Collectors interested in old money are probably familiar with the special Hawaiian currency issued by the US government shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in December 1941. Residents of the Hawaiian Islands initially hoarded money in in case there was an invasion. However, because the US feared that the Japanese would capture Hawaii, gain access to this money, and use it to fight the US on January 1. On February 2, 1942, they made it illegal for individuals to have more than $200 in cash and for businesses to have more than $500.

Residents were asked to hand over their cash and it was burned. Beginning in August 1942, the only acceptable United States-issued currency available for use in Hawaii were the 1935A $1 Silver Certificates and the 1934 $5, $10, and $20 Federal Reserve Notes and 1934A of the district of San Francisco. All of these bills had brown hallmarks and serial numbers with the Hawaiian overprint on the reverse.

This was considered “emergency currency” that would be worthless in Japanese hands, but could be used as currency in Hawaii as long as the United States maintained control of the islands. These bills have “Hawaii” printed vertically on the left side of the front of the bill and were overprinted on the back of the bill with the word “Hawaii”. The seal and serial numbers were brown instead of the usual green. This was the only currency available in Hawaii during the war. It was illegal to have the ancient currency.

What banknotes were issued with the “Hawaii” stamp?

The US Treasury issued $1 silver certificates bearing the series date 1935A. These are the most common. George Washington is on the bill.

The $5.00 Hawaii bills have series dates 1934 and 1934A, with a brown seal. They may be worth more, depending on their condition and serial number. Abraham Lincoln is on all the posters.

The Hawaii $10 bill was issued with the series date 1934A. Uncirculated $10.00 Hawaiian bills are the rarest of the four denominations. Alexander Hamilton appears on the front of these banknotes.

Hawaiian $20.00 brown stamp bills are also available in the 1934 and 1934A series. These are valuable in unridden conditions, but fairly common in average conditions.

How long have they been in circulation?

On October 21, 1944, the monetary restrictions were revoked and the area returned to normal monetary conditions. Most of the surviving banknotes are those that belonged to military personnel stationed in Hawaii.

How much are they worth today?

The Treasury Department redeems all genuine United States currency at face value only. People who want their bills valued should find a company that deals in old paper money or rare paper money. The value of the banknotes depends on their condition (uncirculated banknotes are worth more than those that have been in circulation), as well as the serial numbers and the issue number.

$1 Hawaii bills can be worth up to $100 in mint condition. Hawaiian $5 and $10 bills can be worth more than $200 in mint condition. There are three $20 Hawaiian Star Notes: 1934 $20 Hawaiian Mule Star Note, 1934A $20 Hawaiian Mule Star Note, and 1934A $20 Hawaiian Mule Star Note. They can be worth up to $400 to $600 in mint condition. A mule bill is a small sized bill with mismatched plate number sizes. A star ticket has a star symbol at the beginning or end of the serial number, indicating that the ticket is a replacement due to an error in the printing process that made the ticket unfit for entry to the trading system, so it was replaced with a star rating

If you have or want to buy Hawaiian notes or any other rare currency, the best thing to do is go online and compare the values ​​listed by various companies that deal in rare money. You can also search eBay to see what prices are being asked by sellers. Most importantly, if you are interested in selling it, find a reputable forex dealer who deals in rare paper money.