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5 Cents Fort Davis; Canal Zone
| Issuer | A.A.I.C. NCO Open Mess, Fort Davis, Canal Zone |
|---|---|
| Year | 1963-1969 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dollar |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Orange stock with black letterpress text arranged in two registers; issuer name and location occupy the left field, with a bold denomination numeral and CENTS in a ruled right panel. A red serial number appears in the lower centre, and a perforated cancellation pattern runs through the note. Warning text VOID IF DETACHED is printed at lower left. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Protection description | Punched perforation pattern through the paper, forming a letter shape, used as a control or cancellation device. |
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| Comments |
Fort Davis was one of the U.S. Army installations in the Canal Zone operating its own scrip economy through the Non-Commissioned Officers' Open Mess system. These small-denomination paper chits circulated internally to reduce dependence on U.S. coinage in a jurisdiction where currency controls and pilferage were ongoing administrative concerns. The perforation security feature — punched directly through the note — was a low-cost authentication measure suited to the high-volume, low-stakes transactions of a mess hall bar tab.
The Canal Zone NCO mess scrip series is poorly documented in mainstream catalogs. Attribution is complicated by the number of installations issuing near-identical formats under different mess designations.