Saturday, August 31, 2013

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.

Singapore Ship Series Commemorative $2 - Prudence At The Helm 1967-1992




This note is issued in 1992 along with a book titled "Prudence at the Helm" for commemorating 25 Years Of Currency Issue 1967 – 1992 BCCS. There is also a spelling error as there is a missing “i” in the word “Commissoners” printed on the note. There are only 5000 copies of this book being printed, corresponding to the serial number of the note. 

This book is a very good read for all currency collectors and people interested in Economics. My favourite read is the short write-up by Dr. Goh Keng Swee, the deputy chairman of MAS back in 1992, where he explained the need for a currency board and the stand of the government with respect to Economic policies. He wrote briefly about how Singapore should not depend on credit creation and the cabinet did not believe in Keynesian economic policies as our economy is small and open. A preview of the book from NLB can be found here.



Monday, July 22, 2013

1936 British North Borneo 1 Dollar Banknote P.28



The above note is a 1936 British North Borneo 1 Dollar Banknote. This is a particularly interesting note as it was one of the notes without the portraits of King George issued in regions under British Rule. The mountain depicted in the front of the note is actually Mount Kinabalu. Several languages can be found on the note,  showing the cultural and racial diversity in North Borneo back in the 1930s.

North Borneo was a British protectorate under the sovereign North Borneo Chartered Company from 1882 to 1941. 

The North Borneo Chartered Company or British North Borneo Company was a chartered company assigned to administer North Borneo (today's Sabah in Malaysia) in August 1881. 

From 1942 to 1945, North Borneo was occupied by Japanese military forces, before they were driven out by Australian troops. 

From 1946 to 1963, North Borneo became a crown colony of Great Britain, known in this time as British North Borneo. It is located on the northeastern end of the island of Borneo. It is now the state of Sabah, East Malaysia. 



Sunday, June 23, 2013

Unique Vintage Sanyo 1960s Electric Phonograph & AM Radio Combination in Wooden Case


This is a Unique Vintage Sanyo 1960s Electric Phonograph & AM Radio Combination in Wooden Case that I have acquired recently from a friend's dad. It is still in working condition and plays vinyl discs very well. It also has a light indicator at the radio panel which gives off a orange back light when it is turned on. 

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

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 1967when 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.