Catalog
500 Pesos
| Issuer | Japanese Government (Japanese Occupation of the Philippines) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1944 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Pesos |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The right half of the note is occupied by an intaglio vignette of the José Rizal Monument in Luneta Park, Manila, rendered with fine engraved linework against a cloudy sky. A large guilloche numeral "500" with "PESOS" inscribed within it occupies the centre, flanked on the left by a pale underprint legend reading "FIVE HUNDRED" in large block letters. Ornate scrollwork corner pieces and hatched lathe-work borders frame the entire design, with the issuer legend "THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT" arched across the top and a Japanese kanji inscription running along the lower border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 500 THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT FIVE HUNDRED PESOS 大内 臣臧 府政國帝本日内 (Translation: Minister of Internal Affairs Imperial Government of Japan) |
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| Comments |
The so-called "Mickey Mouse money" issued by the Japanese Military Administration in the Philippines was derided by Filipinos almost from the start — inflation rendered it essentially worthless well before the war ended, and many Filipinos refused it outright or accepted it only under duress. The 500 Peso denomination, the highest in the 1944 series, was a direct consequence of that collapse: denominations had to keep climbing to remain functional for everyday transactions.
Bamboo-pulp paper was a wartime expedient, substituted as Japanese access to conventional paper stocks deteriorated. It ages poorly and is prone to brittleness at the folds — survivors in sound condition are less common than the notes' original print volumes would suggest.