Three Fellers at Fest
Top Award Presented
The top honor of the military numismatics community is the Ray Toy award. The award is made no more than once a year for achievement or service to the community.
Ray Toy was the leader of the community in the 1960s and 1970s. Among other things Toy authored or co-authored five books on military numismatics. These books are the basis of the literature used today by collectors of military numismatic material.
The 2026 Ray Toy award was presented to the Feller family of which four members were present.
Members of the Feller family at the Ray Toy award ceremony
Ski National Champ, Again
The national champion military numismatics collector is determined at MPC Fest. The champion is determined by a two-day knowledge based tournament.
The final four meeting on Saturday evening were Dick Dunn vs Brett Irick and Larry "Ski" Smulczenski vs Mardus Turner. The exciting finals saw Ski win for the second consecutive year.
Ray Poker Champ, Four Times!
Traditionally a Texas Hold'em poker tournament is held on Saturday night at MPC Fest. The game is a low stakes/high ego event.
Tournament director Brad Schwan took the unprecedented action of making the tournament a free roll event! A high-spirited group assembled for the event. The ultimate, late-night champion and winner of the coveted Fest poker bracelet was Ray Feller. This was her fourth victory!
The present losers were heard to grumble "Wait till next year!"
New Military Fest Certificates Issued
On Saturday evening April 11 at MPCFest Chief Finance Officer Harold Kroll announced that the circulating series of military fest certificates had been compromised. Series 251 was therefore invalidated. Series 261 was unveiled in a ceremony in the Fest mess hall.
Fest Alpha company first sergeant Glaser opened the first box of Series 261 and displayed the new notes to the assembled throng.
First Sergeant Glaser displays a new Series 261 military fest certificate
Seminar News
The American Numismatic Association has confirmed that the entire slate of military classes will be held this summer! The four are Detecting Counterfeit World Paper Money (instructed by Joe Boling), MPC Boot Camp (mini seminar instructed by Fred Schwan) and World War II Military Numismatics (instructed by Fred Schwan and Joe Boling).
Significantly, all of the classes have spaces available meaning that you can attend a class or two or even three classes! These possibilities are being facilitated by important news from the military numismatics scholarship committee.
Kathy Freeland, chair of the committee, has announced that in addition to tuition, room and board, scholarships will now include travel reimbursement of up to $200 for North American travel and $500 for travel from outside North America.
Furthermore additional scholarships are now available for as long as funds and seats are available!! Contact Kathy now.
Editorial
First, I must report that I had a great time at the Fest and believe that most if not all others did too.
I am sorry that it has taken so long to get a Gram out since the Fest. Of course I was wasted for a few days, then I was sick for a few days then the pressures of Fest deferred work overwhelmed the HQ here so finally we are here.
I think that the news about seminar scholarships is very exciting. Although it may be a bit late for you to make arrangements, this is a spectacular opportunity. On top of everything else, I would like to have the chance to have you in class and to meet you if we have not met before.
I look forward to seeing YOU in Colorado.
Mail Call
The MPCGram welcomes letters from readers. Letters should be relevant to military numismatics. Letters may be edited. Senders must be known to the Gram and names (actual or "Internet") will be used.
Dear Editor,
I just finished reading Pay to the Order of Victory: United States Checks in World War II by James A. Downey, and I'm glad I picked it up at MPCFest. I found it both educational and engaging; every page included information that was new to me. I especially appreciated the breadth of examples, including checks used in military, government, and civilian contexts during World War II. I would recommend it to any fester or gramster, and I've also shared details about the booklet with the newsletter editor for the Society of Ration Token Collectors. For what it's worth, I purchased the e-book edition and used my PDF software to read it out loud.
Best regards,
— John Phipps
Dear Editor,
After much thought I have decided to sell my paper money collection. All of my notes will be the Stacks Bowers auction on May 14th. This will include the 5 cent A00000001A note and another lot of MPC with quite a few fancy serials including radars, repeaters and a two digit trial number. I wanted to make sure you know about this.
This has been a difficult decision to sell my notes but I think this is both the right time for me to do it and the right way to do it too.
You can find all items listed on the Stacks Bowers web site under currency auctions with my name on the auction dated May 14th. In total there are about 143 lots but just two lots of MPC.
I just wanted to make sure you were aware of this auction.
Regards,
— Logan
The 5 cent serial number 1 MPC from Logan's Stacks Bowers auction
Dear Editor,
I wanted to make sure that you and everyone else know about the important Stacks-Bowers MPC sale this week.
— Mike A.
Dear Editor,
Enjoyed my time at the fest. Just wish getting there and back were a little easier. The climate change from warm and dry here to cool and damp there got me good as I got home with a pretty bad sinus cold. Almost done with that now.
I spoke with Ray Feller there about a possible program by me at next year's fest (if I can make it). She suggested I put a letter in the gram asking for subscribers to express interest in one of four possible power point programs I could present. The four possibilities are:
- World War Two Foreign Coins Minted in the US
- World War 1 Savings Stamps
- Borrowed Vignettes (Exploring where parts of the designs on MPC came from)
- US WW2 Ration Tokens
There are four possibilities. Perhaps there is no interest in any of them. Another thing for the gram is to survey any interest in a possible mini-fest on June 27th at the Colorado Springs coin show while the summer seminars are going on. If there is enough interest I will try to organize it and will try to have a Military Mini-Fest Certificate for those who attend.
I'll close for now. Thanks to you and "The Boss" for all your hospitality at the fest. Please let me know that you have received this.
— Larry Gibbs, Gering, NE
Dear Editor,
Available for the cost of postage, various WW II related ration items to any Fester/Gramster who may have an interest.
Items include Ration books, forms, coupons, tickets, and various other items from the United States and other countries.
Available on a first-come/first-serve basis. US and Canadian addresses only.
Reply with your address to determine postal costs.
— Roger Urce (stjasele@gmail.com)
Training Schedule (calendar)
2026
In this section, the MPGram lists events that are likely to be of special interest to collectors who are interested in MPC and other type of military numismatic items. We do not list "routine" coin shows where a collector might find a few items by chance. However, if we know that some Festers or Gramsters will be there we will list that same show in the hope of promoting fellowship. Send us your reports.
MPCFest 2026 10-12 April 2026
Traditionally, spring is the time when armies begin thinking about campaigning. As we look past winter into spring, the annual "campaign" of MPC Fest approaches. Fest is the premier event of the year for those who collect Military Payment Certificates or any other form of military currency. For those who have not attended, Fest is a combination of educational presentations, a hard-fought military numismatic trivia contest, the annual Dining-In, and above all, fellowship with other military collectors, and of course, poker. What would a military event be without poker? And to build your collection, it begins with an open-to-the public bourse on Friday and ends with an auction on Sunday. It is an event not to be missed for anyone with any interest in military currency. Dates for Fest 2026 are Friday, 10 April 2026 through Sunday, 12 April 2026. Location is Camp Leo May, aka the Holiday Inn Express, 50 NE Catawba Rd, Port Clinton, OH, 43452. Register by calling 419-732-7322. Don't miss this unique event. Oorah!
ANA Summer Seminar (Boling counterfeit paper course): 20-25 Jun ANA Summer Seminar (WWII course): 27 Jun-2 July ANA World's Fair of Money® - 25-29 Aug, Pittsburgh
Please help us fill in the dates for events listed and give us any additional events that might conflict. Thank you very much.
MPCFest sponsors
Joe and Louise Boling, Mike Buckley, Steve Fahrlander, Ray Feller family, Dave Frank, Kathy Freeland, Loretta Freyser, Al Glaser, Dave Hunsicker, Brett Irick, Jennifer and Eric Kibbey (dba Camelot Coins), Harold Kroll, Bill Myers.
MPCFest is possible because of the generous support of its sponsors.
Gram Exchange
Do you have something for sale (or trade)? Are you looking for something for your collection? You can offer items here in the Gram or list specific items that you need.
FOR SALE
Send your text and images (!) to the editor for inclusion in the Gram Exchange. Please send the images in jpeg format with each image in a separate file.
List your items for sale here for FREE
Unusual World War II Book Available at the Fest
Cover of Pay to the Order of Victory by James Downey
Many types of World War II paper money are popular with collectors. A new book by James Downey covers one of the little-appreciated byways: checks. It turns out that the category checks is itself broad.
The book titled Pay to the Order of Victory: United States Checks in World War II includes a foreword by Fred Schwan. The book is dedicated to the memory of Neil Shafer.
The book introduces each of these areas with text and illustrations (and always of interest to collectors, values) for each check type. Many of the checks were issued for very low amounts (one cent in many cases) thus adding interest for collectors.
Some of the types of checks discussed and listed are what you might expect: payment for government purchases or refunds for things like overpayment of income tax and war (or defence) bonds. Other types of check discussed and illustrated are fascinating stories in and of themselves.
Thousands of executives from private industries were hired by the government at one dollar per year. Checks were sent each year for one dollar or less for parts of a year. These checks were accompanied by thank you letters from the government and were nearly always saved by the recipients thus becoming important collectors' items eighty years after the war. Government programs were run soliciting unused automobile tires and binoculars. Both of these programs produced government checks that are now sought by collectors. At the end of the war, thousands of prisoners of war were sent home from the United States. Each former POW carried a government draft covering unpaid earnings from his time as a prisoner. Read about all of these checks and more here.
Sample checks illustrated in Pay to the Order of Victory
Here is a partial list of check types: War Department checks, Navy checks, US Navy binocular checks, Coast Guard checks, family allowances checks, furlough subsistence checks, US Army checks on English Banks, armed forces leave bond checks, Army and Navy postal money orders, Philippine bank checks, American Red Cross in India, POW payment orders, ration checks, income tax refund checks, idle tires checks, dollar-a-year man checks, savings bond redemption checks, defense and war bond refund checks, US government operation of Montgomery Ward checks and personal and private business checks.
The full color, large-format 24 page book was released on April 10th at MPCFest in Port Clinton, Ohio. It is available in a printed and digital version. The printed book is available in very limited quantities at $20 (plus $3 postage). The digital version is only $10 for emailed copies or $17 for a mailed thumb drive. Payment is preferred by check (of course!) (address below, shipped immediately upon email reservation).
Reserve your copy at fredschwan@yahoo.com. For USPS payment (and purchase for those inclined to snail mail ordering) write BNR Press, 132 E. Second St., Port Clinton, Ohio 43452. For inquiries and other matters contact fredschwan@yahoo.com.
WANTED
Wanted to Buy [WTB] / In Search of [ISO] $10 Series 1934A North Africa silver certificate with the altered blue seal discussed in October 2022 MPCGram by Larry Smulczenski (Saturski #13) and covered in May/June 2008 SPMC article written by Peter Huntoon and Jim Downey. Please contact Andy Conroy (andyqconroy@gmail.com)