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5 Cents Milwaukee Defense
| Issuer | Officers' Open Mess, Milwaukee Defense |
|---|---|
| Year | 1955-1965 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Green paper with black letterpress text across the left panel and a bold numeral '5' within a ruled box at right. A red serial number appears at centre below a row of decorative dashes. The legend 'NOT GOOD IF DETACHED' is printed in italic at lower left. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | OFFICERS' OPEN MESS * MILWAUKEE * DEFENSE NOT GOOD IF DETACHED 5 CENTS |
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| Comments |
Officers' Open Mess scrip of this type was issued for use within closed military installation canteens and clubs — a closed monetary loop intended to prevent U.S. currency from circulating off-base or being hoarded by civilian contractors. The Milwaukee Defense designation points to one of the Nike missile defense installations ringing the city during the height of Cold War continental air defense, when the Army Air Defense Command operated dozens of such sites across the greater Milwaukee area.
Small-denomination scrip like this 5-cent piece handled the coffee-and-cigarettes end of the mess economy. Most was destroyed when sites decommissioned through the 1960s.