Catalog
50 Sen US Military Currency - B-Note
| Issuer | Allied Military Authority (United States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1945 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 78 × 66 mm |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Printed in brown on a plain ground, the reverse is filled with a dense intaglio vignette of intertwined acanthus scrollwork and oak twigs with acorns, rendered in fine engraved line work that covers nearly the entire face. A Japanese inscription runs horizontally along the top edge, while the English legend 'ISSUED PURSUANT TO MILITARY PROCLAMATION' is set in a banderole along the lower border, with additional scrollwork ornaments in the lower right corner. |
| 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 B-series military currency was introduced in 1945 specifically to replace the yellow-seal "Hawaii" notes and the standard Federal Reserve issues then circulating in the Pacific theater. The "B" prefix on the serial numbers allowed occupation authorities to demonetize any currency that had fallen into Japanese hands — or been looted, counterfeited, or stockpiled — simply by declaring the previous series void.
This 50 Sen denomination sits at an odd economic threshold: the Sen had been effectively worthless under wartime inflation, yet occupation planners retained fractional denominations to stabilize retail trade during the transition to postwar price controls.