============================================== MPC GRAM ============================================== Covering the entire World of Military Numismatics Series 003 - Number 734 Friday 20 Sep 2002 My Trip to Carson City by Mark “Sparky” Watson On Friday, 6 Sep, I took the day off and headed up to Carson City, Nevada, for the annual coin show. Along the scenic route that nestles up against the eastern edge of the Sierras, I stopped at the Manzanar Relocation Center National Monument, just north of Lone Pine, California. The birth of Manzanar began with President Roosevelt’s signing of Executive Order 9066 in 1942, sending anyone with one-sixteenth Japanese ancestry to an interment camp. Manzanar housed individuals from the Southern and Central California area. Housing over 10,000 people at its peak, the camp stayed open until 1945. At that time, the government released the evacuees, and disassembled all the buildings. In the 1960s, the National Park Service (NPS) took over the area. Arriving at 0900, I took advantage of the walking tour put on by the NPS. Getting out of my car, I met up with four other people and Ranger Kim Linse at the sentry posts marking the entrance. Manzanar is the best preserved of the ten relocation centers, meaning a person can still see some of the cinder blocks used as foundations for the barracks. Additionally, the high school auditorium remains, as the local county bought it in 1945 for a road maintenance storage facility. The NPS recently bought back the building, and is currently restoring it back to the 1942 configuration. Unfortunately, this involves substantial asbestos removal. According to Ranger Linse, it actually would be cheaper to tear down the structure and build it from scratch, but that violates NPS policy of preservation. For the tour, the group walked through one of the generic housing blocks. Each block had 14 living structures, eight on the left side, and six on the right. In turn, each structure had 4 rooms, each housing 8 people, for a total of around 450 evacuees per block. Also, the right side had the mess hall for the block, taking up the final two spaces. In some of the blocks, water ponds laid intact next to the mess halls. These ponds represented some of the improvements the Japanese Americans built to turn this Spartan camp into a home, as the camp originally consisted of only the barracks and dirt; no grass, shrubbery, or trees. Lastly, in the center of the block, the men’s and women’s latrines stood along with a laundry facility; now just flat cement foundations. At one point in the tour, Ranger Linse commented about the various jobs in the Center, and the wages paid to the workers. I asked where they spent the money as the map she had only seem to consist of living quarters, schools, a hospital, and some warehouses, but no exchange or commissary. She replied that the Center had a general store and canteen where the evacuees could spend their cash or scrip. At this point, my ears perked up, and I asked about the scrip. She replied that the administration had issued scrip to the workers, but she had not seen it. Not wanting to steer the conversation into an area only interesting to me, I wrote down some notes and continued on with the tour. As 1100 rolled around, Ranger Linse left the group to greet the next group of visitors at the entrance. I continued walking around the area, looking at the remains of the water pond in front of the hospital as well as steps leading up into the one of the hospital’s wings. From there, I walked past the morgue and main laundry area before heading back to the entrance. There, I talked to Ranger Linse some more about the scrip. According to her, Harlan Unrau, a historian for the NPS, mentioned the scrip in a study he wrote in the 1990s. However, Ranger Linse did not know of any examples. She also said the Eastern California Museum in Independence, California, just north of Manzanar and along my route to Carson City, probably had a copy of Mr. Unrau’s report. So, after getting her contact information, I drove up to the museum. The museum, on the west side of the small town, represented three different portions of Owens Valley: its geological background, the Native American heritage, and the Manzanar Relocation Center. After entering the museum, I walked through the current exhibit; a set of photographs taken at Manzanar showing the daily life of the people that resided there. I then talked to one of the curators about Mr. Unrau’s report. She took me to the library, and quickly located a copy for me. Using the table of contents, the study did not have an index, I skimmed through various sections with no luck. But then, I found a section on the enterprise system managed at Manzanar, which included the following sentence: “In addition, no wages were paid to any of the evacuee workers until the first payroll allowance arrived on June 19 in the form of printed script (sic) to be used or cashed at the canteen / store.” After finding this confirmation of scrip used at Manzanar, I finished my drive up to Carson City. On Saturday, 7 Sep, I went to the coin show held at the Nevada State Museum, which is housed in the old Carson City Mint. Upon arriving at the show, I did a quick walk past the 30 or so dealers’ tables, scanning their cases for MPC. I finally stopped at one table where two dealers had mostly paper money. Looking down, I saw a couple of stacks of MPC and asked to look at them. As the dealer pulled them out of his case, I noticed his nametag, Ed Hoffman. Having heard the name for years, I finally had the honor to meet the man. After going through the various stacks, I went away buying a high number piece, a lot of AMC Yen, and a Choice Unc Series 481 $1, 1st printing, for my MPC set. After spending most of my budget, I walked through the show again, and bought some round metallic objects with a buffalo on them for my children’s nickel set. I then got into my car and headed south towards home. As I drove down the road, I realized that I didn’t check the source for Mr. Unrau’s information. So, after a couple hours of driving, I stopped again at the Eastern California Museum. Going back to the report, I checked the footnote for the section, and found it came from the final report for Manzanar. Looking through the library, I couldn’t find a copy, but did find a file cabinet drawer labeled Manzanar. Going through the drawer, I finally found a file containing portions of the final report. In it, I found the following section dealing with early days in the camp and worker wages: “The lack-of-pay rumor started first as a whisper but later grew to a rumble, and rightly disturbed the new administration. As no immediate solution seemed possible on pay checks, the Project Director on his own responsibility made an agreement with the Canteen to honor script (sic) to the extent of five dollars per person, the script (sic) to be redeemed later when these persons received their first pay checks. With this agreement, the management immediately had five- dollar script (sic) coupons printed in the local printing establishment and "paid" all workers the five dollars on account. This relieved the tension, got some money in circulation, and for a time put the new management back in the confidence of the people.” With this, I not only knew that the Center used scrip but also that it came in $5 denominations. I’m now working on some leads to find an example of Manzanar scrip. Also, I have since found out that other Relocation Centers used scrip as well. As I discover more information, I'll send a report into the Gram. ============================================== Editorial ============================================== Here is how I started my editorial for Wed, “Ski and I had a great time today.” Well, the same applies for Wednesday. We had another great day. We did learn some things, but we did not figure out the answer on the MPC Series 481 $5 fourth printing. Ski has written his Thurski column and I have it here, but once again it will be postponed until tomorrow. Fred ============================================== Mail Call ============================================== Dear Gram, Hey guys, still don't have an answer about UV light and MPC. I have a UV light for "Phosphor tagged stamps," It doesn't seem to do anything with MPC. What gives? Help! Larry Gibbs ============================================== CALENDAR OF EVENTS ============================================== 2002 Central States Fall Show (& Greater Cincinnati Numismatic Exposition), September 20-22, 2002, Sharonville Convention Center, I-75, Exit 15, North Cincinnati, OH, Paul Padget, Telephone 513-821-2143. 5-6 October IBNS Congress at the Trade Union Congress hall, two blocks from the British Museum. On 4 October there will be an IBSS (Int'l Bond and Share Society) meeting at the Victory Services Club (Marble Arch), which will include lot viewing for their October mail bid sale (the sale will include Japanese WWII bonds, and undoubtedly other items of interest to gramsters). There are usually auctions by Spink's and by Phillips Son and Neale that week Paper Money Convention IBNS Sydney & Melbourne Chapters 2/3 November 2002 Artarmon Motor Inn, Sydney Australia Contact Tony James wk. 61 2 9235 0888 fax. 61 2 9235 0588 email:- info@tonyjamesnoteworld.biz Come on escape the Winter in the north and see the Land Down Under. Very Inexpensive! Australian dollar is only 55c US !!!!! St. Louis paper money show 21-24 November POW Conference 5- 8 October Muscatine Holiday Inn, Muscatine, IA has blocked out rooms for Sunday and Monday nights, and offers a special rate for those and Saturday night at $75 per room www.traces.org Confirmed participants: Feller, Smulczenski, Schwan WESPMEX:11 - 13 October Westchester Paper Money Exposition - 100 Dealers Westchester County Center, White Plains, NY WESPMEX:29 November - 1 December Westchester Paper Money Exposition - 160 Dealers Westchester County Center, White Plains, NY 2003 FUN Florida United Numismatists, Orlando, 9 - 12Jan 2003 CPMX 9: 20 - 23 February, Chicago, IL MPC Fest IV: 28 Feb - 2 March, Port Clinton, OH Fest Registrants: Doug Bell, Joe Boling, Guido Crapanzano, Dick Freyser, Philip M. Goldstein, Gary Hicks, Harold Kroll, Jack Lippincot, Kevin Maloy, Leo May$$, Fred Schwan, David Seelye, Nick Shrier, Larry Smulczenski, Warner Talso, Marcus Turner, Tom Warburton, Mark Watson, Bill Yanchick, Tom Koch, Nancy and John Wilson $$ = Paid Running total: 22 ANA:21-23 March 2003, March, Charlotte, NC ======================================== 2003 scholarship fund Donations of cash and numismatic material will be gladly accepted. Generally the numismatic material is auctioned at MPCFest, but might be sold via ebay or other places. Your scholarship donations help the hobby by sending qualified individuals to the ANA summer seminar military money class. Except for unavoidable charges like ebay fees, 100% of your donation goes to scholarships. 2003 Scholarship Donors Ed Hoffman RA Medina Dick Freyser Larry Smulczenski David Seelye Howard Daniel Steve Feller Contact me at: "Marcus Turner" maturner@indy.rr.com or Marcus Turner 8103 East US Highway 36 Suite 163 Avon, Indiana 46123 USA ========================================================== Subscription information: You can enter an email address to receive the gram by using the link below. Use this to change your address (add the new one), add a friend or enemy. =================================================== HOT CONTACT LIST - DEALER & RESOURCE LIST Below is the BNR Press Hot Contact List. This list serves several functions. Obviously it is an outreach by the dealers listed for your business. Most of them buy and sell MPC. Others organize shows or publish periodicals, or furnish information dedicated to this field. They have supported the new Comprehensive Catalog of Military Payment Certificates with their advertising. They deserve your support and patronage! Name phone fax / cell email Allens (614) 882-3937 (614) 882-0662 info@allens.com American Coins & Collectibles (800) 865-3562 American Numismatic Ass'n(800) 367-9723 ana@money.org Guy Araby(562) 945-7891(310) 508-0018 guyaraby@earthlink.net Bob Baker(713) 864-3122 Ken Barr (408) 272-3247 ken@kenbarr.com Fred Bart (810) 979-3400 Dick Balbaton(508) 699-2266 (508) 643-1154 RJBalbaton@aol.com Keith and Suzanne Bauman (248) 262-1514 tnaksbauman@earthlink.net Joe Bissell (602) 440-0442 (602) 494-9103 BNR Press(419) 732-6683 (419) 732-6683 fredschwan@yahoo.com Remy Bourne(800) 789-7070 (763) 789-4747 Ed Carne (614) 882-3937 (614) 882-0662 info@allens.com Champion Stamp (212)489-8130 (212) 581-8130 Cookie Jar Collectibles (301) 604-9225 cjcpi@comcast.net Guido Crapanzano [39] 2-8056228 [39] 2-4459856 Currency Dealer Newsletter (310) 515-7369 David F. Cieniewicz(205)852-7015 CGC (602) 493-4758 (602) 494-9103 sales@gradedcurrency.com Mike Cummings (863)603-9899 (863) 603-9880 mpccoin@hotmail.com Cygnet Charters(419) 734-2422 Ray Czahor (301) 604-9225 cjcpi@comcast.net Doric Coins & Currency (508) 699-2266 (508) 643-1154 FUN(407) 321-8747 Philip M. Goldstein (845) 254-MPC1 [6721] iwantmympc@aol.com or MPC Website Great Lakes Bank Note Company(419) 732-6683 IBNS joeboling@aol.com Essie Kashani(909) 627-3996 (909) 627-2776 kashani10@aol.com Lowel Horwdel (765) 583-2748 (765) 583-4584 horwdel@inshightbb.com Lyn Knight(800) 243-5211 Krause Publications (715) 445-2214 (715) 445-4087 bnr@krause.com Harold Kroll(251) 649-5134 HARBONS@aol.com Leo May (305) 271-8391(305) 720-0659 LeoMayEnt@aol.com or Wide World of Banknotes Ian Marshall(416) 445-0286 (416) 445-0286 iam@total.net Memphis Coin Club (901) 757-2515 MPCGram (419) 732-6683 MPCGram@yahoo.com Bob Reed(504) 361-5684 bobreed@rrcoins.net Fred Schwan (419) 732-6683 (419) 732-6683 FredSchwan@yahoo.com David Seelye(585) 594-1987 (585) 594-2311 coinman@rochester.rr.com Richie Self (318) 868-9077 R. M. Smythe(800) 622-1880 (212) 908-4047 www.smytheonline.com Mel Steinberg & Son(415) 453-9750 (415) 457-4432 melsteinberg@mindspring.com Military Trader(800) 334-7165 Scott Winslow Associates (603)472-7040 (603) 472-8773 scott@scottwinslow.com George Warner(307) 672-3700 Pam West [44] 0208 641 3224[44] 0208 641 3224 pamwestbritnotes@compuserve.com =================================================== POST / BASE EXCHANGE(PX/BX/NEX) Dump your dupes! Your classified advertisement for items for sale, purchase or trade 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. In all cases confirm your order via email first. WANTED SECTION: 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 as a reply. Wanted listings will run for a period of 1 month. WANTED - Fancy Series 641 fractional notes – any condition. (5/18) WANTED - Philippine Guerrila Money (5/26) Wanted: War and other bonds issued by the US government, will purchase or trade. =================================================== MPC CATALOG CORRECTIONS & ENHANCEMENTS Page 18, Bottom - Users of Military Payment Certificates Check marks were omitted from production copies of books. Please check off the following: Australia: 641, 661, 681, 692 Canada:461 through and including 591 Korea: 641, 661, 681, 692 New Zealand:641, 661, 681, 692 Thailand: 641, 661, 681, 692 United States: All (date listed: 02 APRIL 2002) Page 201, Bottom Right - Very last sentence on this page Two serial numbers listed for the second printing of Series 472 .50 cent notes. The first serial number listed is obviously in error as a nine digit number: C040351392C Correct Serial Number is: C04035139C D Freyser (date listed 10 April 2002) Page 207, #833/4 - Series 481 .25 4th Printing (table listing serial number breakdowns) line 5 Start Number is incorrect. It appears as: (start) D14784001D(end) D14784000D Correct start number should be: D09408001D PK6 (date listed: 03 APRIL 2002) Page 214, #855/r2 - Series 541 $1 Replacements, Ending serial number is incorrect Correct number is F1112000 (date listed: 02 APRIL 2002) Page 220, #884/2r - Series 641 .50 Replacements On page 284, it is broken down into 2 printings. That's correct, BUT, on page 220 he lists only (1) printing reported. It should "list" both first and second printings. Guy Araby (date listed 04 APRIL 2002) Page 287, Series 661 Series Summary, 25 cent note: the "list" shows "#CU as 10(7) . It should read, 8(7). As only 8 are known in CU. Just recount P.289. Guy Araby (date listed 08 APRIL 2002) Page 398, Series #541 $10 on "UNC." price is $2500, on P.214 the UNC. price is $3500. Also the rest of the prices don't match all the way to "VG" on this issue. They should be the same price. Guy Araby (date listed 08 APRIL 2002) =================================================== MPC Gram Staff: Publisher: Fred Schwan - MPCGram@yahoo.com Editor: Philip M. Goldstein - IWANTMYMPC@aol.com Subscription Manager:Doug Bell - doug@papermoneyworld.net Tuesday Columnist : Joe Boling - JoeBoling@aol.com Thurski Columnist: Larry "Ski" Smulczenski - skifla@prodigy.net Friday Columnist:Fred Schwan - MPCGram@yahoo.com Critic: Harold Kroll - HARBONS@aol.com Distribution Manager: Brad Peacock -bp22@swbell.net Scholarship Coordinator: Marcus Turner - maturner@indy.rr.com Index & Back Issue Manager:vacant Webmaster & Technical Advisors:Doug Bell "Wiz" - doug@papermoneyworld.net Russ Walsh - russ.walsh@gte.net Fact Checker: Warner Talso - Calendar Coordinator: John & Nancy Wilson - 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!? New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo!