United States · MPC · Vietnam
$5 · Series 661
Green and pink face with a woman’s portrait and an ornamental V; burgundy back with a girl’s head. PMG 66 EPQ, certificate 2108364-011, serial B03327560B.
Catalog facts
- Pick reference
- P#M69 · Schwan 906-1
- Serial number
- B03327560B
- Signatures
- No signatures (military issue; the use legend stands in place of a signer)
- Condition
- PMG 66 EPQ · certificate 2108364-011
- Printage
- A printage for this $5 has not been independently verified here; about $289 million in face value is cited for Series 661 as a whole
Face
Back
The note
The Series 661 $5 (Pick M69, Schwan 906-1) is the five-dollar denomination of the first Vietnam series that also carried a $20: 21 October 1968 to 11 August 1969. The green face on pink guilloché carries a central woman’s portrait facing right, an ornamental V — the Roman five — at left, and 5s in all four corners; FIVE DOLLARS sits on a sunburst at right. “SERIES 661” appears in red; 16 is the sheet position number. The burgundy back shows a girl’s head in a medallion, with FIVE at both sides. The legend restricts use to military establishments and authorized personnel. This example is slabbed by PMG as Gem Uncirculated 66 EPQ, first printing; certificate 2108364-011 records serial B03327560B and position 16. The B block opens and closes the number: it is not a replacement.
Scarcity and printage
The ANA calls Series 661 attractive and affordable in the low values; the $10 and $20, by contrast, are clearly scarcer. About $289 million in face value is cited for the whole issue, concentrated in less than ten months. Replacements of the $5, $10, and $20 are the keys; this piece, with a B suffix, is a regular first-printing note.
Population
PMG publishes Military Payment Certificate population reports, but the specific Schwan 906-1 grade-66 EPQ headcount has not been independently verified here (the online report requires an account). This page records certificate 2108364-011 and the grade printed on the holder, not a census total.
Sources
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Art-Hanoi — MPC Series 661 (P-M64 to P-M71)
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The $5 is P-M69 / Schwan 906: woman’s portrait on the face and a woman’s or girl’s head on the back.
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Bank Note Museum — P-M69, Series 661 $5
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Confirms M69: woman on the face and girl on the back; ND (1968), Series 661.
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Antique Money — Series 661 values
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Cites about $289 million in face value; replacements in this series do not end in B.
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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).