Catalog
1 Cent Japanese Government
| Issuer | Japanese Government (Military Administration) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Cent (0.01) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Printed in dark blue on a pale green ground, the obverse is framed by an ornate guilloche border with scrollwork and floral corner devices, with the numeral '1' in each corner. The centre carries the bold letterpress inscription 'THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT / ONE CENT' above a lozenge-shaped guilloche underprint. Block letters 'M / AD' appear as block prefix designators at left and right centre, while a small circular seal with Japanese characters is placed at lower left, and the Japanese legend 大日本帝國政府 runs along the lower margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in dark blue on an uncoloured paper ground and is entirely typographic and geometric in character, with no pictorial vignette. A double-rule outer border encloses a dense guilloche band running along all four sides, with small floral rosette ornaments at the top and bottom centres. At the centre, a large double-lobed guilloche cartouche surrounds the numeral '1', flanked by the denomination digit '1' in each of the four corners. |
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| Comments |
Japan's wartime military currency for occupied territories was produced in several regional series, but the earliest Malayan issues — of which this is one — were prepared before the invasion even concluded. The 1 cent denomination was almost purely a psychological and logistical tool; actual low-value transactions in occupied Malaya continued largely in kind or using surviving Straits Settlements coinage, and these notes were slow to gain acceptance.
The "Japanese Government" inscription, rather than a named military bank, reflects Tokyo's deliberate policy of avoiding the appearance of a temporary occupation — the intent was permanence. Redemption after 1945 was denied by the Allied administration, rendering the entire series worthless overnight.