I've never seen those before, but I like it! Were they only to be used on base or was it some form of military payment?
Im not sure, but I can type out the incscription on the note. "FOR USE ONLY IN UNITED STATES MILITARY ESTABLISHMENTS -- BY UNITED STATES AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE RULES AND REGULATIONS." i guess they were probably only used on bases. the only other info i have on this note is that it was made around 1969
"Military Payment Certificates are issued by the Army for payment to and use by its personnel and other authorized persons as a medium of exchange in substitution for dollars or local currency in certain overseas countries where United States military forces and establishments are located.1 Appellant was an authorized person.2 Such Certificates have been in use for more than twenty years as a means of protecting the local currency and thereby the economy of the overseas country, and, also, to prevent black market operations in American dollars and American goods available at United States Military establishments" Here's a link to a ten cent one. Looks like it only sold for $4.49. Still kind of neat and unusual though. http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-US-Milit...=&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Maybe CT member mpcusa will chime in, or you can send him a PM. He's the resident expert on these notes.
They are interesting, and I was just looking at ebay myself and now realize i have another one as well. this one was issued in germany for 1 mark from WWII The reason I assume its from similar origins is i noticed square 1 Lires the same shape and size as this German one i have. The german one reads 'ALLIERTE MILITARBEHORDE" or i guess Allied Forces in a rough translation.
Well, I can tell you that that particular scrip was not in use in Korea or Japan during 1953-55. Like the currency of most modern countries except the good old US of A, each denomination was a different size. During the Korean War (and for how long before and after I can't tell you) military personnel on duty in foreign countries were paid in MPC, which was issued in denominations of 5 cents to 20 dollars. It was usuable on base and totally illegal to use on the local economy, although there was a thriving black market for them. Bronze cents were the only authorized American currency. At random intervals of several months to a year or more, and simultaneously world-wide, totally without warning, the current MPC was declared void and you had to exchange the old for new during a window of just a few hours. Anyone in possession of more than one month's pay had to explain and justify the amount they had, or they might be denied exchange privileges. The local GI bars in Tokyo were pretty much deserted on the night of an exchange notification when the new money wasn't issued until the next morning because the only people with usable cash were the ones who happened to have some Yen on hand. That night was the only night the big Rocker Four NCO club near the Ginza was not operating during my entire stay. And yes, they are collectible, but I have no idea of value. I cashed in all I had at face value at Camp Drake before boarding the ship for my return to the States.
You were lucky that you could exchange them, my dad was in Vietnam then and being out on a long mission when C-day came which is why when he came back I got a small pile of the Series 661 notes and a handful of Viet and Japanese coins and paper money when I was a kid - they were the start of my numismatic madness and I still have them all these years later.
MPC notes are very collectible. The fractional valued notes are more easy to obtain and thus are not as valuable as the higher dollar ones. But your note was issued in 1969 and was used in Vietnam. If the note was in much better condition or a replacement, it would be worth a decent amount. In the current condition it would be worth only a few bucks.
mpcusa is the guy to talk to about these. They're pretty cool. I have a couple. The folks above covered everything else.
To be honest guys they are something I am looking at getting rid of, but I didnt want to give them away for nothing either. These arent really my specialty, i prefer coins and a little US currency, but this is just cluttering my collection at this point, and im ready to move them out to someone who can appreciate them. If anyone happens to be interested, just shoot me a PM. Id be interested in some small silver in exchange.
Everything you would want to know about MPC (except pricing) can be found at www.papermoneyworld.net MPC (Military Payment Certificates) and the "square" lire and mark notes referenced in post #6 are not related. Those notes are Allied Military Currency (AMC) and were used as occupation money during and immediately after the war. Some will state that MPC developed from AMC but that is completely false. Occupation currency like AMC is issued to compel the occupied country to pay the cost of the occupation. MPC was issued in an attempt to segregate the economy of the US military installation from the local economy to curtail black marketing and the negative effect the strong currency (US$) would have had on the weak currency of the other country.
The submarine pictured on the face of the Series 681 fractional notes is the USS Thomas Alva Edison. The scene is from a picture taken off the coast of Scotland. The individuals on the conning tower are identified in that picture. Some of them were tracked down in the 1980s and notes with their autographs are out there. The back is taken from a picture of Ed White on a spacewalk.
Thanks for clarifying the difference between AMCs and MPCs, i wouldve never known. I think the German one i have is pretty neat considering the date is 1944. Might hang onto that one for now.
It's a series 681 5cent. The retail value is about $1.50. Most of the series have 5cent, 10cent, 25cent 50cent, $1.00, $5.00, $10.00 and some have #20.00. The hard ones are some of the $5.00, $10.00. They have 15 series, but only 13 were issued. They go from 1946 to 1971. Series 691 and 701 were not really released, but there some that can be acquired. Most do have replacement notes, they are the ones without the last letter on the serial numbers, and all are costly to aquire.
Here is a list of what I will be looking for, some will have to be a lot later. They have been fun to collect. I wish I had started collecting them when I was in the military. But, back then I was only interested in coins. I had many guys coming back from Nam, that had some, but was not my desire then. Most said, that they just left them on the tarmacs when leaving. 5 cent= 611, 651 10 cent= 651 25 cent= 611, 651 $1.00 cent= 541 $5.00 = 471, 472, 541, 591, 611, 651, 681 $10.00= 471, 541, 591, 661, 681, 692 Most of these are expensive,and will be slow to acquire. The reds most, green not real bad, rest are not too bad, depending on the condition wanted.