Series 661. Military Payment Certificates. Progressive Impressions, Composite Impressions and Specimens of Military Payment Certificates Booklet. 5c, 10c, 25c, 50c, $1, $5, $10, $20.Series 661 Military Payment Certificates is as popular as it is beautiful! The series was ordered on March 8, 1966. It was printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. It was then issued exclusively in Vietnam where it remained in circulation until August 11, 1969. It was immediately of interest to the few collectors of MPC at the time because it introduced the $20 denomination.<p><p> The collectors also paid special attention to the $10 denomination because the young woman on the note has a very revealing dress. In recent years the $10 denomination earned a nickname-- the Janet Jackson note--because of the apparent wardrobe malfunction. All of this is in the tradition of the $5 Educational note and the 1916 Standing Liberty quarter but there is more. On completed notes the young woman is largely obscured by tints, but on the proof in this sale, her situation is much more embarrassing for her.<p><p> This is the first ever public sale of a specimen, progressive and composite impression set (SPC) of the beautiful Series 661 Military Payment Certificates! SPC sets consist of fully printed specimens, composite printings and tint proofs of each denomination. For example the $20 denomination alone consists of nine pieces of paper! They range from complete specimen notes to printings of each of the colors composing the final result. Each piece is fascinating.<p><p> SPC sets are very rare. Only a few were even prepared at the BEP when the series was printed. Vietnam era SPC books were prepared with partial sheets of four of each denomination. The number of books prepared is not known, but it may have been as few as one such book for Series 661 and of course it was never intended that the set in whole or part would enter the collector market.<p><p> The first reported Series 661 SPC set appeared in the 1970s! Ted Uhl sold it to famed MPC collector Elmer Smith. The set traded hands one more time after Smiths death and remains in strong hands. The Smith set and the set being sold are twins. Indeed they are identical twins! Of course the finished notes are specimens having zero serials. However, they do have position numbers and these numbers provide us with interesting and important information.<p><p> Each denomination pair of notes (the respective pieces from the Smith collection and this sale) started out as adjacent pieces on the same sheet! Furthermore, they were joined on a long edge. It is very likely that the two known sets started out in a SPC set of four. The sets had to have been separated in the 1970s. Where the current set has been for all of these years is anyones guess, but we are happy to have the opportunity to offer this great set.<p><p> To top off a fascinating and beautiful group is a seven page 1968 document that came with the set. The document is a letter from Headquarters United States Army Pacific to United States Army Vietnam with a six page attachment. The document describes in detail many technical aspects of MPC including counterfeit detection. Some of this information has never been published in numismatics and was classified SECRET in 1968 (it has been declassified).<p><p> In summary, this is the first set ever sold publicly. It is the first sale since the 1980s. Likely only four such sets were created at the BEP of which only two remain for collectors. A spectacular opportunity.<p>
