King George V 1931 ~ 1935 series Banknotes

The Straits Times 12 Mar 1932

The First Series 1.1.1931  with Treasurer Malcolm Bond Shelley signature.

The Fifth Series 1.1.1935 with Treasurer Alexander Sym Small signature.

The Straits Times 4 August 1932

The First Series 1.1.1931  with Treasurer Malcolm Bond Shelley signature.

The Fourth Series 1.1.1933  with Treasurer Alexander Sym Small signature.

The Fifth Series 1.1.1935 with Treasurer Alexander Sym Small signature.



The Straits Times 17 June 1933

                             The Fifth Series 1.1.1935 with Treasurer Alexander Sym Small signature.


                 Treasurers' name corrections courtesy of Mike Prizov & Owen W. Linzmayer


Odd For Thought:

These new series was designed to beat the rampant counterfeiters of the early 1900s.

This article from The Straits Times dated 8 Aug 1933 mentioned also about seeking advice on how to remove the "Specimen" wording that was stamped onto the new $5 note and that they can fill the perforated holes, how naive can people get? If only they knew how expensive and rare specimen notes are!

Back to the original story of counterfeiting, apparently the new series did not even bat an eyelid for the forgers...............

 

                                             The Straits Times 6 Sept 1936                                                 

Articles from The Straits Times

Straits Settlements Pre-Monarchy Portrait Series 1925 to 1930

                               
                                                                                       

                                             

The Straits Times 18 Nov 1925

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                   

 

ex Spinks 1994, Dr Chan CC. (possible colour error)

These notes were acquired in the 1990's and it cost me a 'bomb' those days, but compared to current its "peanuts".



In the first quarter of 1926, this article was published in the local newspaper:            



The Straits Times 15 April 1926

The Straits Times 1994 cut-up

This $5 very piece is the advertisement picture template of the local newspaper showcasing the then up and coming 16th Singapore Coin Auction of 1994.

Following are the complete $1 denomination with the signature and date varieties:

           

The "Problematic" Malayan Banknotes of 1940 & 1941?

Article from The Straits Times 24 March 1940.

It took about a year later to issue the Malayan $10 banknote and I believe that it was the plum coloured 1940 $10 Malayan banknote. I stand corrected.      

                                                                                                                                            

Article from The Straits Times 29 March 1941.

This letter was sent to and published in The Straits Times of 29 March 1941, it is self-explanatory.

I wonder if during that time the Malayan public knew that a large consignment of the $1 & $5 Malayan banknotes dated 1st January 1940 were lost when the carrying ships "SS Automedon and SS Eumanes" were either sunk or captured by the German raiders in late 1940. (This paragraph of certain ships SS Eumanes & Automedon carrying the 1940 banknotes cannot be proven and regretfully the numismatic folks have been misled either intentionally or unintentionally....I will blog about it upon my returning to this blog end 2016)

By Mid December of 1941, after the Imperial Japanese Army had captured Penang, more of the 1940 series banknotes fell into enemy hands.The following article was published in the local newspaper, still with the intention of wanting to put the 1940 series $1 & $5 banknotes into circulation.  

Article from The Straits Times 23 December 1941

When British forces re-occupied Singapore in September 1945, some of the 1940 series $1 & $5 banknotes were found except for one bundle of one thousand pieces. In order to prevent these and those captured by the German raiders being passed into circulation when the notes become current, all stocks of 1940 $1 & $5 banknotes were destroyed and declared Non Legal Tender.
(Some information extracted from Paper Currency of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei - William Shaw and Mohd Kassim)


Gradually, the 1940 $10 was also taken out of circulation and a new series of Malaya banknotes dated 1st July 1941 were introduced. These were airfreighted into Singapore as mentioned below in The Straits Times dated 6 November 1948.

Food For Thought:


Extracted from The Straits Times 23 February 1953

Double Your Money??



The Straits Times dated 2 March 1954

   I wonder if anyone has tried to cash this type of split money, can it be done with present day note?
                           'Free board and lodging' will be provided................... if caught! ;-)

The Straits Times dated 10 Sept 1945

The following King George VI banknotes were acquired mainly from auctions and overseas dealers of which one was my very first piece bought on 17 June 1978 and it cost me S$4.50, how I wish that I had bought more at that time.

                         Set of running numbers bought 'donkey' years back from a RARE good and honest part time local dealer.

                                            PDJ, I'm sure you know who you know are!

                            Could this piece be considered as Radar numbers? Nice Prefix though!

         This printing of this note is off centre, thereby leaving a wider than usual margin on the left.

This note's serial numbers has been printed out of alignment, touching the King's vignette and also the lower border surrounding the BCCM name.

Ahhhhh! at last a normal standard piece :)