Seamen's Overseas Service Payment Certificates

By Fred Schwan 

  The Seamen's Overseas Service and it's notes are mysteries. Virtually no definitive information has been found on either. The notes have been known in a few collections for more than twenty years. They have the feel of some sort of emergency currency.

  The only theory that has been developed is that the organization was an auxiliary serving merchant seamen immediately after the war. possibly the notes were like foreign trade payment certificates or traveler's coupons that were used for business people entering Japan and Germany, respectively. They could also have been substitutes for military payment certificates, which could not be used by the seamen.

  The notes were produced by the American Bank Note Company (no imprint, but specimens were in the archives sale). The only examples seen are from series 3, offering the tantalizing likelihood of at least two other series. It is possible that earlier series were produced locally and do not look at all like series 3. It is also possible that only series 3 was issued.