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50 Fen
| Issuer | Central Bank of Manchukuo |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Blue note with a fine intaglio architectural vignette at left centre, presenting a traditional Chinese temple or government building flanked by mature trees. The Manchukuo orchid blossom emblem is placed at top centre, with the issuer inscription 滿洲中央銀行 along the upper register, denomination characters 五角 at left and right margins, and a legal tender cartouche at lower centre; an unprinted circular reserve field occupies the right half of the note. |
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| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
Manchukuo's fen-denominated notes occupy an awkward place in the monetary history of the puppet state — by 1941, rampant wartime inflation was already eroding small denominations into near-uselessness, yet the Central Bank continued issuing fractional notes to maintain the fiction of a functioning, stable currency. This 50 Fen note appeared the same year Japan dramatically expanded its military commitments across the Pacific and Southeast Asia, with Manchukuo's economy increasingly stripped to feed the Imperial war machine.
The watermark security feature is notable given how sparingly it was applied across the fen series — higher-denomination yuan notes received more elaborate protection, and the inclusion here reflects a deliberate, if largely symbolic, effort at formal banking credibility.