low-value coin; poorly-minted coin
Historical term for a small, often debased or poorly struck coin from the Edo period or earlier. Also used figuratively to mean something of little value.
During the Edo period, low-value coins were widely circulated.
This old coin is a poorly-minted one and has almost no value.
Standard kanji spelling for this historical term.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; the first character is often written in kana because 鐚 is not a jōyō kanji.
The term 鐚銭 (びたせん) combines 鐚 (びた), meaning 'poor quality' or 'debased', with 銭 (せん), 'coin'. The reading びたぜに is an alternative using the native Japanese reading ぜに for 銭. The exact origin of びた is uncertain, but it is associated with low-grade metal or bad minting.