HELL NOTES 1960s John F. Kennedy, Eisenhower Khrushchev Stalin Cold War Soviet
HELL NOTES 1960s John F. Kennedy, Eisenhower Khrushchev Stalin Cold War Soviet
$11.25
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$11.25
- 4 notes as shown
- the photo of the backside is the same backside for all
- Includes RARE hard to find Khrushchev and Eisenhower notes from the series
What are hell notes?
Hell notes (also called joss paper, ghost money, or spirit money) are burned in East and Southeast Asian traditions as a ritual offering to the dead. The practice comes from a blend of Taoist, Buddhist, and folk beliefs about the afterlife.
Here’s the reasoning behind it:
1. Providing for Ancestors
The notes are symbolic currency. Burning them is believed to transmit their value to deceased relatives in the spirit world, ensuring that ancestors have the means to live comfortably, pay debts, or even bribe underworld officials.
2. Maintaining Filial Piety
In cultures influenced by Confucian values, honoring one’s ancestors is central. Burning hell notes is a way of showing respect and care, fulfilling ongoing obligations to family even after death.
3. Spiritual Protection
Offerings aren’t only for ancestors. Sometimes people burn hell notes for wandering spirits or deities, so those beings don’t cause misfortune. The ritual helps maintain harmony between the living and the unseen world.
4. Ritual Symbolism
The act of burning transforms the paper into something that crosses the boundary between the human realm and the spirit realm. Fire acts as the medium that “delivers” the offering.
So, hell notes aren’t about literal money but about keeping spiritual and familial relationships balanced across the line of death.
Soviet and American leaders on hell notes
The mix of Russian and American leaders on hell notes isn’t about real-world politics in the Cold War sense, but more about symbolism, market appeal, and a bit of playful irony. A few key reasons:
Great question — the mix of Russian and American leaders on hell notes isn’t about real-world politics in the Cold War sense, but more about symbolism, market appeal, and a bit of playful irony. A few key reasons:
1. Hell Notes as Satire and Pop Culture
Unlike traditional joss paper (which has austere designs), many 20th-century hell notes took on almost parody-like qualities. Printers in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and later mainland China started using images of famous politicians (Eisenhower, Kennedy, Khrushchev, Stalin, Mao, even Queen Elizabeth II). The point wasn’t reverence — it was a tongue-in-cheek way of imagining “powerful world leaders” running banks in the afterlife.
2. Strength as a Universal Symbol
In the folk logic of these notes, it doesn’t matter if a leader was democratic or autocratic. What matters is that they represented strength, power, and control over resources in life. That same “authority” was imagined as valuable in the underworld, where your ancestors might need to deal with powerful officials or bureaucrats.
3. Global Recognition & “Lucky Exoticism”
Notes with American presidents and Soviet leaders weren’t made for just one country’s diaspora. They were exported widely — to Chinatowns in the U.S., Southeast Asia, and beyond. Using globally recognizable figures gave the notes a kind of prestige look and made them appealing to buyers who might not read Chinese but still wanted to perform the ritual.
4. Cold War as Theater
There’s also a sly humor: by putting adversaries like Kennedy and Khrushchev on the same “currency,” printers collapse geopolitical rivalry into the idea that all leaders end up in the same afterlife bureaucracy. It’s both irreverent and oddly comforting — everyone, great or small, faces the same destiny.
Chinese (Hong Kong)
-4張「冥紙」（如圖所示的祭祀用“地獄鈔票”）
-背面相同（所有鈔票的背面都一樣）
-包括罕見難找的赫魯曉夫和艾森豪威爾鈔票，亦有甘迺迪與史達林
Chinese (Taiwan)
-4張「冥幣」（如圖所示的焚化祭祀用紙錢）
-照片中的背面為所有紙鈔相同的背面
-內含稀有且難尋的赫魯雪夫與艾森豪鈔票，另有甘迺迪及史達林
Japanese
-「冥銭（めいせん）」と呼ばれる儀式用の紙幣（写真のような“地獄銀行券”）4枚
-裏面はすべて同じデザインです
-希少で入手困難なフルシチョフとアイゼンハワーの紙幣を含み、さらにケネディとスターリンもあります
Russian
-4 «адских банкноты» (ритуальные «деньги для сжигания», как на фото)
-Оборотная сторона одинакова для всех купюр
-Включает РЕДКИЕ, труднодоступные банкноты с Хрущёвым и Эйзенхауэром, а также с Кеннеди и Сталиным
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- Since the US president enacted high tariffs earlier in 2025, US collectors ordering from dealers in other countries have sometimes received nasty surprises - bills of 25-35 dollars for processing tariffs, in addition to 10-50% tariffs on the purchase amount.
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Shipping
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If you make separate transactions, this results in additional charges to us of 0.40 USD which we will deduct from your shipping refund. Request a shipping refund in a note with your order, or message us.
Shipping outside the U.S., Option 1: inexpensive ordinary airmail letter
We offer shipping via untracked standard airmail letter without a customs declaration for around 2.50 USD. If you require tracking, you must choose eBay International Shipping or USPS and UPS options as offered. These take between 1 and 3 weeks and cost between 14 and 25 USD depending on the country and service selected.
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tracked package
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Who is World Money Store?
World Money Store is me, Βrian Grοss, the sole proprietor of this small business, based in Washington D.C. I've spend half my adult life in The Netherlands and Mexico and have an addiction to travel, history and languages (Spanish, Dutch Russian and a few others); Arabic my current challenge. My personal instagram is @df2dc.
I've been on ebay for 22 years, and I am also on Whatnot. I put together the website myself, and do all the purchasing.
I travel around the world to personally select a range of banknotes that I KNOW match the interests of my customers, and by traveling to the right places, I get them at the best prices, too.
I have three main groups of customers:
1. the ones who love diverse colorful and affordable notes from around the world
2. those who love to own pieces of the propaganda of communist dictatorships (Cuba, North Korea) and "bad guys" like the Ayatollah, Saddam, Gadaffi. Iran (Shah, Ayatollah), Syria (Assad, current).
3. those who seek Venezuelan and Iranian currency. We sell banknotes for collecting purposes only (our intention).
I happen to have a lot of depth and breadth in Mexico and Brazil, in addition to Cuba and Iran.
I don't focus on anything from the U.S. and Canada, items from before World War II, "lucky" serial numbers, or PMG-graded items.
Buy with Confidence
- You will receive (a) banknote(s) similar to the one in the picture, in the condition mentioned in the listing title such as UNC, VF, etc. See below for definitions.
- Serial numbers will vary
- Authenticity: All banknotes are guaranteed genuine currency, sourced from reliable suppliers and verified by our team. Exception: some souvenir and gold foil notes that are clearly marked as souvenir, fantasy, gold foil, etc.
- Return the banknote within 14 days of receipt for your money back if not satisfied.
- Save on shipping — make one transaction!
Banknote Condition Guide (UNC, XF, VF, F etc.)
- UNC (Uncirculated): No folds/creases; full crispness/sheen. May have "half moon" at edge of security thread.
- AU (About Uncirculated): Nearly perfect, with a single light fold or handling mark that doesn't break the paper. Crisp and colorful.
- XF a.k.a. EF (Extremely Fine): Crisp, firm, bright; a few light folds or one firm crease.
- VF Plus: Minor folds/stains; white areas are bright, still not quite Extra Fine.
- VF (Very Fine): Several folds; paper firmer than average; corners lightly worn.
- VF Minus: VF but may show foxing (yellow/brown patches), thinner paper, more folds/wrinkles/small tears (1-3 mm), otherwise intact.
- F (Fine): Well-used, many folds or creases; paper is soft; some soiling and/or pen marks.
- VG (Very Good) / Limp/worn/faded with heavy creasing/edge wear/tears.