Japanese Invasion Money - Malaysia $100

Hi everyone,

Some time ago, I received a small package, containing a nice collection of Malayan and Burmese issue JIM banknotes. All notes were in beautiful condition and even black light didn't make them glow. But then I started to go through the Malayan set. There was supposed to be a banknote, with nominal value of $100 and the seller also stated that it is Pick M8b.

Take a look at the scan http://www2.lut.fi/~mruohone/M8.jpg.

First point that immediately caught my eye, is the fact that (according to Standard Catalog of World Banknotes, 9th issue) M8b should have block letters with the letter 'M' having sloping down- and upstrokes. Well, in the picture you'll see'em being totally vertical. That rules the b-variant out.

On the other hand, I cannot definitely say that I see a watermark, under black light there is evidence of some sort of wmk though. It could be there, or maybe it isn't there. That means, this note COULD probably be M8a, if there is a wmk present (I'll have to ask some other person to take a look at the note).

But then, last thing, the face color...to my eyes (being a color-blind person) it seems to have some reddish-purpleish color on it and also the color is quite badly offset from the design.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, I'd like some opinions about this note; is it M8a, M8b, M8c or even a possible error note M8x ??

Thanks,
JJ

 

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Those Japanese Occupation of Malaya banknotes is a series that you have to be very careful of,as there are some very deceptive forgeries,including added serial numbers.

Aidan.

 

Thanks, Aidan, for the warning!

Though I'm quite puzzled why make forgeries of these notes...I mean, these are virtually worthless, costing less than a dollar a piece. One really cannot make huge profit with these, especially, if they use 'proper' paper that does not glow under black light!

Or do you mean altering exisisting notes?

-JJ-

 

There are Aussie replicas of the Japanese Occupation of Oceania that are popular,plus there are some genuine notes with false serial numbers added.

I don't collect these,as they're not part of the British Commonwealth series.

Aidan.

 

Oceanian notes are worth bit more and I can understand more easily forgering them, but worthless Malayan notes, geez

Anyway, I do collect these JIM notes, but they're more a secondary interest. Third Reich is my primary.

-JJ-

 

The Nazi German Occupation of Ukraine Karbowanez notes are a very difficult series to collect.

Aidan.

 

A slightly un-related note: The french francs of WWII were not National currency. Each chamber of commerce in each town printed its own french franc. Nancy had their own Franc. Lyon had their own franc. etcetera.

 

What about contempoary counterfeiting? At one time these weren't worthless.

 

I've owned thousands of the malaysia and other occupational notes...often original bank straps with consecutive numbers...but I never see it anymore. I'm sure there's lots of it out there still but I literally used to buy boxes and boxes of it and haven't seen any quantities in a long time. I seem to vaguely recall the varities that the OP mentioned but since none of them had any value I never bothered to check. Nowadays with the advent of the internet and ebay etc some of them might bring good money.
tradernick

 

Ah, the good old days.

 

I like collecting these as they are about the cheapest thing you can collect
For less then a song, so many were printed, that you can still get common ones
for less then a song, tougher get,s are the 500 and 1,000 but have seen those
prices rise have a 500 peso note in A/U i spent about $15 a couple years ago
now in the $35 - $45 range

 

What part of Malaya were peso notes used?

 

My difficulty is scoring JIM in "cents".
Worn, stepped upon, and partially digested by whatever toothed denizens dwell in Southeast Asia.
The idea being, that unlike those un-circulated varieties, the much abused notes may have actually been used in local, contemporary, economic and social discourse.
Presumably, un-circulated notes may have resided on the back porch of Funk and Wagnalls Nippon Printing Gmbh in Kyoto these many years.
The greasy, folded, pin-holed "detrita" have Karma!

 

Was talking about JIM notes in general, as there several different countries thought
I would mention my peso notes of course with your approval...LOL

 

Silver pesos would have gone over well in Malaya.

 

Pesos: The Philippines (took me two weeks to learn to spell that).