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5 Cents Military Payment Certificate
| Issuer | United States Army Finance Corps |
|---|---|
| Year | 1970 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | P-M86 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 5 MILITARY PAYMENT CERTIFICATE SERIES 692 CENTS FIVE FOR USE ONLY IN UNITED STATES MILITARY ESTABLISHMENTS -- BY UNITED STATES AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE RULES AND REGULATIONS 5 5 |
| Reverse description | Central vignette of a spread-winged American eagle set within an arched guilloche frame, flanked symmetrically by olive branches in fine intaglio engraving printed in rose-red on a peach underprint. Denomination numerals '5' appear in circular cartouches at left and right within an ornate lace-pattern border. 'FIVE CENTS' is inscribed on a scroll at the base of the eagle vignette. |
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| Comments |
Series 692, the last MPC series issued before the Vietnam-era certificates were phased out, was used exclusively by U.S. military personnel in authorized facilities — PXs, clubs, mess halls — to prevent greenbacks from leaking into local economies and fueling black markets. The system worked imperfectly: MPC trading among Vietnamese civilians was widespread and largely unstoppable despite periodic "C-Day" conversion events, where all outstanding certificates were invalidated overnight with minimal warning, wiping out anyone holding them illegally.
Series 692 ran from 1970 to 1973. The small denominations like this 5-cent note were the workhorses of the makeshift change economy inside the bases.