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JAPAN: Long before the age of the yen, Japan’s first circulated currency was the wadokaichin. It is thought the coins were used sometime in the 8th century A.D., but until now there’s been little archaeological evidence to date their production. At a foundry site in Yamaguchi prefecture, archaeologists discovered a fragment of a coin, pieces of molds and tools for coin production, and a collection of wood tablets—one of which bears a date corresponding to A.D. 730. The find opens new avenues for the study of Japan’s ancient economy.
