Singapore Orchid Banknotes Forgeries/Replicas

Singapore banknotes are one of the hardest banknotes to forge or replicate in the world. We have harsh penalties for people who forge our banknotes and use fake notes. However, enforcement may not be as strict in other countries.

As Singapore has one of the highest denomination of banknotes in the world, which is SGD 10 000 on a single note, people tend to forge our 10k banknotes more, especially so for the Orchid notes as they are less technologically advanced and easier to forge. Another reason is that people tend to buy these notes for collection and the forgeries may go undetected for a long long time.

Through my years of collection, I have chanced upon several forged/replica notes online and would like to share with everyone here. Buying a forged 10k note can be a very painful experience. If a deal is too good to be true, please think twice or even thrice. When in doubt, always consult a friend or someone who is more knowledgeable in that area.

Look at this image of the orchid 10k note. I have highlighted the suspicious areas. Do you know what are wrong with them? You can post in the comments sections or discuss in the forum.

Also, there exists another version of the 10k which is a reproduction as a charity ticket. It is easily distinguishable by a red reproduction word printed at the bottom of the ticket.

Singapore/Malaya 1 Square 1 Cent Coins

Did you know that Singapore used to have 1 cent coins in the shape of a square with rounded ages? These 1 cent coins are even bigger than our 10 cents coin we are using now. In the 1940s-1950s, a few of these 1 cent coins can buy you a meal. The one cent coins issued around the 1940s bear the portrait of King George, while those minted in 1953 bear the portrait of Queen Elizabeth.

Coins are also for sale

at

1 SGD each

Forum Added

Dear Visitors,

I have added a forum to my menu bar. It is quite easy to use and you can use it to ask questions or discuss about collecting banknotes. If you need to sell some of your old banknotes and coins, you are also welcome to advertise and post in the forum!

Cheers,

Nut

Singapore Orchid Series 100 Dollar Banknote by LKS

In this post, I have attached the scans of an Orchid $1000 Banknote signed by Mr. Lim Kim San. Back in the 1970s, 1000 dollars was quite a large amount and not many people could afford to keep such a large sum of money as part of his/her collection. Therefore, 1000 dollar notes are rarely found in a good condition, with most notes actually being in constant circulation, resulting in damages. Most 1000 dollar notes which can be found now are mostly circulated and uncirculated notes would most probably cost alot to own.

This is one of my favourite orchid notes, especially the purple and pink colours used, which matches very well.

Ladder No & Fancy No Singapore Orchid 10 Dollars

I have mentioned in my blog before that some collectors prefer to collect notes with nice numbers. I do not purposely seek to collect them, but I do have a couple of them in my collection by chance. These notes are well circulated and aged. Enjoy.

Repeated fancy no: 986986

Ladder no: 567890

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).

Issue quantity & date of Singapore Banknotes

I was just browsing through The Singapore Mint website where I found that they have revamped their website and included a page on the issue quantity and date of Singapore Banknotes.

I have noticed a odd co-relation between the quantity issued and the price of the orchid notes. The common saying is that the orchid 50 dollars' supply is very high, therefore the price is relatively low as compared to the 5 and 25 notes. However, a quick comparison between the quantity issued puts them at 62 million (50 orchid), 45 million (5 orchid), 50 million (25 orchid) pieces respectively. So is the 50 dollar orchid note grossly underpriced, or that the design of the note is not beautiful enough to drive up the demand? Another way to look at it is that someone out there is holding on to all the supply of the 5 and 25 dollars banknotes. Whatever the reason is, it definitely makes the 50 dollar note the most affordable orchid series banknote (by percentage of face value) in the whole series.

Link to share: click here

Cheers.

The large silver coloured 1 dollar compared to a normal golden coloured 1 dollar. Click here for the full post.