ANA Museum recieves rare military payment certificates from anonymous donor
Two series of rare United States military payment certificates (MPCs) printed for use in Korea and Vietnam has been given anonymously to the American Numismatic Association (ANA) Money Museum.
“This really is quite a donation,” says ANA Collections Manager Christopher T. Connell. “While there only are eight notes from two different series in the donation, they all are rare finds that were never issued for circulation.”
The MPCs, which arrived at the ANA in a plain envelope with no return address, represent Series 691 printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) in 1969 for use in South Korea, and Series 701 printed by the BEP in 1970 for use in South Vietnam. Each series was printed in $1, $5, $10 and $20 denominations.
“MPCs were used by U.S. military personnel stationed in war zones in World War II, and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts,” Connell says. “Exactly why this series of notes were not issued is unknown.”
Series 691 and 701 MPCs were ordered destroyed in the 1990s, Connell adds. A few examples were given to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and several specimens found their way into private collections. MPC collectors report that the notes given to the ANA entered the market about three years ago.
“This anonymous donation arrived immediately after the MPCgram (a free E-newsletter for collectors of military money) announced an organized effort to supplement the ANA’s collection of military scrip and issued a list of notes missing from the Association’s collection,” Connell says. “MPC collector David Klinger came up with the idea of completing ANA’s military payment certificate collection, and, according to newsletter publisher Fred Schwan, the proposal has strong support among recipients of the Internet publication.”
For more information about the MPCgram and the effort to complete a military payment certificate collection for the ANA Museum, contact Fred Schwan at 419/732-6683, E-mail MPCGram@yahoo.com or visit www.papermoneyworld.net.
For more information about the American Numismatic Association Money Museum and its collections, contact the ANA Museum, 818 N. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80903-3279; telephone 719/632-2646; fax 719/634-4085; E-mail museum@money.org; or visit the ANA web site at www.money.org.
Originally Release Date: November 8, 2002
ANA Contacts: Phone: 719-482-9872
Email: pr@money.org