete PMG Registry set. The 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 Yen releases feature three distinct figures who are significant in Japanese history:

• Kitasato Shibasaburo, on the 10,000 Yen note, is known as the father of Japanese capitalism.
• Tsuda Umeko, on the 5,000 Yen note, is known for her efforts to improve women’s rights.
• Shibusawa Eiichi, on the 1,000 Yen note, is renowned as a pioneer of modern Japanese medicine.

All three colorful notes have an amazing new security feature, 3-D holographic images! As mentioned by multiple news sources, including Reuters, Japan’s National Printing Bureau touts this as first for paper currency anywhere. This is a sophisticated element that will help reduce counterfeit attempts and is really outstanding to see for the first time ever. For more about these notes as well as information about PMG’s special labels and designations for them, go here.

The notes entered circulation in early July and new 2024 PMG Registry slots have already been added. Who will be the first to add these exciting new releases? Collectoroldthings may be the one, but there are over 30 other participants who may also be the first to load them up! A huge thank you to Collectoroldthings and to all our participants. The 2025 PMG Registry Awards race is on!

Would you like your set to be chosen for a future article? 100% completion in a set is not always feasible. Our team features sets with thoughtful comments and images for their set descriptions and notes. It may be your set! Stay tuned.

The PMG Registry is a free online platform where collectors register and display their certified notes and can compete against other collectors around the world for recognition and prizes. This popular resource now boasts more than 22,000 registered sets and more than 125,000 registered notes.

Thank you all for your continued support of the PMG Registry, the finest online collecting platform for paper money and a huge thank-you to all of you who participated in the 2023 PMG Registry awards! Here are the details of the 2023 PMG Registry awards and winners.

We are excited to announce that we are transitioning the PMG Registry annual awards to the 2025 Summer ANA! This transition means there is more time to get your sets ready for the next award period! Winners of 2025 PMG Registry Awards receive a personalized plaque, an icon of recognition next to their PMG Registry set and a $500 PMG grading credit! Check out our exciting announcement here about the upcoming annual awards. It is never too early to start upgrading your sets!

Questions or comments? The PMG Registry team is here to help. To learn more about the PMG Registry, click here.