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10 Cents Pusan; NCO Open Mess
| Issuer | U.S. Army Pusan NCO Open Mess |
|---|---|
| Year | 1950-1955 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 10 Cents (0.10) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Red card stock with black letterpress text. Inscriptions in the left field identify the issuing mess and APO number, with a warning clause reading "NOT GOOD IF DETACHED" and a black serial number below. A bold black panel at right bears the denomination "10 CENTS" in large numerals. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | U.S. ARMY PUSAN N.C.O. OPEN MESS A.P.O. 96259 NOT GOOD IF DETACHED 10 CENTS |
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| Comments |
Scrip issued by a Non-Commissioned Officers' mess in Pusan during the Korean War period, intended to restrict purchases to the issuing facility and prevent U.S. currency from leaking into the local economy — a persistent problem wherever American forces were stationed in postwar and wartime Asia. Mess scrip of this type had no value outside the issuing unit and was periodically retired and replaced specifically to limit black market exposure.
Pusan served as the principal UN logistics base throughout the war, which means this scrip would have seen genuinely heavy use under austere conditions. Red paper was a common differentiator between denominations within a series, not a security feature.