During World War II, more than a million American service members fought in the Pacific Theater to help free the Philippines from Japanese control. When they came home after the war, many of them carried local souvenirs of their service. These included strange silver and bronze coins that were minted for the Philippines but bear the words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. What’s the story behind these coins? Are they rare? How much are they worth today? You might have some sitting in a relative’s collection of wartime mementos. In this richly illustrated presentation, Dennis Tucker tells about these special World War II–related coins and their history starting in the early 1900s. Along the way, you’ll learn about the unique historical and numismatic connection between the United States and the Philippine Islands.

Dennis Tucker is an award-winning author, an active member of the Philippine Collectors Forum, and a Life Member of the Philippine American National Historical Society. He served eight years as a numismatic specialist on the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee of the U.S. Treasury Department, and he has written and lectured on many subjects of U.S. and Philippine coinage, medals, tokens, and paper money.

This presentation is a high-level overview of German hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic with a focus on the local notes and coins that emerged surrounding the collapse of the national monetary system. The objective of this presentation is to understand the lasting impact of German hyperinflation which marked a unique chapter for numismatics.

The following topics will be discussed: 1910-1914 Value of the Reichsmark, 1918-1922 Inflation Rising, 1922-1924 Peak of Hyperinflation, and conclude with a high-level overview of the 1924 Rentenmark conversion. It wraps up with the discontinuation of the different monies that embodied a unique chapter in numismatic history. Examples of the local community notes and coins made from clay, leather, silk, aluminum, linen, etc. will be presented and the connection each material had to its community will be discussed.

Alexander Blough started collecting in 1998, has been an adult member of the ANA since 2013, and pursued his Master's in European History with a focus on Numismatics where he wrote his Master's Thesis on "The Socioeconomic Impacts and Importance of Inflation and Hyperinflation in Europe During The Early 20th Century."