"Specimens of Military Yen Currency, Area B"  B-Yen Booklet.
Contains punched specimen H-A notes for the 10s, 50s, 1y, 5y
10y, 20y and 100y notes (7).  Notes are tipped to booklet tabs
at the left side of each note.  All notes are crisp uncirculated.
Very Scare.   Sold


10s~20y (x100 each)
B-Yen, 10s-20y x100, crisp uncirculated. Except for 5y all packs have
consecutive serial numbers.  The 10s pack has two replacement notes.
The 5y unit has 1 substitute note for a missing note (not a replacement
note).   Sold


B-Yen, 10 sen - 20 yen, crisp, uncirculated.  5 notes end in 656.
                 the 6th note (10 yen) ends in 456.  Price:  $100


B-Yen, 10 sen, Crisp Uncirculated,
       Consecutive Serial #s, Pick P63.

        1  note         $ 5.00
        5  notes        $24.00


B-Yen, 10s, Crisp Uncirculated Pack of 100
       with 2 Replacement Notes (H-A)          Price: $600.00


B-Yen, 10s, Crisp Uncirculated x100            Price: $325.00   Light stain in right margin of 1st 10 notes,
       A03253403A-99A (97 notes) Low Serial #s                   original band present but broken
       A39775765A-7A (3 notes) High Serial #s


B-Yen, 10s (x2), Crisp Uncirculated, Choice
       Replacement Notes - H00063608A & 9A     Price: $385.00
  

B-Yen, 50 sen, Crisp Uncirculated,
       Consecutive Serial #s, Pick P65.
        (Out of Stock)

B-Yen, 1 yen, H-A, Replacement Note, H00069769A, Good,
        staining - most evident on the back     Price: $150.00


B-Yen, 1 yen, D-D (Japan Printing), Crisp Uncirculated,
         Pick 67d    Price: $20.00


B-Yen, 1 yen, D-D (Japan Printing), 4 notes - consecutive serial #s
         Crisp Uncirculated, Pick P67d   Price: $100.00


B-Yen, 1 yen, D-D (Japan Printing), Extra Fine to Almost
         Uncirculated, Pick P67d   Price: $15.00


B-Yen, 5 yen, A-A, Extra Fine, Pick P69a, high serial number
         A25677389A (27,000,000 printed)  Price: $30.00


B-Yen, 5 yen, A-A, Crisp Uncirculated, Pick P69a   Price: $25.00


B-Yen, 5 yen, B-B, Crisp Uncirculated, Pick P69b   Price: $55.00
          Lowest amount printed except for 1,000 yen notes


B-Yen, 10 yen, Crisp Uncirculated   Price: $ 15.00


B-Yen, 20 yen, Very Good, low number
       crease at left, A00145848A   Price: $20.00


Military Club (El Peon's Casa - Naha Airmen's Club) chits,
      5c, 10c, 25c, c1963   Price: $18.00


For more information on A & B Yen, click here.

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Specimens of "A" Yen  (all 7 denominations).
Loose notes each punched specimen on H-A notes for the 10s, 50s, 1y, 5y
10y, 20y and 100y notes - extracted from booklet.  The notes were once tipped
to booklet tabs at the left side of each note and evidence of that can
be seen.  All notes are crisp uncirculated.  Very Scare.  Sold


A-Yen  10s (XF+), 50s (XF+), 1y (XF+), 10y (XF) - 4 notes  Price: $325.00


A-Yen  10s (Good+)     Price: $15.00   Serial #A15364429A


A-Yen  50s (AU)        Price: $35.00   Serial #A11882988A, almost uncirculated


A-Yen  50s (VG)        Price: $18.00   Serial #A09282032A


A-Yen  1y (CU)         Price: $45.00   Serial #A10674263A, crisp uncirculated


A-Yen  1y (VF)         Price: $20.00   Serial #A02935304A


A-Yen  1y, 5y, 10y (VG)Price:$200.00   3 notes, VG or better


A-Yen  5y (Good+)      Price: $45.00   Serial #A03555393A


A-Yen  5y (Good)       Price: $45.00   Serial #A03530277A


A-Yen  5y (Good)       Price: $50.00   Serial #A00050109A, low serial #


A-Yen  10y (VF+)      Price: $145.00   Serial #A01478645A


A-Yen  10y (UNC)      Price: $250.00 (Net)  Serial #A00115019A


A-Yen  20y (UNC)      Price: $750.00 (Net)  Serial #A01286863A


A-Yen 100y (UNC)      Price:$1500.00 (Net)  Serial #A01923332A


 Above 3 as one unit  Price:$2250.00 (Net)  10y, 20y & 100y, A-Yen, Uncirculated
  ~~



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Japan Stamps.
 
    

The, "B" underprinted notes were used in Japan from late 1945 through 1948 and to 1958 in Okinawa. Unlike the "A" Yen notes, these notes were used by the general population, not just US Forces personnel. The were issued in 10s, 50s, 1y, 5y, 10y, 20y 100y and 1000y denominations. While most notes were printed by Strecher-Traung, some notes of 1, 5, and all the 1,000 yen were printed in Japan by the Ministry of Finance's Printing Bureau and the 1 yen block B-B notes were printed by the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The "B" Yen currency was in use in Okinawa until 1958 giving it the distinction of being the longest in use US military curreny of the World War II era.

Both "B" and "A" underprinted military currency yen notes bear the series number 100.

All "B" underprint notes have block letters associated with printers.

1 yen through 100 yen notes.


• Block A-A, 10 sen, 50 sen, 1 yen, 5 yen, 10 yen, 20 yen and 100 yen, printed by Stecher-Traung, San Francisco in 1945 by offset lithography. Notes were actually cut, numbered and wrapped by the California State Printing Office, Sacramento.
• Block H-A replacement notes (see below) for defective block A-A notes.
• Block H-A specimen/replacement notes for block A-A notes (see below).
• Block B-B, 1 yen, printed by the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
• Block B, 1 yen replacement note omits the last B
• Block C-C, 1 yen, printed by Japan Ministry of Finance.
• Block C-C, 1 yen replacement note - format currently undetermined.
• Block D-D, 1 yen, printed by Japan Ministry of Finance.
• Block D-D, 1 yen replacement note - format currently undetermined.
• Block B-B, 5 yen, printed by Japan Ministry of Finance
• Block B-B, 5 yen replacement note - format currently undetermined.

  1,000 yen notes (5 printings).
  

• Blocks A-A, B-B, C-C, D-D and E-E, printed by Japan Ministry of Finance (1951-1955). Replacement note format for all 1,000 yen notes currently undetermined.

  Notes in all denominations from 10 sen to 100 yen were prepared in 1945 and ready for use immediately on the invasion of Okinawa, April 1, 1945. Troops on the invasion ships were allowed to draw small amounts of the "B" yen and actually carried it ashore when they landed. The value of the 100 yen note was approximately 80c so it easy to understand that the need for a larger denomination note soon developed. The 1,000 yen notes were first issued in December of 1951.

  Replacement notes (block H-A) substituted into packs of notes did not have the same numbers as the block "A-A" notes they replaced. The replacement notes were added into packs in the there own numerical sequence.

  Specimen replacement notes (blocks H-A with "Specimen" perforation at bottom center). I believe all the "H-A" replacement notes in "B" underprinted series, Block A-A notes, were perforated specimen except the 1,000 yen note. I have seen them separately and in booklet form. Separate notes were probably removed from a booklet and generally have faint evidence of that on the reverse. The notes were tipped (attached by good quality glue) onto tabs in the booklet on the reverse side (right edge when viewing the back of the note). All the specimen notes that I have seen have low serial numbers (below 100,000). Similar specimen notes exist for the "A" underprinted notes (see below). The specimen booklets were intended to provide US Forces personnel advance knowledge the currency that would be placed in use with the invasion.

  Printing Quantities for "B" yen:

  10 sen A-A (1945) -- 51,856,000 [39,800,000]*
  50 sen A-A (1945)-- 43,344,000 [21,100,000]*
  1 yen A-A (1945) -- 53,984,000 [40,200,000]*
  1 yen B-B (1955) -- 2,624,000
  1 yen C-C (1956) -- 7,680,000
  1 yen D-D (1957) -- 7,680,000
  5 yen A-A (1945) -- 27,000,000 [25,700,000]*
  5 yen B-B (1957) -- 2,000,000
  10 yen A-A (1945) -- 60,740,000 [54,600,000]*
  20 yen A-A (1945) -- 35,408,000 [35,200,000]*
  100 yen A-A (1945) -- 39,042,000 [32,000,000]*
  1,000 yen A-A (1945) -- 500,000
  1,000 yen B-B (1951) -- 500,000
  1,000 yen C-C (1953) -- 500,000
  1,000 yen D-D (1955) -- 1,000,000
  1,000 yen E-E (1956) -- 3,000,000

  * Numbers in brackets [ ] represent recorded (approximate - rounded up to the next 100,000s) high numbers for these notes. On the 50s note, the range between printed and actually recorded is significant.

  The "A" underprinted notes were in use in Japan for only a few weeks in 1946. They were only used by US Forces personnel. They were also used in Korea for a short period between the end of 1945 and mid 1946. There is some evidence, although not conclusive, that the "A" underprinted notes circulated in Okinawa briefly. They were issued in 10s, 50s, 1y, 5y, 10y, 20y and 100y denominations. All "A" underprinted notes are block A-A except for replacements which are block H-A. Specimen replacement notes (block H-A with "Specimen" perforation at the bottom center) exist for all 7 notes in this series.

 
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George C. Baxley, PO Box 807, Alamogordo, NM 88311

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