United States · MPC · Vietnam
$1 · Series 681
Violet face with a helmeted pilot to the right; back with four orange F-100 Super Sabres. Position 3. Serial C10102847C.
Catalog facts
- Pick reference
- P#M79 · Schwan 915
- Serial number
- C10102847C
- Signatures
- No signatures (military issue; the use legend stands in place of a signer)
- Condition
- Unslabbed (private collection)
- Printage
- 22,400,000 notes are cited for the Series 681 $1
Face
Back
The note
The Series 681 $1 (Pick M79, Schwan 915) is the dollar denomination of the penultimate conversion in Vietnam: 11 August 1969 to 7 October 1970. The violet face on orange guilloché carries a helmeted pilot with goggles raised — an Air Force theme — and 1s in all four corners. “SERIES 681” appears twice; 3 is the sheet position number. The back shows four F-100 Super Sabres in formation — the Thunderbirds, per CoinWeek and PMG — in orange on purple. The legend restricts use to military establishments and authorized personnel. This collection piece, unslabbed, is serial C10102847C.
Scarcity and printage
The Series 681 $1 is cited as one of the most common MPCs: 22,400,000 notes; the series’ total face value exceeded $214 million. Fractionals and this $1 remain affordable in mid grades; the $5 and $20 replacements are the hard ones.
Population
A PMG or PCGS census for this serial has not been independently verified. The note is shown in original, unslabbed condition.
Sources
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Art-Hanoi — MPC Series 681 (P-M75 to P-M82)
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The $1 is P-M79 / Schwan 915: Air Force pilot on the face and four F-100 Super Sabres on the back.
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World Banknotes & Coins — Series 681 $1 MPC
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Cites 22,400,000 notes and $214 million face value for the series; pilot on the face and Super Sabres on the back.
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Bank Note Museum — P-M79, Series 681 $1
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Confirms M79: Air Force pilot on the face and F-100 Super Sabres in formation on the back.
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American Numismatic Association — Military Payment Certificates
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Issue and withdrawal dates for Series 641, 661, 681, and 692; Series 651 outside Vietnam; Series 692 fractionals withdrawn 1 June 1971.
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CoinWeek — Money of Necessity: U.S. Military Payment Certificates
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1946 origin, C-Day, offset versus intaglio, planchettes, the Boston printers, and the BEP from Series 611.
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Bank Note Museum — United States, Military Payment Certificates (M1–M106)
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Schwan/Pick numbering for Series 641 (M57–M63), 661 (M64–M71), 681 (M75–M82), and 692 (M91–M98).
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Bureau of Engraving and Printing — Military Payment Certificates (fact sheet)
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Places Series 641, 661, 681, and 692 in Vietnam; Series 651 in Japan, Libya, and South Korea.
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720th Military Police Battalion — MPC history
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Timeline of the Vietnam series and the split withdrawal of Series 692 (fractionals / dollars).