1 000 000 Hell Bank Note Jackie Kennedy

Hell Bank notes — also called "ghost money" or joss paper — are ceremonial items burned as offerings during Chinese funerary rites and festivals such as the Qingming and Hungry Ghost festivals, intended to provide the deceased with wealth in the afterlife. The Hell Bank Corporation branding, with its tongue-in-cheek quasi-official styling, became widespread in Hong Kong manufacturing from the mid-20th century onward. These are not currency in any monetary sense and were never intended for circulation.

Jackie Kennedy's appearance on a note of this type is unusual. The tradition overwhelmingly favors deified figures, ancestors, or the Jade Emperor — not Western political celebrities. Her inclusion reflects the globalized novelty market that absorbed the format from the 1980s onward, producing items aimed at collectors rather than mourners.