Catalog
5 Centavos
| Issuer | United States Forces in the Philippines, Seventh Military District |
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| Year | |
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| Currency | Centavo (1942-1945) |
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| Obverse description | Printed on pink paper, the obverse presents a simple typeset layout within a single-rule border. The issuing authority is set in bold uppercase letterpress text across three lines at the top, followed by the denomination FIVE CENTAVOS in large display type. Below, the text CIRCULATING CHIT and GOOD ONLY IN CPW AREA restricts the note's validity to a specific command post zone. Handwritten serial numbers appear at lower left and lower right, with the denomination value P .05 printed at upper left and upper right. |
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| Obverse lettering | UNITED STATES FORCES IN THE PHILIPPINES SEVENTH MILITARY DISTRICT FIVE CENTAVOS CIRCULATING CHIT GOOD ONLY IN CPW AREA P .05 No. |
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| Comments |
The Seventh Military District guerrilla notes were authorized under General MacArthur's broader directive permitting Philippine resistance commanders to issue emergency currency during the Japanese occupation. The Seventh District covered the Visayas region, and these small-denomination centavo notes were intended to keep local economies functional under conditions where Japanese-issued Mickey Mouse money was both distrusted and deliberately avoided by the civilian population.
Survival rates vary considerably across the guerrilla series. Low-denomination notes like this one circulated hard — passed through markets, fishing villages, and resistance supply networks — while higher denominations were more likely to be hoarded or held by commanders. The paper quality used in field printings was inconsistent, and many examples show foxing or fiber degradation inherent to the stock, not subsequent storage.