Recently acquired a couple of "ten sen" notes. I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow, but they are series 100, say "Military Currency" across the top of the obverse side and "Issued Pursuant to Military Proclamation" along the reverse bottom. I've attached someone else's picture of one. How rare are these? Are they worth anything?
First allied military scrip used in Japan. It was also used briefly in Korea. Printed in San Francisco. Your note will either have an "A" for "A type yen", or a "B" for ”B type yen" printed on the front. The example you have is "B type yen". The US military used "A type yen" until the first issuance of US Military Payment Certificates in 1946 replaced it. “A type yen” are much rarer because they had to be exchanged, within a specific time period, for the newly issued Military Payment Certificates that replaced it. Once exchanged the A type was then worthless and destroyed. "B type yen" were used by the local civilians in the Okinawa Prefecture. Between the 1945 battle of Okinawa and the beginning of the US occupation the islands went from a currency-free system to the reintroduction of currency with the B yen. The US established B yen as the only legal currency for use by the local Japanese in the Okinawa Prefecture. The whole rest of Occupied Japan was using the new Japanese yen "new yen". In 1948 B type yen came to be used by both Japanese military and civilians. Military scrip was introduced in Okinawa because the US military government intended to continue occupation of Okinawa long after ending it in the Home Islands. In 1958, the US dollar replaced the B yen in the Okinawa Prefecture. Value is $3-25 each depending upon condition. There are some ultra-rare variants. Post a scan and let’s see what you have.
Wow, thanks for the detailed and informative post! Interesting history on these. Here are a couple of quick scans I made.
The ten sen notes were the lowest denomination and most common of the Series B yen. They are not worth much more than a dollar in this condition. If you encounter one with a prefix letter H instead of A then you have found a replacement (like a US star note) and that would be anywhere from $25.00-100.00 depending on condition.
Hold on to them. They are a great piece of history and will be an excellent starting point for your MPC collection.
Type A yen notes would be part of an MPC collection. Type B yen was used only as Allied Military Currency (AMC) and is unrelated to MPC.
Information on mintage's from Bureau of Engraving and Printing: Type “A” Military Yen was used in liberated Korea from 1945 until 1946; Type “B” Military Yen was used in Allied occupied Japan from 1945 until 1958. See attached fact sheet for more information. If needed, you could review these resources as well: Toy, Raymond, S. (1965). World War II Allied Military Currency: Specimens of Military Yen Currency Area A. Tucson, AZ: Monitor Offset Printing Company. Schwan, Fred (2002). Comprehensive Catalog of Military Payment Certificates, fourth edition. Port Clinton, OH: BNR Press. Thank you, BEP Attached Fact Sheet Attached:
Information on Specimen mintage's from Bureau of Engraving and Printing: Remarkably, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) still has orders records that document the number of specimen booklets produced for Area A and Area B Allied Military Yen. From the amounts on the production order forms it appears that a total of 181 booklets of Area A notes and 218 booklets of Area B notes were produced. In addition to the War, Navy, and Treasury Departments, the FBI, as well as Stecher-Traung Lithographic Corporation (who printed the notes), the State of California Bureau of Printing (who did the number, finishing, and delivery of the notes to the War and Navy Departments), and Carew Manufacturing Company (a paper supplier) were listed on the forms as recipients of the booklets. The number of books for each area, the order number and date, and the ultimate recipient is summarized in the table below. Instructions for each order were essentially the same; each booklet was to contain one note of each denomination of Area A (or B) (10 sen, 50 sen, 1 yen, 5 yen, 10 yen, 20, yen, 100 yen). Each note was to be perforated with the word “SPECIMEN” in lower border. Notes were to be bound in a Manila cover. The title for the booklet cover was to read either “Specimens of Military Yen Currency, Area A” or “Specimens of Military Yen Currency, Area B.” Unfortunately, the are no examples of these booklets on file with the BEP. Specimen Booklet Orders for Allied Military Yen Areas A and B Area No. of Books Order No. Order Date Recipient A 12 4232 12/12/44 Mr. H. D. White, Assistant to the Secretary, Treasury Department A 36 4362 12/19/44 Commander Theodore B. Nickson, SC, USNR, Accounting Group, Bureau of Supplies and Accounts, Navy Department A 6 5328 02/07/45 2 books – Mr. George H. Moore, State Printer, Sacramento, CA; 2 books – Mr. H. T. Gardner, Vice President, Stecher-Traung Lithographic Corporation, San Francisco, CA; 1 book – Lt. H. R. Cowles, USNR, Laboratory Officer, U.S. Navy Yard, Mare Island, CA; and1 book – Capt. A. R. Kline, SC, USN, Commandant, Naval Supply Depot, Oakland, CA A 1 2710 09/21/45 Mr. G. C. Sauter, Stecher-Traung Lithographic Corporation, Baltimore Office A 103 2815 10/02/45 Major General A. H. Carter, G.S.C., Fiscal Director, War Department A 5 3032 10/10/45 Commander Theodore B. Nickson, SC, USNR, Bureau of Supplies and Accounts, Navy Department A 12 3862 11/15/45 Hon. D. W. Bell, Under Secretary of the Treasury A 2 5285 01/15/46 E. F. Bartlett, Fiscal Assistant Secretary, Treasury Department A 1 5431 01/23/46 E. F. Bartlett, Fiscal Assistant Secretary, Treasury Department A 1 5763 02/13/46 E. F. Bartlett, Fiscal Assistant Secretary, Treasury Department A 2 269 07/19/46 Office of the Assistant Secretary, Treasury Department B 12 4232 12/12/44 Mr. H. D. White, Assistant to the Secretary, Treasury Department B 36 4362 12/19/44 Commander Theodore B. Nickson, SC, USNR, Bureau of Supplies and Accounts, Navy Department B 4 5320 02/07/45 2 books – Mr. George H. Moore, State Printer, Sacramento, CA; and 2 books – Mr. H. T. Gardner, Vice President, Stecher-Traung Lithographic Corporation, San Francisco, CA B 5 7585 04/11/45 Major General A. H. Carter, G.S.C., Fiscal Director, War Department B 1 7660 4/19/45 Frank F. Dietrich, Executive Assistant to the Under Secretary, Treasury Department B 1 7760 04/23/45 Mr. J. Edgar Hoover, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington, DC B 100 1035 08/03/45 Frank Coe, Director, Division of Monetary Research, Treasury Department B 25 2134 08/11/45 Lt. Gordon Williams, Military Government Section, Bureau of Supplies and Accounts, Navy Department B 1 2710 09/21/45 Mr. G. C. Sauter, Stecher-Traung Lithographic Corporation, Baltimore Office B 250 2815 10/02/45 Major General A. H. Carter, G.S.C., Fiscal Director, War Department B 5 3032 10/10/45 Commander Theodore B. Nickson, SC, USNR, Bureau of Supplies and Accounts, Navy Department B 1 7450 06/11/46 Carew Manufacturing Company, South Hadley Falls, MA B 2 270 07/19/46 Office of the Assistant Secretary, Treasury Department Thank you, BEP Moneyfactory.gov
