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1 Pound
| Issuer | Japanese Government |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | White paper with a green underprint. The denomination numeral "1" appears in each of the four corners, with the central field carrying the issuing authority inscription in English above and Japanese characters below. A small island vignette is placed to the right, with a serial number to the left and an additional numeral at the bottom center. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | One Pound |
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| Comments |
Japan issued this pound-denominated note for use in occupied Malaya and British Borneo — a deliberate choice to preserve familiar denominations rather than introduce yen, easing acceptance among a population already suspicious of the occupying force. The notes were produced without serial numbers on the earliest printings, a detail that made counterfeiting unusually straightforward and prompted Allied forgery operations that contributed meaningfully to wartime economic disruption in the region.
Popularly called "banana money" by locals, partly for the motif on lower denominations in the same series. The pound notes circulated alongside Japanese military yen across the occupation, creating a chaotic dual system that collapsed spectacularly in 1945 when the currency was rendered worthless at the Japanese surrender.