An alluring gem example of the rare "Deep Scales" variety of the 1870 20 Sen, featuring booming luster and concentric die cracks on the obverse.
Being the first year of issue, the Osaka mint had difficulties striking the 5, 10, and 20 Sen issues from this year, particularly noticeable in the obverse dragon. Towards the end of the production run they improved their striking and dies, creating a "Deep Scales" variety. This variety is much more scare than its "Shallow Scales" counterpart - between both PCGS and NGC only about 25% examples graded are of the "Deep Scales" variety.
