1941 Malaya / British Administration 50 Cents PMG Graded 67 EPQ Superb GEM UNC

This pair of 1941 Malaya / British Administration 50 Cents is one of the finest pair of notes that I have in my collection. For such old notes, especially the ones before the World War 2, to come in such a good condition is extremely rare. A grade of 67 EPQ from PMG is also rarely seen for graded notes.

1953 Malaya & British Borneo - Queen Elizabeth II 5 & 10 Dollars PMG Graded 55/58 EPQ

Singapore Orchid Series 25 Dollar Banknote - First Prefix PMG Graded 64 EPQ

A nice piece of Singapore Orchid 25 dollars with First Prefix A/1, with PMG 64 EPQ grade.

Queen Elizabeth II Dollar Notes - Malaya 1953 & Canada 1967

Above are dollar notes bearing Queen Elizabeth II's portraits, the top being the Canadian Centennial Issue printed in 1967, when Canada celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation. The bottom is the Pre-War Malaya & British Borneo (MBB) 1 dollar printed in 1953, when Malaya was still a combination of the current Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei under the British rule. 

Many Singaporeans have not seen the MBB notes before and are always surprised that we actually have a common currency with Malaysia and Brunei, forgetting that we were once together before separation in 1965. This note is particularly interesting, illustrating our history before the World War.

The reverse of the MBB note has the states: Pahang, Perak, Brunei, Malacca on the left, Singapore, Perlis, North Borneo, Johore, Kelantan, Sarawak in the middle and Penang, Trengganu, Negri Sembilan, Selangor on the right.

Singapore Orchid Series 25 Dollars Banknote - PMG Graded 66 EPQ

This is an Orchid 25 dollar note with a PMG Grading of 66 with Exceptional Paper Quality. This grade is also know as GEM Uncirculated and is one of the highest attainable grade a note can have. There are only currently 2 Orchid 25 dollars in the world with a PMG Grade higher than the piece above. To attain such a grade, a note apart from being Uncirculated, it must also have good eye appeal as well as centering. This is especially hard for the Orchid Series as the notes printed back then were more often off centre.

Malaya Uniface 1940 10 Cents Banknote

Prior to the 1941 Malaya series, there is also a 1940 Malaya series, with the iconic uniface 10 cents banknote. This banknote should be the lowest value banknote with a serial number being printed. This note might be graded Very Fine, due to the various folds as well as the rust and foxing marks visible at the edges.

PMG Graded 1935 Straits Settlement 1 Dollar Choice About Uncirculated

Above is an example of a PMG Graded Choice Almost Uncirculated note. In recent years, the EPQ grade is not easily attainable though paper quality is original. From observation of the grading trends, most original quality notes with foxing will rarely get the EPQ grade, though the number grade is high like the above note. Nevertheless, a PMG 58 1935 note is also a good collector's item.

PMG Graded Singapore Orchid Series 25 Dollars

Grading of notes is actually a very subjective issue as it is an art and opinions do differ from one to another. Serious collectors sometimes do send their notes for a 3rd party professional grader to grade their notes. Notes which are graded professionally normally increase in value as they are verified to be authentic as well as given a grade. One of the popular graders that is being used currently is Paper Money Guaranty (PMG) which is based in the US.

The scan above is an example of a PMG Graded Singapore Orchid Series 25 Dollars, it comes returned in a plastic sleeve with a description, as well as with a grade. This particular note is graded as GEM Uncirculated 65 with Exceptional Paper Quality (EPQ) which is actually one of a very high grade. The highest grade on the PMG scale is 70.

Set of Uncirculated Singapore Bird Series Notes

Set of Uncirculated Singapore Bird Series Notes (1-50)

For Sale

Singapore Orchid Series 5 Dollars HSS X 20 Running

A rare find of 20 pieces of GEM UNC Orchid 5 dollars in running sequence.

Malaya & British Borneo "Buffalo" 10 Dollars Banknote

Malaya & British Borneo 10 Dollars Banknote features a buffalo and a farmer and is a recent sough after Malaya note due to its beautiful design. This note has also been used as images on red packets and numerous posters due to its attractiveness and bright colours. The price of this note has been steadily increasing and has even overtook the 1953 Malaya Queen Elizabeth 10 dollars note, though its a 1961 issue.

This note in this post is an Extra Fine note with sharp edges and strong paper. This note is not easily found in this condition nowadays, with many notes being VF and below.

Background

The Malaya and British Borneo dollar (known as the ringgit in Malay, Jawi:رڠڬيت) was the currency of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, British North Borneo and Brunei from 1953 to 1967. The currency was issued by the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Malaya and British Borneo. Prior to 1952, the board was known as the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Malaya.

The Malaya and British Borneo dollar was used in Malaya after independence in 1957, and in Malaysia after its formation in 1963, as wll as in Singapore after its independence in 1965. After 1967, the two countries and Brunei ended the common currency arrangement and began issuing their own currencies. However, the Malaya and British Borneo dollar continued to be legal tender until 16 January 1969.

Set of Uncirculated Singapore Bird Series Notes

This is a set of uncirculated Singapore Bird Series notes which I have assembled. I have a couple of spare sets and they are available for sale as well as exchange with other Singapore banknotes.

Singapore Orchid Series 50 Dollar - HSS W/O Seal

In this post, I have attached the scans of the Singapore Orchid Series 50 Dollar - HSS W/O Seal. This note is considered the 2nd rarest note after Dr. Goh's variety. This variety of 50 dollars has only Hon Sui Sen's signature without his red seal. An explanation within the collectors community is that the red seal was not ready when the first batch of notes with his signature was printed. The later orchid notes were printed with his red seal.

This note can be considered as an Extra Fine note as light folds are found on the note.

King George 1941 Malaya 1 Dollar Banknote

Recently I have purchased a King George 1941 Malaya 1 Dollar Banknote. It has aged beautifully, without patches of foxing. It is in its original condition, with a light centerfold. In my opinion, it should be graded as EF. This note is also up for trade with fellow collectors or for sale.

Singapore Orchid 10 Dollars by LKS

In my opinion, an example of an Very Fine + (VF) to Extra Fine (EF) note. Sharp edges, with no signs of foxing. Bright colours with 2 light folds. Also for sale at $30 (SGD).

Example of a VF - Very Fine Note

I have recently purchased a 1953 Malaya Queen Elizabeth Dollar Bank Note. This note is a used note, but is still in fairly good condition. There are no holes and tears, and is in original, unwashed and unpressed condition, which makes it quite a rare find nowadays. I would rate the note as a low grade VF. Note the rounded corners and deep centre fold on the reverse, this should be an obvious sign that this note should be VF and below.

Example of an EF - Extra Fine Note

In short, an extra fine note is a new note, which has been lightly circulated and has maximum 3 light folds, or 1 strong crease. The note should look like new except for the folds.

In this example I shall be using the 1953 Queen Elizabeth II 10 Dollars Banknote. From the front view, we can see that the note is relatively new and with not many flaws. The corners are sharp and colours are strong. The tell tale signs for folds generally shows on the reverse. On the reverse, we can see one strong crease in the middle of the note. Other than the crease, the note is almost new. Therefore I would grade it as an Extra-Fine (EF) note.

Example of a VF - Very Fine Note

A very fine grading would be normally the grade for a circulated note, which has visible marks of circulation. The exact description can be found under the grading tab on the menu bar. The most important factor that determines whether a note is VF or F, would be looking out for tears and holes on the note. If generally the note is free of tears, holes, and is still in 1 good single piece, without any visible ink smudging or abrasions, the note should be VF.

In this example, I am using the 100 orchid dollar note. From this example, we can see that actually a very fine note should be the lowest quality note that anyone should collect. Edges are rounded, there are may visible folds and dirt marks, but there are no tears or holes. This note would belong to the lower rung of the VF Grading.

Orchid Series 100 Dollar Bank Note by Hon Sui Sen with seal.

Example of a AUNC - Almost Uncirculated Note

Almost uncirculated is a very tricky grading. Some sellers would use this grading to sell "done up notes" which look uncirculated, some would use this grading to sell "pressed notes". These are notes which are not original in condition, like putting on makeup. Some collectors shun this kind of notes, others are more welcoming, due to a lower price. So it depends on individual. (I will cover the topic of "done up" notes in the future).

Strictly speaking, almost uncirculated notes should look like uncirculated at the first glance. However, when flaws such as counting marks, rounder corners, or mishandling by the collector or others are found, the note drops a grade to become an almost uncirculated note. Most AUNC notes cannot be differentiated from UNC by scans. I will try to highlight a few differences in this post.

Almost Uncirculated: Bird 10 dollars. I shall now showcase a note from the 2nd series, the bird series which I will formally do a write up later on. This note as you can see, have the yellow spots which i was talking about in the previous post. The circled areas on the right shows some of the yellowing of the paper, also know as ageing, toning or foxing. A close inspection of the corners show that there is a light handling mark on the bottom left corner of the note, and the upper left hand corner is a little rounded.

Example of a UNC - Uncirculated Note

You may ask me, so what if you describe the condition to me, a picture is worth more than a thousand words. I will try to share with you how i grade my notes. Grading is very subjective, and please do not take ones grading to be what the note is. It is best is to see and look at the note yourself and make your own judgement.

Thats why I believe that when buying a note, a good way is to request for a detailed scans, and the best is to meet up with the seller and see for yourself. That is the only way that you can make the best judgement and will be least likely to regret what you buy.

Grading of notes can also be done by experts, and the note would be enclosed in a plastic sleeve with a guarantee of the grade. One famous grader would be PMG, paper money guaranty. Do note that professionally graded notes would fetch a higher price than those not professionally graded, but you can buy these notes with a peace of mind.

Ok. Now I shall show you what an uncirculated note should look like in my opinion:

UNCIRCULATED 25 Dollars:

This note is one of my favourite orchid notes, it is quite rarely found as the prefix ends at A/50, which limited the supply of these notes. It is one of the most expensive note (in terms of the premium paid). Also, Singapore's weather is very humid, and notes would definately have "foxing", which is browning of the notes surface. From the scans below, you can observe that the notes do not have patches of browning (I will scan and show some examples of foxing on notes), and there are no folds. The corners are sharp and colours are very strong. Embossing cannot be seen from scans.

The background colour of the note is offwhite, which is the original colour of the note. If you see that a note is unbelievably white, it may suggest that the note was chemically treated to give that superwhite and clean appearance.