Military Payment Certificates / Allied Military Currency

If you are a veteran of the military and served between 1946-1973, you no doubt are already familiar with this category of collecting. Military Payment Certificates were used strictly overseas as a way to pay U.S. military personnel on U.S. bases. There were thirteen series of MPC issued between 1946-1973. Denominations printed were 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, $1, $5, $10 and $20 varieties. Replacement notes were also made and can be fairly expensive. These notes have only one letter in the serial number and it appears at the beginning of that number, i.e. D01913173. Enjoy this part of the hobby, there are many MPC notes to find and add to your collection! A good reference is The Comprehensive Catalog of Military Payment Certificates, 4th Ed.

During World War II an alliance of 49 nations including the Soviet Union, China, France, Great Britain, the United States and others joined forces to help end the war. Most countries issued their own form of army currency in combat zones or occupied areas. Some currency was even issued under the authority of the Allies as a whole. Thus, Allied Military Currency (AMC) was born. AMC was really a forerunner of the U.S. Military Payment Certificates (MPC). For more complete information on AMC and MPC, I suggest the book "World War II Remembered" by Fred Schwan and Joe Boling, published by BNR Press.