1 sen 1939

Common. Japanese Military occupation currency of China from 1939 was issued in substantial quantities to facilitate commerce in occupied territories. The 1 sen denomination, being the lowest face value, would have been produced in the largest quantities. No evidence of small print runs, recall, or scarcity in Pick catalog references. UNC examples are desirable but not exceptionally rare given the robust production levels of Japanese wartime occupation notes. Market values for similar examples typically range from $5-25 USD, consistent with common classification.

This note was issued by the Japanese Military Government during the Second Sino-Japanese War and represents Japan's monetary control over occupied Chinese territories. The inscription '大日本帝國政府' (Government of the Empire of Japan) on the front, combined with bilingual Chinese-Japanese text and the Japanese government seal, reflects the imperial administration's assertion of authority over conquered regions. The ornate traditional East Asian artistic styling, incorporating dragon motifs and classical scrollwork, represents Japan's attempt to legitimize occupation currency through culturally familiar design elements.

The front features an ornate symmetrical design dominated by brown and maroon decorative borders with elaborate scrollwork and floral patterns. The central focus is a red circular seal or medallion bearing Chinese characters, representing official government authority. A draped robed figure (likely representing administrative or imperial authority) appears on the left side in green tints. Diamond-shaped ornamental elements punctuate the corners, while shell or fan-like motifs grace the upper border. The reverse maintains symmetrical design principles with a purple and violet color scheme, incorporating mythical dragon motifs on the sides, classical scrollwork borders, and a large central rectangular panel containing vertical Chinese text. Decorative cartouches on both sides frame the denomination and characters, maintaining the traditional East Asian artistic aesthetic consistent with Japanese imperial design standards of the period.

Front Side: '大日本帝國政府' = Government of the Empire of Japan; '壹銭' = One sen (denomination); '137' = Serial number component; '大日本帝國政府紙幣兌換所' = Government of the Empire of Japan Banknote Exchange Office. Back Side: '1' and 'SEN' = Denomination in Arabic numerals and Romanized text; '壹銭' = One sen in Chinese/Japanese characters; '到此票正面兌換本貨開換正面應知造貨傳知情份應代替貨兌換如或使傳如知造貨' = Notice stating the note is exchangeable for specie at face value with counterfeiting prevention and exchange procedural information.

The note exhibits sophisticated intaglio/engraved printing characteristic of Japanese military occupation currency. The fine-line engraving evident throughout the design, complex geometric patterns, intricate scrollwork, and the precise rendering of the dragon motifs and floral elements are consistent with high-quality recess printing. The sharp detail preservation visible in the UNC condition specimen, combined with the multi-color printing (brown, red, green on front; purple on reverse), indicates professional security printing meeting Japanese imperial standards. The printer is likely a Japanese government security printer, though specific attribution would require additional documentation.

The serial number component '137' visible on the front may indicate a specific printing series or batch number. Japanese Military occupation currency sometimes shows variations in serial number prefixes and formatting across different printing runs. Without additional specimens or detailed catalog documentation comparing serial patterns, the specific variety designation for this Pick M7 example cannot be precisely determined, but the '137' component should be noted for variety research purposes. The bilingual Chinese-Japanese text format is standard for this issue type used in occupied China.