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.

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. 

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. 

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.

Dismantling the Sweden Ericsson LM Phone

The Sweden Ericsson LM Phone was a common sight in many Singaporean households back in the 1970s, normally found in the beige or gray versions. In order to clean up the fingerwheel, also known as the rotary dial, we would need to dismantle the phone. Dismantling the phone also enable us to clean up the inside as well as check for any damages in the wiring when the phone is not working well. 

However, there are no manuals or instructions that can be found online to dismantle this particular model. After fiddling around with the phone, I have managed to dismantle it and below is a photo of all of the parts laid out. 

To remove the main housing, we will need to locate the screw which is located under the handset area. After unscrewing it, the top casing can be easily removed. The 2 holes on the number dial plate is actually a special type of screw and can be removed by turning it. To remove the finger wheel, we would need to unscrew the metal finger stopper by locating the screw behind the rotary mechanism as shown in the top left hand corner of the photo above.

Singapore 3rd Series Coins

The Singapore 3rd series of coins are already out for collectors to purchase from the Singapore Mint. The 2nd series of coins has been in circulation since 1986, a good 27 years. There are 3 different sets on sale by the Singapore Mint, you can find them in the online shop here. The set above contains the 2nd and 3rd series coins with the same year of mintage - 2013.