Status: U Return-Path: Received: from web5203.mail.yahoo.com ([216.115.106.97]) by runyon.mail.mindspring.net (Earthlink Mail Service) with SMTP id tc7mek.1e5.37kbi7f for ; Thu, 29 Mar 2001 19:56:51 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <20010330005550.4149.qmail@web5203.mail.yahoo.com> Received: from [64.12.105.21] by web5203.mail.yahoo.com; Thu, 29 Mar 2001 16:55:50 PST Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2001 16:55:50 -0800 (PST) From: MPCgram Subject: MPCGram 294 To: MPCGram@yahoo.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii ==================================================== MPC Gram ==================================================== Covering the Entire World of Military Numismatics ---------------------------------------------------- Series 002-Number 294 Thurski, March 29, 2001 Try Philippine guerrilla notes By Larry “Ski” Smulczenski At CPMX and at FEST, I noticed a revitalized interest in Philippine Guerrilla currency. There were a number of new collectors at both places looking for guerrilla notes. I remember when I first got interested in these notes sometimes in the late seventies. I had nearly completed my collection of MPC and everyone has heard the stories on how I was a fanatical condition nut. My notes had to perfect in every shape and form. But when your collecting only the finest notes you can find, you either have to have very deep pockets or your not going to find many items to add to your collection. Since I constantly wanted something new to play with, I had to look at other areas to satisfy my collecting interests. That's when chits and guerrilla currency came into my life. They were relatively inexpensive, fairly plentiful and came in varieties, so there were areas to explore. I learned real quick however, that there was no way that you were only going to collect only crisp uncirculated guerrilla notes. Heck, in many cases they weren't crisp uncirculated when they were printed. The paper used was recycled ballots, tax forms, used notebook paper, paper bags and anything that was available at the time. Remember, that there was a war going on and these notes were being printed covertly behind the backs of the Japanese. Discovery of the printing operation would result in death of those involved, in fact it meant death to anyone caught using these notes. So anyone that had any of these notes, would wad them up and hide them so that the could not be found. Then consider the conditions in the Philippines, a very humid, hot tropical climate and you will start to realize why many of the notes you find only grade G or VG. Imagine someone hiding a roll of these bills under the floor of his hut or in a hollow of a bamboo pole that might be standing out in the yard. In no time at all, bugs and termites would find the notes and enjoy the feast left out for them. That is why many of the guerrilla notes you find today, have uneven margins, little round worm holes or larger tunnel-like holes appearing in them. I had to adjust my collecting standards to accept these faults, or else I realized I would never be able to enjoy this area of collecting. The well worn ripped note that you have difficulty determining some of the features or serial number, is the standard collectable note. I have notes in my collection that are hardly readable, others that have large pieces missing and still others that are nearly torn in half, and then glued back together with a strip of paper and some god-awful looking glue. Stains and rips are the rule, not the exception, however, I don't want you to think that you cannot find nice notes. There are plenty of them out there, but usually these are the common notes of which large numbers were printed and maybe never issued. I don't believe there were any life-loving Filipino's that were collecting guerrilla notes and putting them neatly in an album for the Japanese to find during WWII. When I started collecting guerrilla notes, Neil Shafer had already published his epic Philippine Emergency and Guerrilla Currency of World War II and C. M. "Niel" Nielson had written a number of articles on the subject for Bank Note Reporter. To this day, Shafers book remains the authoritative work on the subject and Nielsons efforts have been incorporated into the Volume One of the Pick catalog. Not much else has been done in the last twenty plus years. That is not to say that you could not find an unbelievable amount of work that could be done in this area. Since the notes were manufactured by such crude methods, the number of varieties is very large. You can imagine a person at an old typewriter, laying out a stencil with four or more banknotes on it. This is the printing plate as some of the notes were produced on a mimeograph machine from a stencil. He or she types the major elements of the note, uses a letter like an "X" for the border design and then has the mayor and treasurer sign each note on the stencil. Possible a picture of a seal or animal may be added to make it harder to counterfeit. With all the repetition required, you can see that it was very easy to make mistakes or misalign letters or sentences. The signatures always were a little different from one another further resulting in varieties. It really is a lot of fun and very interesting to compare the different varieties. I have been able to reconstruct some of the printed sheets by looking at varieties. There are many other interesting things that can be found on these crude notes. When you have a chance, look at the guerrilla notes in your Pick catalog and see how many of them refer to the United States or the U. S. Army. I feel sure many of you will be surprised, yet this is not all that have that distinction since only Shafer's book lists the municipal issues, many of which make the same reference. If this area is of interest to some of you, let us know through the gram. If there are any specific areas that you might be interested in, let us know that also and we will try to address some of those interests in the Thurski. I will be in the Netherlands next week for the Maastricht/Valkenburg show. Hopefully, we can find a computer to let you know what new and exciting is happening in the European paper money arena. ==================================================== Editorial ---------------------------------------------------- When a future Gram editor publishes a future personality profile by a future replacement columnist for Joe Boling, he/she will no doubt give me some praise for some good things that I may have done. However, I am sure that the main thrust of the article will be my unbelievable and widely recognized ability to lose things! I think that I am unmatched in this ability. Actually, I do not too often loose numismatic items. Hats, gloves, keys; those things I lose. Bank notes, research papers, entire book manuscripts, even entire collections of notes I misplace. They are almost always here. Often they are within arm’s reach. I also almost always find these items. Usually long after they were needed, but occasionally right on schedule. There is an advantage to this trait (besides becoming legendary.) Because of this characteristic, I have many wonderful notes in my collection that I might well have sold if I had kept careful track of them from the moment of purchase. I was reminded of this trait of mine in a (fully justifiable) critical letter that I received recently. Often my mistakes in this area are harmless and little more than annoying. However, it has also been the basis of the most serious problems that I have had over the years. Every now and then I decide to try to fix this problem. Now is one of those times. I do not expect to be able to “fix it,” but I can certainly try to improve on it! Over the years (decades) many people have understood my problem and helped me. They have helped by providing new copies of items misplaced, finding notes among my papers, waiting (usually) patiently for the item to pop to the surface, and in many other ways. While these people thought that were helping me, they were really facilitators and codependents. Clearly all of my problems are their fault! They made me do it! (smile) =================================================== Mail Call --------------------------------------------------- Dear MPC Gramsters, When I went through US Air Force Basic Training in 1988 they issued us these baby blue plastic USAF ATM cards and we were taken a couple of times to this ATM machine to be paid. Everyone wanted to know why I got paid more than them. I went in as an E-3 because I had two years of college, but I coud not wear my rank till the day I left Basic. The TI told me if I didn't have my stripes on that day and not before they would take 'em. Always a head game with these guys. I have the ATM card somewhere. When I dig it up I'll send the Gram a scan. We also had to keep an up to date money list with us at all times in basic. On the list were denominations and serial numbers. God help you if they didn't match what you had when the TI asked to see your list. Of course one of the benefits I enjoyed do to my greater pay was a bigger list to maintain. Good thing there wasn't much to spend your money on in Basic or you'd be always updating your list. Take Care, Gavin Dear Gavin, I think that the ATM card is a great military money item. I sure hope that you can find it. Hopefully, you can take it to next year’s Fest! Editor Dear Gram; 8-10 March 2002 is the ANA in Jacksonville. You going to walk on that show again [with the Fest]? Joe Dear Joe, Thanks for writing about the possible conflict. If you cannot get the ANA to change the dates, we will have to conflict or come up with another plan. Here is an idea. If you will come to PC for the Fest the week before Chicago, you can do the Fest, Chicago, then the ANA in one big trip. Heck we can work on WWII 2! Editor =================================================== Departments --------------------------------------------------- WWII numismatics seminar at ANA Summer Seminar 2001 --------------------------------------------------- Not only does the scholarship fund have an official identity but also has a bank account! Any further donations should be paid to the order of "Military Numismatists Scholarship" and sent to: Military Numismatists c/o Marcus Turner 8103 East US Highway 36 Suite 163 Avon, IN 46123 THE UPDATED LIST OF SCHOLARSHIP BENEFACTORS 3/5/01. These folks have generously provided money or material to finance scholarships to the ANA WWII Numismatics seminar. Your contributions will help promote collecting WWII material and be greatly appreciated. Many donations were received at CPMX and MPCFest. They are being processed and will be recognized very soon. Mr. Anonymous Donor Mike Cummings Sue and Keith Bauman Ed B. Doug Bell Tom Denly, Denly's R. A. Medina Harold MPCKid Kroll Leo "Paymaster" May Mrs. R.C. Matherne Bill McNease Mel and Jeremy Steinberg Marcus Turner Larry Ski Guido Fred PK6 Joel Shafer World Wide Ventures Pam West John & Nancy Wilson Neil Shafer W. E. Yanchick ==================================================== Post/Base Exchange (PX/BX/NEX) Dump your dupes! Your classified advertisement for items for sale will be run here for free. Send your ads to the gram. This service is for everyone, most humble dealer or most advanced collector. The point is to make the gram more interesting. Send in a list of items for sale and we will list them here in the gram. In all cases confirm your order via email first. Philippine Guerrilla Notes- Ten different guerrilla notes for $2.00 plus an SASE. These notes will grade between G and AU with faults but they are the typical condition that you will find them. You don't find too many of them in junk boxes anymore. Larry Smulczenski, Box 263, Shalimar, Fl 32579 MPC Series 461 $5 Gem unc, $310. David Seelye. Contact coinman@rochester.rr.com. WANTED Collectors may submit lists of items wanted for their collections for listing here. Dealers and collectors who have these items are then encouraged to list them for sale in the above section. This is a trial, if you like it, send your list. =================================================== Staff: publisher and editor: Fred Schwan - fred@papermoneyworld.com; assistant editor - Phil Goldstein IWANTMYMPC@aol.com critic: Harold Kroll - MPCKid@papermoneyworld.com; index manager: Ed Beaman webmaster & technical advisor: Doug Bell - (Wiz): doug@papermoneyworld.com; The Boss: Judy Schwan ===== MPC Gram is published by BNR Press and papermoneyworld.com as a free service to the community of military money collectors. Your suggestions, criticisms, complaints, editorial contributions, letters, and even praise are very welcome. The entire contents including linked illustrations are copyright protected by the publishers. In the case of contributors, the copyright is protected on behalf of the creators. Please send all correspondence regarding the gram to MPCgram@yahoo.com. Thank you very much for your participation. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail. http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/?.refer=text