Philosateleia
Kevin Blackston
PO Box 217
Floresville TX 78114-0217
United States of America

Military Payment Certificate

One of the more unusual items featuring Hollow Horn Bear’s portrait is not a stamp at all, but rather a military payment certificate, a type of currency formerly used by members of the United States military while serving in certain overseas locations.1 The attractive $10 note produced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in 1969 was used in Vietnam from 1970–1973.2

Front of miliary payment certificate picturing American Indian
$10 American Indian military payment certificate
Reverse of military payment certificate picturing bald eagle in flight
$10 American Indian military payment certificate (reverse)

The front of the MPC, in addition to picturing Hollow Horn Bear, features a message limiting its use to “authorized personnel,” while the reverse depicts a bald eagle in flight near a coastal area.

The $10 Hollow Horn Bear certificate was part of Series 692, the last set of MPCs used by the Department of Defense.

References

  1. MPC Series 692 Specifications. Military Payment Certificates. Accessed 23 Feb. 2011.
  2. Military Payment Certificates. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, January 2014. Accessed 20 Dec. 2016.

Published 2018-06-17