There are currently something around 78-80 yen to the dollar, so this is a pretty good find in a nickel roll.
Back in the early 1970s there were something like 360 yen to the dollar, it appreciated considerably vs. the dollar. Not many currencies can claim that, the other I can think of is the Swiss Franc.
This has been one of the easiest scores in the junk box for a long time. They'll throw other things in with a more recognizable face value once in a while. I recently assembled a set from those I have picked up and was able to get a complete set up to '84 with almost all in nice XF or better. People might be surprised how tough something like a year 48 (50Y) in F or better will be. Nice attractive early dates can be very tough down to very low conditions. It's possible they are more available in Japan but I doubt it. Many of the later dates are in mint sets. Early mint sets were packed in very low grade material so attrition on these is staggering. The pictured coin is typical except for the fact it appears to have come to this country very early in its life. It would stand out in circulation but still have no numistmatic value. It is first year of issue and substantial mintage. It is to be presumed the Japanese collectors started setting aside new coin back about 1990 when the modern Japanese coin market started. While the coin has extremely little wear it is poorly struck and unattractive. I do like the modern 50Y all the way back to 1960 at least.
