Military currency and occupation money are money provided for the use of military personnel serving in occupied territory. Depending on circumstances, military currency can be provided by an aggressor or a liberator and take a variety of forms for use by military and / or local populations. In the case of Hawaii in WWII military currency was swapped for the US dollars on the island in preparation for a possible Japanese invasion. This pre-empted the possibility of Japan gaining control of all the US dollars in Hawaii since 'greenbacks' were internationally negotiable - ie accepted in most countries and so potentially an economic boom to Japan. Many countries including Japan, Germany, the United States of America and Britain have produced military currency during conflicts between WWII and Vietnam. The equivalent to military currency now used by military personnel serving overseas is the value-added charge card.

The examples in this acquisition are Allied Military Currency produced for the use of allied troops in France after that country's liberation from Nazi Germany during the final years of WWII

Paul Donnelly
Curator, history of design and society
January 2008

Refs:
Standard Catalog of World Paper Money - Seventh Edition, volume 2, General issues, 1994
http://www.frbsf.org/currency/stability/history/index.html

This allied military currency was printed in 1944 by Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing Company in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.

Refs:
Pick, Albert - Standard Catalog of World Paper Money - Seventh Edition, volume 2, General issues, 1994, p. 492

Military Currency or Occupation Money is currency provided for the use of military personnel serving in occupied territory. Depending on circumstances military currency can be provided by an aggressor or by a liberator and many countries including Japan, Germany, the United States of America and Britain have produced military currency. These examples are Allied Military Currency produced for the use of allied troops in France during WWII.

The donor of these notes was prompted to give them to the Powerhouse Museum by virtue of his relationship to Major H.P. (Pat) Boland, numismatic curator (and later consultant) at this Museum from 1961 to 2006.

Allied military currency (3), supplemental French Franc, paper, made by Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing Company, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, for use by Allied troops, France, 1944

Three paper notes used as allied military currency, square in shape, denominations of two, five and ten francs. All are from the 1944 series. All notes have text incorporated as part of their design. 'LIBERTE / EGALITE / FRATERNITE' is printed on the reverse of each note.

Square paper note printed on both sides, two francs in value. The obverse features a domed design in the centre bottom flanked by torches on both sides, printed in green and black and text 'EMIS EN / FRANCE / 58966854 / DIX / 2 / FRANCS' and '2' in each corner. The reverse features a French flag in the centre, printed in blue, red and white.

Square paper note printed on both sides, five francs in value. The obverse features a domed design in the centre bottom flanked by torches on both sides, printed in blue, black and green and text 'EMIS EN / FRANCE / 61984813 / DEUX / 5 / FRANCS and '5' in each corner. The reverse features a French flag in the centre, printed in blue, red and white.

Square paper note printed on both sides, ten francs in value. The obverse features a domed design in the centre bottom flanked by torches on both sides, printed in pink, black and green and text 'EMIS EN / FRANCE / 02121921 / CINQ / 10 / FRANCS and '10' in each corner. The reverse features a French flag in the centre, printed in blue, red and white.

Made: Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing Company; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; 1944

2008/65/2

1944

66 mm

76 mm