View source for Hawaii overprint note

{{Short description|Modified US bank note used in Hawaii during World War II}}
{{Infobox banknote
| denomination        = Hawaii overprint note
| country             = [[United States]]
| value               = {{val|p=$|1}}, {{val|p=$|5}}, {{val|p=$|10}}, {{val|p=$|20}}
| unit                =
| width_mm            =
| height_mm           =
| weight_g            =
| security_features   =
| paper_type          =
| years_of_printing   = 1942–1944
| nature_of_rarity    = Emergency Issue
| estimated_value     = US$2 – {{val|p=$|1}},300
| obverse             = US-$20-FRN-1934-A-Fr.2305.jpg
| obverse_design      =
| obverse_designer    =
| obverse_design_date =
| reverse             = <!-- image -->
| reverse_design      =
| reverse_designer    =
| reverse_design_date =
}}

A '''Hawaii overprint note''' is one of a series of [[banknote]]s (one [[Silver certificate (United States)|silver certificate]] and three [[Federal Reserve Note]]s) issued during [[World War II]] as an emergency issue after the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]]. The intent of the [[Overprint#Overprints on currency|overprint]]s was to easily distinguish [[United States dollar]]s captured by the [[Imperial Japanese Armed Forces]] in the event of an [[Prelude to the attack on Pearl Harbor#Concept_of_Japanese_invasion_of_Hawaii|invasion of Hawaii]] and render the notes worthless. Although a sizeable number of the notes were recalled and destroyed after the end of World War II, many escaped destruction and exist as collectibles of [[Numismatics|numismatic]] interest in the present day.

==Issue==

After the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] on December 7, 1941, by the [[Empire of Japan]], [[United States Armed Forces|U.S. military]] officials surmised that in the event of an invasion of [[Hawaii]], the [[Imperial Japanese Armed Forces]] would have access to a considerable amount of [[United States dollar]]s which could be seized from financial institutions or private individuals. Faced with this scenario, on January 10, 1942, [[List of Governors of Hawaii#Notes|Military Governor]] [[Delos Carleton Emmons]] issued an order to recall all dollars in circulation in Hawaii, save for set caps on how much money both individuals ({{val|p=$|200}}) and businesses ({{val|p=$|500}}; save extra currency for [[payroll]] purposes) could possess at any time.<ref name="RedBookFriedberg">Friedberg, p. 20</ref><ref name="Budnick">Budnick, p. 93</ref><ref name="Simpson1">Simpson Inside Cover</ref><ref name="AdvertiserRare">{{cite news |url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Jul/27/ln/507270358.html |title=Wartime currency not so rare |first=Bob |last=Krauss |work=[[Honolulu Advertiser]] |date=2005-07-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140712104645/http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Jul/27/ln/507270358.html |access-date=2009-07-10|archive-date=2014-07-12 }}</ref>

On June 25, 1942, new overprinted notes were first issued. Series 1935A {{val|p=$|1}} silver certificate, Series 1934 {{val|p=$|5}} and {{val|p=$|20}} Federal Reserve Notes, and Series 1934A {{val|p=$|5}}, {{val|p=$|10}}, and {{val|p=$|20}} Federal Reserve Notes from the [[Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco]] were issued with brown [[Seal of the United States Department of the Treasury|treasury seals]] and serial numbers. Overprints of the word HAWAII were made; two small overprints to the sides of the obverse of the note between the border and both the treasury seal and Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco seal, and large outlined {{sc|HAWAII}} lettering dominating the reverse. The purpose was that should there have been an Imperial Japanese invasion of the islands, the US government could immediately declare any Hawaii-printed notes worthless, due to their easy identification.<ref name="RedBookFriedberg"/><ref name="Simpson1">Simpson Inside Cover</ref><ref name="Budnick2">Budnick, p. 97</ref>
With this issue, military officials prohibited the use of non-overprinted notes and ordered all Hawaii residents to turn in regular notes for Hawaii-overprinted notes by July 15, 1942.<ref name="AdvertiserRare"/><ref name="Budnick2">Budnick, p. 97</ref> Beginning on August 15, 1942, no other paper U.S. currency could be used except under special permission.<ref name="RedBookFriedberg"/>

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%"
|+ Hawaii overprint notes
|-
!colspan=1| Image !!rowspan=2| Value !!rowspan=2| Dimensions !!rowspan=2| Main Color !!colspan=3| Description !!colspan=3| Date of !!rowspan=2|Catalog #
|-
! Obverse/Reverse !! Obverse !! Reverse !! Watermark !! printing !! issue !! withdrawal
|-
|align="center"| [[File:US-$1-SC-1935-A-Fr.2300.jpg|150px]]
| [[United States one-dollar bill|$1]] [[Silver certificate (United States)|silver certificate]]
| {{val|6.140|×|2.610|ul=in}} ({{val|155.956|×|66.294|ul=mm}})
| Green; Black
| [[George Washington]]
| [[Great Seal of the United States]]
| rowspan="4" | None
| 
| rowspan="4" | June 25, 1942
| rowspan="4" | April, 1946
| Friedberg F-2300<br>Friedberg F-2300*<ref name="F2300">Friedberg, pp. 44–45</ref>
|-
|align="center"| [[File:US-$5-FRN-1934-A-Fr.2302.jpg|150px]]
| [[United States five-dollar bill|$5]] [[Federal Reserve Note]]
| {{val|6.140|×|2.610|u=in}} ({{val|155.956|×|66.294|u=mm}})
| Green; Black
| [[Abraham Lincoln]]
| [[Lincoln Memorial]]
| 
| Friedberg F-2301<br> Friedberg F-2301*<br>Friedberg F-2302<br> Friedberg F-2302*<ref name="F2301-F2302">Friedberg, p. 108</ref>
|-
|align="center"| [[File:US-$10-FRN-1934-A-Fr.2303.jpg|150px]]
| [[United States ten-dollar bill|$10]] Federal Reserve Note
|  {{val|6.140|×|2.610|u=in}} ({{val|155.956|×|66.294|u=mm}})
| Green; Black
| [[Alexander Hamilton]]
| [[Treasury Building (Washington, D.C.)|US Treasury Building]]
| 
| Friedberg F-2303<br> Friedberg F-2303*<ref name="F2303">Friedberg, p. 160</ref>
|-
|align="center"| [[File:US-$20-FRN-1934-A-Fr.2305.jpg|150px]]
| [[United States twenty-dollar bill|$20]] Federal Reserve Note
|  {{val|6.140|×|2.610|u=in}} ({{val|155.956|×|66.294|u=mm}})
| Green; Black
| [[Andrew Jackson]]
| [[White House]]
| 
| Friedberg F-2304<br> Friedberg F-2304*<br>Friedberg F-2305<br> Friedberg F-2305*<ref name="F2304-F2305">Friedberg, pp. 208–209</ref>
|-
|}

==Use==

The notes and issuance continued in use until October 21, 1944;<ref name="RedBookFriedberg"/><ref name="Simpson1">Simpson Inside Cover</ref><ref name="AdvertiserRare"/><ref name="Budnick2">Budnick, p. 97</ref> by April 1946, notes were being recalled, but many were not destroyed and are still legal tender at their face value, though their [[numismatic value]] is considerably higher.<ref name="AdvertiserRare"/> Many notes were saved as curios and souvenirs by servicemen.

==Destruction of recalled notes==

Faced with a {{val|p=$|200}} million stockpile of US currency, military officials opted to destroy all the recalled regular currency instead of overcoming the logistical problems of shipping the notes back to the mainland.<ref name="Simpson1">Simpson Inside Cover</ref><ref name="AdvertiserRare"/><ref name="Budnick2">Budnick, p. 97</ref> At first, a local [[crematorium]]{{efn|Simpson notes [[Oahu Cemetery]]<!--https://web.archive.org/web/20101016004536/http://www.oahucemetery.org/cremation.html--> as the first burn site;<ref name="Simpson1"/>  however, Medcalf notes Nuuanu Mortuary<!--http://www.nmplimited.com/Index.htm--><!--https://web.archive.org/web/20090612224614/http://www.nmplimited.com/Index.htm--> as the first burn site when interviewed by the ''Honolulu Advertiser''.<ref name="AdvertiserRare"/>}} was pressed into service to burn the notes. To ensure complete destruction, a fine mesh was placed on the top of the chimneys to catch and recirculate unburnt scraps of currency escaping the fire.<ref name="Simpson1">Simpson Inside Cover</ref>

Destruction of the notes was slow, and pressed with time, the bigger furnaces of the [[Aiea, Hawaii|{{okina}}Aiea]] [[Sugar refinery|sugar mill]] were requisitioned to help burn the currency.<ref name="Simpson1">Simpson Inside Cover</ref><ref name="AdvertiserRare"/><ref name="Budnick2">Budnick, p. 97</ref>

==As a collectible==

Of the series, the {{val|p=$|5}} note is considered the most desirable, as a little over 9 million examples were printed. Over 35 million {{val|p=$|1}} notes were made, making them the most common of the series. [[Star note]]s exist for all the notes, and command a sizable premium.

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%; text-align:right; vertical-align:middle;"
|-
! style="background-color:goldenrod;" | Denomination
! style="background-color:goldenrod;" | Quantity printed
! style="background-color:goldenrod;" | Star note quantity printed
! style="background-color:goldenrod;" | References
|-
| {{val|p=$|1}}
| 35,052,000
| 204,000
|<ref name="F2300"/>
|-
| {{val|p=$|5}}
| 9,416,000
| {{dunno}}
|<ref name="F2301-F2302"/>
|-
| {{val|p=$|10}}
| 10,424,000
| {{dunno}}
|<ref name="F2303"/>
|-
| {{val|p=$|20}}
| 11,246,000
| 54,500
|<ref name="F2304-F2305"/>
|}

==Footnotes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
===Notes===
{{Portal|Money|Numismatics|United States}}
{{reflist}}

===Cited literature===
*Budnick, Rich (2005). ''Hawaii's Forgotten History: the good...the bad...the embarrassing''. Aloha Press. {{ISBN|0-944081-04-5}}.
*Friedberg, Arthur L. & Ira S. (2008) ''The Official Red Book. A Guide Book Of United States Paper Money: Complete Source for History, Grading, and Prices (Second Edition)'' Whitman Publishing {{ISBN|0-7948-2362-9}}
*Simpson, MacKinnon (2008). ''Hawaii Homefront: Life in the Islands during World War II''. Bess Press. {{ISBN|978-1-57306-281-7}}.

{{Obsolete United States currency and coinage}}
[[Category:Paper money of the United States]]
[[Category:Japan–Hawaii relations]]
[[Category:History of Hawaii]]