My grandfather brought these notes back from WWII, What are they worth?

Sadly, 1000 Mark or Franc notes from the 1920s and 1940s have been devalued, and thus your note, which has been folded with edge tears, and stained, has no resale potential. It is, however, an interesting keepsake of your relative’s service in the military, and his European travels.

Often such local notes were signed by the military personal in a squadron or military unit, as a remembrance. These are called short-snorters, and do have a collector interest to them, especially if signed by famous people, visiting dignitaries or USO show cast members.

Allied Military Currency (called AMC by collectors) and Military Payment Certificates (called MPC), have a specialized following, and there are some interesting dates or denominations for those issues. The AMC issues were used in occupied nations after 1943 thru the end of WWII. MPCs were used by US military personel stationed overseas, between 1946 and 1973. This AMC issue is special in that is has a star before the serial number. It is a replacement note, and thus scarcer than most.

If they served in the South Pacific? Then they might have brought back some Japanese Invasion Money (JIM). These have a basic title of The Japanese Government, and are denominated in Pesos for use in the Philippines; shillings and pounds for Oceana;  and cents for Malaya and Burma (not for a planed US invasion!)

Value depends on condition. Those that illustrate this article are in very nice condition, and were offered in a Lyn Knight Currency auction sale of early September, 2007. If your note has many folds, or it is dirty, or has been staped, then the value of it is considerably less.

George 

The art of the modern medal will be featured in three ways by the American Numismatic Assocaiton museum in Colorado Springs starting this September.

First, From September 18-22 a symposium will be held with over 24 lectures and demonstrations for attendees of FIDEM 2007.

Second, it will mark the opening of the 30th International Exposition of Modern Art Medals. More than 1400 pieces will be on display, from artists in over 25 countries. The exposition will be open to the public free of charge for nine months. There will be a well illustrated exhibition catalog available for $39.95 and a commemorative medal for $75.

Thirdly, the talks will be published in a post conference journal, Medallies, as a record of the event.

FIDEM is the international art medal group umbrella organization. It has delegates in member countries. AMSA is the American medallic art group, and have a nice website with member galleries.

In his groundbreaking study of the medal in Renaissance Europe, Dr. Stephen Scher calls the medium of medallic portraiture the Currency of Fame. While most of the medals in the exhibit are not portraits, they are quite distinctive, and worthy of a visit either in person to the exhibit, or via the web.

I'll be there too. I have a medal in the show, I am giving a talk and I sponsor a (cash) prize for an artist under the age of 30.

George

The 26^th Edition of the Standard Catalog of U.S. Paper Money will be available soon, and recognition for the 25^th edition!

Orders are now being accepted for the 26^th edition of the Standard Catalog of United States Paper Money. We have received a very few “checking copies” from the printer – basically to approve and accept the order as bound, and the shipment will soon be received at our distribution center.

This new edition is our second year with the 6x9 format and nearly full color illustrations. I continue to be the editor, and this year, we have added William Brandimore as the market analyst. In addition to a bunch of new release information, older listings long a part of the book now return to the product - namely the chapters on Civil War Envelopes, Philippines Currency under US Administration, Fractional Currency Specimens, and error notes. These items were deleted from the 25^th edition due to a set pre-determined page count limit. It also gave us an extra year to get nice quality color illustrations of these sections. Taking that in mind, we budgeted for 100 more pages than the 25^th edition and thus at the retail price of $26.99 the book continues to be a bargain reference for the US bank note collector.

That all said and done, The Numismatic Literary Guild presented me with an Extraordinary Merit Award for the work on the 25^th edition of the Standard Catalog of United States Paper Money. It is always nice to receive recognition from the community for a job well done. It was the only award presented to the KP Numismatic Book department. In the photo, David Alexander is presenting me with the plaque award. David Kranz, editor of Bank Note Reporter, took the photo.

George

The U.S. Treasury thru the press department has sent out an email informing us that the press / public unveiling of the design and some security features of the new $5.00 bill will be broadcast to the press at a news event scheduled for 20 September. So, the information is nearly here. The bills are still scheduled to be introduced into circulation in Spring, 2008. Here is the full BEP release:

Washington, D.C. (August 21, 2007) - For the first time, a redesigned denomination of U.S. currency will be digitally unveiled when a new $5 bill design is revealed on September 20, 2007.

In relying on digital communications channels for the "Wi-5" unveiling event, the government will serve two purposes: first, echo its approach to staying ahead of counterfeiters by using the latest advances in technology to enhance the bill's security; and second, allow for the unveiling of the new $5 bill design to be widely accessible.

"A digital unveiling for the redesigned $5 bill provides a new opportunity to engage people in the public education process," said Dawn Haley, Chief of the Office of External Relations at the Treasury's Bureau of Engraving and Printing, "We hope that the ‘Wi-5' theme will get consumers excited about the new bill and encourage them to use the resources on our Web site to learn about its security features and protect their hard-earned money."

The government offers public education and training materials to inform the public about the latest currency designs. These materials are available to order or download at www.moneyfactory.gov/newmoney. The site has received over 222 million hits since its launch in May 2003 and gets about 280,000 unique visitors each month.

The Web site will be home to the "Wi-5" event on September 20, when government officials from the U.S. Treasury, Federal Reserve Board, Bureau of Engraving and Printing and U.S. Secret Service reveal the new $5 bill design for the first time and discuss continuing efforts to stay ahead of counterfeiting. An online Q&A for reporters and podcasts will round out the new bill's digital debut. During the days following the $5 bill's unveiling, streaming video of man-on-the-street interviews will be posted on the site, which will showcase consumers identifying the new $5 bill's updated security features.

"The United States government will continue to enhance the security of our Nation's currency," said Rose Pianalto, Assistant to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. "From Bangkok to Boston, we want those who rely on our paper money around the globe – whether they are central banks, businesses or consumers – to have the information they need to verify the money they receive is genuine and to ensure a smooth introduction of new designs into commerce."

Counterfeiting of U.S. currency has been kept at low levels through a combination of improvements in security features, aggressive law enforcement and education efforts to inform the public about how to check their paper money.

The $100 bill will be the next denomination to be redesigned after the $5 bill is issued in early 2008. The government has no plans to redesign the $1 and $2 bills.

Now you know what I know. But why the AP has finally just started talking aobut the $100 redesign, brought to you here much earlier, I do not know. 

George