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50 Sen US Military Currency - A-Note
| Issuer | Allied Military Authority (US occupation of Japan) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1946 |
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| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 78 × 66 mm |
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| Obverse description | Printed in black on a light blue guilloche underprint with blue text throughout, the obverse carries a large outlined letter 'A' as a central underprint element — the hallmark of this Series 100 'A-note' issue. The denomination is expressed bilingually, with '五拾錢' in blue Japanese characters across the upper field and 'FIFTY SEN' in bold blue letterpress along the lower portion, flanked by scrollwork vignettes at left and right. 'MILITARY CURRENCY' appears in a panel along the top border, with '軍票' inscribed in a cartouche at the bottom centre, and the numeral '50 SEN' repeated in a circular device at lower right. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | 軍事布告に基き發行す ISSUED PURSUANT TO MILITARY PROCLAMATION (Translation: Issued pursuant to military proclamation) |
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| Comments |
The "A" prefix suffix series — the A-notes — were a second issue of US Military Currency for Japan, introduced after the original B-series was compromised by large-scale theft and black-market diversion. The switch was deliberately abrupt: B-series notes were demonetized with little warning, forcing anyone holding quantities of the old issue to explain where they came from. It was a deliberate trap as much as a currency reform.
The 50 Sen denomination had minimal practical utility even at issue — wartime inflation had already eroded Sen-denominated purchasing power to near nothing, and these circulated mainly as change in military canteens and PX transactions rather than in the broader Japanese economy.