The E-Sylum:  Volume 9, Number 16, April 16, 2006, Article 4

JAPANESE OCCUPATION PATTERN COIN AND BOOK

David Klinger writes: "Recently, I have been doing a world tour of
numismatic museums on the Internet. My latest visit was to the Money
Museum of the Bank Negara Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur. There, I found
a very interesting Japanese Occupation Pattern Coin on display. The
curator of the museum sent me some details about this coin.

The Japanese did not issue any coinage for their occupation of
Malaya in WWII. All the occupation currency, including denominations
of less than one dollar were printed on paper. Of course, many
Americans refer to these issues as Japanese Invasion Money (JIM).
However, the pattern coin on display in this museum, and some others,
are a clear indicator that occupation coinage was considered.

The pattern on display is a 20 cent aluminum pattern coin inscribed
on the obverse with the name MALAYSIA, and the date 2602, which
translated from the Japanese calendar is 1942 A.D.  Inscribed on
the reverse is a typical Japanese design of a sun ray with sakura
flowers, with 20 CENTS at the top.

It is interesting that the name MALAYSIA was used on a pattern coin
of 1942, given that the name for this country was not changed from
MALAYA to MALAYSIA until 16 September, 1963. However, that name had
actually been in common use since the 19th Century.  Mr. Saran Singh
of the Malaysian Numismatic Society received verification from the
Osaka Finance Ministry, Japan, that this pattern coin had indeed
been minted at the Osaka Mint, and that the name MALAYSIA was the
Japanese name for that region, at that time.

In a new book  entitled ''Malaysian Numismatic Heritage" to be
released in May, 2006, by the Money Museum, Central Bank of Malaysia,
it states: "This specimen coin is the most unique [sic] in the Money
Museum's collection".  (I was sent some excerpts from an advanced
copy of this book.)

It has also been reported in Schwan/ Boling WWII Remembered
(p 619) that the Japanese produced other related pattern coins:

Two one cent occupation coins with a pattern of a wooden head,
dated 2603 (1943) and 2604 (1944).

One five cent occupation coin , with a pattern of a shadow puppet,
dated 2604 (1944).

Two 10 cent occupation coins made from an alloy of zinc and
nickel, dated 2603 (1943) and 2604 (1944).

You can visit the Money museum of the Central Bank of Malaysia here:
Central Bank of Malaysia

You can view the Occupation Pattern 20c Coin here: Occupation Pattern 20c

You can purchase the book "Malaysian Numismatic Heritage" published
by Central Bank of Malaysia from the following address. The book
will be available for direct sale in May 2006 at RM100.00.

Money Museum & Art Centre
Bank Negara Malaysia
Jalan Dato Onn
P.O. Box 10922
50929 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia"

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization 
promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor 
at this address: whomren@coinlibrary.com

To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum