Japanese Occupation currency - 50 cent note

The currency during the Japanese Occupation came to be known as banana money because of the motifs of banana trees on the bank notes. Runaway inflation, which was coupled with blackmarket practices, rendered the smaller denominations of the currency, valueless. This resulted in the practical demand for paper bags and sacks to hold the banana notes, as wallets were unable to hold sufficient money. For example, one could purchase only a banana with a ten dollar bill.