Singapore Orchid Specimen Banknotes Worthless??

On 19March 1977, this article appeared in the local newspaper....

                                                                            (extracts from The Straits Times)

Almost twelve years later, this brochure was handed out at the annual Singapore coin show........

thus putting a monetary value for all Singapore Specimen banknotes.

At a recent auction, the Specimen Orchid series album and the Bird series fetched more than S$2500 and S$2000 respectively.

My other modern era Specimen Notes.........

(ex-Spinks Singapore, 24th June 2000)

 

To add closure to this article, the thief was finally caught a few months later and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment and in mitigation he said he was tempted and thought that he could use the money.

The Day That Thousands Found Their Money Worthless! ~ Banana Money

This article appeared in the local newspaper on the 10th October 1965, some twenty odd years after the Japanese Surrender, depicting the anxiety of the peoples' monetary issue.

(Extracts from The Straits Times)

(from my personal collection)

Between late 1944 or early 1945 the British Forces began airdropping these propaganda leaflets, using the face of the $10 banana note of the Japanese Invasion money as its design, informing the public of the abrogation of the banana money.

This piece with serial numbers is from the First Series of Banana Note issued by  Yokohama Specie Bank around early 1942 .

Subsequently, around September 1942 the Second Series were issued and they do not have any serial numbers at all.

When first issued these were on par with the then $1Straits Dollar but towards the end of the war $240,000 banana money was the exchange price for $1 Straits Dollar.

Something odd happened in May 1946.......................................................................

This article was extracted from the Straits Times dated 24th May 1946.

Could anyone enlighten us why the Malayan Union were selling these worthless notes to the public again just nine months after the Japanese Surrender.

I wonder how many banana notes can be bought for $100 Malayan currency?

Do they include the serial numbered ones as well as the propaganda notes?

Well, if you had bought some and hopefully it includes the propaganda notes..............then you may be in the money, so to speak!

In an internet auction of June 2003, a similar $10 propaganda note shown above fetched a price of US$510.00 for a EF grade and at a recent auction 5pcs of the serial numbered $10 banana notes in fine to good fine grades were sold for US$100.00!

WORTHLESS????

$25 banknote.............Beautiful but Odd???

Considered one of the most beautiful and odd banknote ever issued by the Board of Commissioner of Currency, Singapore  on 7th August 1972.

The note was introduced to meet a need for an intermediate denomination between the $10 and $50 note. Sadly, it was to be withdrawn some years later because of its odd denomination. :(

Why odd, you may asked.....................

The first prefix number and with a slightly offset numeral.

                                                   A replacement note

                                  The so called "Yellow Paper" Variety type.

Thick & Thin Signature Variety

.........................................probably because a certain group of people had difficulty in doing mental arithmetic when confronted with this denomination.

                                    Do you fall under this group?

             A simple test............... :p  What is 25.00 minus 17.75.................

     Hmmm...how many seconds or minutes did you take to get the correct answer?

During my NS days in the 70's, our salaries were paid in cash and with this denomination.......Guess what? The pay officer handed us 5pcs and said this equals to One Hundred Dollars and continued doing so, even when we told him that it was incorrect.Finally after paying off a few of us did he realised his mistake, and had to make us return the money...........

If you are that officer reading this...............have a good laugh and Thank God you could ROD as an officer!

Did you notice.............there is an absence of the name of the Orchid on the note. An article in The Straits Times dated 1st February 1973 mentioned it. After that, I think someone in BCCS woke up and Wham! all other series notes issued have their relevant bird, ship and even portrait names printed.

Certain Extracts from The Straits Times)

$25 Orchid name: Renanthopsis Aurora

Singapore 25th Anniversary $5 Major Coin Error

This coin was issued by The Singapore Mint sometime in July 1990 in a plastic pouch costing S$5.60 per coin.

 This particular error coin was given to me by my sister-in-law who had in fact returned it back to the bank after finding that it was not fully struck. Thankfully, she managed to retrieve it back from the bank the very next day and gave it to me.

The reverse of the coin was perfectly struck, I wonder how many of these pieces managed to get into circulation. Can this be the only Singapore error coin with the highest denominational value in private hands? Care to make an offer?

1918 TWENTY FIVE cents Coloured Varieties Banknotes

There was a shortage of Silver coins during the First World War Years(1914-18) owning to the Silver becoming intrinsically worth more than their face value. People started to hoard these coins and subsequently melt them down for disposal as bullion.

As a temporary and remedial measure, an ordinance was passed on the 1st October 1917, providing for the issue of low denominational cuurency notes of 5, 10, 25 & 50 cents value.

However, a Government Gazzette of 5th October 1917 announced the intention to issue two values - 10 & 25 cents.

The 25 cents notes were then issued in January 1918 and apparently the decorative background has two different colours, Orange or Yellow. I happened to be in possession of the Yellow variety, anyone care to comment on their varieties?
(Certain extracts from Coins and Coinages, F.Pridmore)

Straits Settlements & Malaya Counterfeit Currencies

A counterfeit Straits Settlements Five Cents dated 1884.

Back then, you could hire a Chinese servant for 15cents a day.

Another counterfeit Straits Settlements currency, this time a Five Dollars banknote dated 10 July 1916. Recently, a 2 Jan 1914 counterfeit Five Dollars banknote was sold for USD500.00 in a local auction.

Another counterfeit banknote of Five cents in value.In 1941, a Chinese labourer working for the Royal Engineers gets paid 45cents a day inclusive of food and lodgings.

 

A well circulated counterfeit 20cents coin and $1 banknotes of the 1950s era.On 19 August 1960, the local newspaper reported that the authorities seized 45855 pcs of $1 counterfeits plus an assortment of printings materials and a Multi Lith Model:1250 printing machine traceable to the NCR company. (Source: National Library, Singapore)

Straits Settlements 10cents, 14th October 1919, Third Issue

   A pair of Third Issue Straits Settlements 10 cents banknote dated 14th October 1919.

  Notice any difference between the two notes, except for the prefix and serial numbers.

• The colour of the printings.                 
• The 1919 numerals.                              

According to a Malaysian reference book published in the 70s, all 10c banknotes signed by the Ag. Treasurer A.M. Pountney, are Dark Red with green pattern prints and when signed by the Treasurer A.M. Pountney, are Bright red (Pink according to F. Pridmore) with green pattern.
In this instance, even the one signed by the Treasurer is Dark Red with green pattern prints
                  
                                               COLOUR ERROR?

Another interesting point is the 1919 year numerals, the numeral 9 of darker series is of a different font from the lighter series.

 Pretty odd, anyone care to comment?