50 sen coin

[2][3] These coins were likely not placed in circulation immediately, as they were officially adopted with twelve other denominations by the Meiji government in an act signed on June 27, 1871.

[4] This new coinage gave Japan a western style decimal system based on units of yen, which were broken down into subsidiary currency of sen, and rin.

[5][6] Fifty sen coins dated 1870 (year 3) were initially authorized to be struck in .800 silver, weighs 193 grains (12.51g), and has a 31.75mm diameter (1.25 in).

[7][8][a] The first design used is called rising sun dragon (旭日竜, Asahi Ryu), which had its features engraved by a commission of Japanese artists.

[11] This design features a dragon with an open mouth on the obverse, while the reverse has a paulownia decoration with a sunburst in the center with the chrysanthemum seal up on top.

341 (新貨幣量目寸法改正)) was adopted in November 1872 (year 5) which intended to reduce the diameter, and increase the weight of the fifty sen coin.

This in turn led to massive inflation as inconvertible National Bank Notes lost their value against silver and gold coinage.

[24] During the next few years, Japan experienced a sharp drop in prices and contraction of the economy in response to high inflation caused by the Satsuma Rebellion.

This changed when silver bullion began to rise sharply in 1903 (year 36) which threatened to exceed the face value of the fifty sen coin.

[30] An amendment to the "currency law" was promulgated as a remedy in March 1906 which lowered fifty sen coins from 30.9mm to 27.3mm, and their weight from 13.47g to 10.12 grams.

Japan eventually received a booming economy from the start of World War I due to a large trade surplus.

To remedy the situation, an imperial ordinance was promulgated on October 29, 1917 that authorized fractional currency in the amount of thirty million yen.

The obverse side of the coin features a sunburst flanked by cherry blossoms with the date and reigning emperor within the sacred mirror.

The National Mobilization Law was legislated in the Diet of Japan by Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe on March 24, 1938 to prepare the country for a potentially prolonged war.

[40] The production of fifty sen coins was suspended in favor of banknotes as the Japanese government wanted to redeem their precious silver alloy.

[43] The Japanese government made do with the situation by using the alloy to produce fifty sen coins in 1946 until the brass supplies eventually ran out.

Fifty sen coins were eventually demonetized at the end of 1953 when the Japanese government passed a law abolishing subsidiary coinage in favor of the yen.

[58] Fifty sen coins dated 1880 (year 13) were never intended for circulation and have an estimated survival of 5 to 6 pieces out of the 179 originally minted.