Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
5 Cents N.C.O. Open Mess
| Issuer | Joint Armed Forces N.C.O. Open Mess, Tehran, Iran |
|---|---|
| Year | 1960-1979 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Paper (pink) |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Pink paper with black letterpress print throughout. The left panel bears the issuing authority inscription and a warning notice, with a red serial number at centre; small floral ornaments flank the central text block. The right panel contains a large bold numeral '5' above the denomination 'CENTS' within a rectangular border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | JOINT ARMED FORCES N.C.O. OPEN MESS TEHERAN, IRAN NOT GOOD IF DETACHED 5 CENTS |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
N.C.O. Open Mess scrip was issued by non-commissioned officers' clubs at U.S. military installations abroad to keep American dollars off local black markets — a persistent problem in Iran, where the rial's official exchange rate diverged sharply from street rates throughout the 1960s and 70s. By forcing on-base transactions through scrip, the military could theoretically prevent personnel from converting dollars at unofficial rates and then spending the proceeds in local bazaars.
The Tehran mess operated under this system until the 1979 revolution abruptly ended the U.S. military presence in Iran. Notes that weren't redeemed before evacuation simply became worthless — which accounts for why unredeemed low-denomination pieces like this one occasionally surface in collections.