Catalog
10 Shillings
| Issuer | Japanese Government |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942 |
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| In circulation to | 1945 |
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| Obverse description | The face is printed in brown and grey tones, centred on a vignette of a tropical coastal scene with palm trees framing a calm shoreline, flanked on both sides by additional palm tree vignettes forming a decorative border. The legend 'THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT' appears at the top, with the denomination 'TEN SHILLINGS' in bold letterpress at centre. The serial number prefix 'OA' appears twice in the lower portion, and the Japanese Imperial Government inscription '大日本帝国政府' is printed along the bottom margin. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The back is printed entirely in brown, with a symmetrical guilloche design occupying the full field. A large central rosette of intricate lathe-work encloses the numeral '10', surrounded by concentric oval guilloche bands, with additional numeral '10' panels at left and right set within ornate lozenge-shaped frames. A delicate scrollwork frieze runs along the upper border. |
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| Comments |
Japan's military occupation currency for Malaya — issued beginning in 1942 and quickly nicknamed "banana money" by the local population, a reference to the banana tree motif printed on the higher denomination notes in the same series. The name stuck for all the Japanese invasion notes regardless of denomination. Backed by nothing more than the authority of an occupying force, the currency was inflated catastrophically as the war turned against Japan, with the military simply printing more to cover supply and administrative costs.
After the Japanese surrender in 1945, the notes were declared worthless overnight, wiping out the savings of much of the Malayan civilian population. No redemption scheme was offered.