Engraved MPC designs on souvenir cards

Hey, see if you can take some photos of them pulling cards on the spider press and post those on the souvenir cards thread!

 

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A few years have passed since this thread has had a new post, but a number of souvenir cards have been issued since then with engravings that match MPC. So, time for an update.

By now, I think most MPC collectors know of the BEP's "Defenders of Freedom" intaglio print set and the recent follow-up "Defenders of Democracy", both of which feature the fronts and backs of some high value MPC. The MPC on those cards, however, were printed in four-color offset -- not steel engraved. And the intent of this thread was to show the original engravings used as the basis for the actual MPC, which were all printed using commercial lithography. So only a few from the Defenders series are appropriate to include here.

These are the latest additions, using SCCS catalog numbers (Defenders of Democracy haven't yet been assigned numbers). The MPC images are not mine, just nice, representative notes.

Series 521 $10 (back).....B307
"Justice" engraved by Marcus Baldwin. Note on the MPC, the shield has been altered slightly to resemble a coin.


Series 681 fractionals.....B310 (and Navy Defenders of Democracy).
The sub vignette, engraved by Edward R. Felver in 1966, is an enlarged version of the one on B244, posted earlier.
Series 681 $5......B310 (and Navy Defenders of Democracy).
The sailor vignette, engraved by Joseph S. Creamer, Jr. in 1966, has been reversed, relative to the MPC.




Series 681 $1 (front and back)...…B312 (and Air Force Defenders of Democracy)
The vignettes of Four Aircraft in Flight and Head of Pilot were both engraved by Charles A. Brooks in 1966.

 

There was also a special BEP card printed in honor of Veterans Day 2014, which was not released to the general public. This card contains most of the intaglio engravings used in the "Defenders" series, some in smaller versions. On this card, the sailor faces left, as on the MPC.

 

Those our some awesome images i have alot of those and yes many were borrowed from other notes, so much for originality, out of all the MPC sets
You would think they would have military reffrences on the notes themselves since
They are Military payment Certificates in fact the only Series to depict any branch
Of military service is the 681 very puzzling !! but it does cover just about everybody
Army, Air force and the Navy and i guess you could put the marines in there as well
Since technically they are part of that group

 

I just got this set Defenders of democracy and my Navy card came in bent
Have to Send it back here,s another one with the alike note attached

 

Aha! I missed the tank. Here is a close-up of that vignette from the Veterans Day card, reversed on the MPC.

 

Being from the Mpc camp i would have to question BEP,S decision to use the
Series 661 $20 note on the Air Force version and the Series 691 $20 on the
Navy version in the defenders of freedom series both notes are gorgeous but have no military reference










Using the front on the defenders of freedom and then using the reverse on the
defenders of democracy with the series 681 notes i thing would have been better

 

This note is one of my favorites if not my favorite i like the Vietnam era and this
Note definitely has that flavor also this series was specific to that war many had
Multiple stations of delivery additionally the example i posted is The top rated note
with only one 69PPQ in population and your looking at it

 

Hi, Great thread, Thank's for posting. I know it,s an old thread, but it,s still active. Great news for me. I just started my MPC collection last month. Really interesting and artistic history. The cards you have posted are great too. As if I don't collect enough numismatic stuff. This opens another area for me. Here's an interesting link. showing the unissued MPC,s. I Wonder if they will ever sell them to the public. http://militarypaycertificate.blogspot.com/p/series-691-701.html

 

Nice stuff 49,er thanks for the link, i have been collecting and dealing MPC for over
20 Years currently have the number one set at PCGS for both the Series 661 and 681

 

Good link, old49er -- I used that site while I was researching this list!

 

Excellent resource

 

Mpcusa, I don't actually own any of the Defenders cards. How well do the colors match the real MPC?

 

Colors are spot on, i really like these also the ANA versions such as this are nice as
Well, i think its a great way to promote any style of currency or script




I have about 6 of these so far and have found mine only by chance on ebay do you
Know where to get these ?

 

I limit my collection to intaglio engraved cards. The ANA cards are offset printed and not produced by the BEP or a bank note company, so they fall into the category of private souvenir cards. I don't know a better marketplace to find them than eBay and that's hit or miss. The Souvenir Card Journal (SCCS quarterly newsletter) has a buy/sell section. If you're a member you could put a wanted ad there. Start by checking with the ANA to see how many different MPC cards they have issued. I'd be interested in knowing.

 

Based on what i have already which is all over the map, i can assume that they did
Just about everyone so far i have the following in addition to the one above:











This is such a wide assortment i think many more are out there

 

I will see if i can get the info from ANA and see what actually they produced and
update the thread

 

I found another match! This one is not of a vignette or portrait but a notable design element. And I have to give credit to the latest issue (November) of The Numismatist magazine or I probably would not have noticed this. The backs of both the $10 Series 541 MPC and the $10 1923 Legal Tender note share a famous denomination element: the so-called "Poker Chip." But the 1923 Poker Chip note is arguably one of the most expensive notes of the last century. Fortunately, the BEP issued a souvenir card in 2006 featuring the back of the legal tender note -- B282 -- and it's a lot more affordable.

 

The U.S Government wasnt big on originality, especially on the reverse of allot of notes were copied from currency of the past, especially the earlier series.

 

Just when you think there's nothing else to add ... whaddya know!

Until a few days ago, I had never seen a ‪Series 701 fractional note and didn't even know they existed. But thanks to a post on a different forum, I got a look at a couple images. These are apparently the rarest (and most expensive) of this unissued series and are only found in specimen form.

The 5¢ through 50¢ notes all feature a portrait of Mark Twain on the front and, on the back, the riverboat "Mississippi." Which I recognized immediately. An engraved version of the SS Mississippi is featured on a 1999 souvenir card from the Federal Managers series, FM-7.

Here's the front and back of the 5 cent note for those who, like me, have never seen one. And the matching souvenir card.