Saturday 25 August 2012

Singapore Banknotes Ship $5 40-in-1 Uncut Sheet 新加坡 $5元船舶系列40张连体钞


This Singapore Ship $5 uncut sheet is quite unusual. Issued to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), it bears two (2) special overprints on alternate notes: the MAS logo and the MAS 30th anniversary logo. 

Overprints on Singapore notes are rare. 

Does the 30th anniversary logo looks familiar? Yes, it's the same logo used on the Ship $100 28-in-1 uncut sheet. These were the only two uncut sheets issued to mark the special occasion.


To make this uncut sheet even more collectible, the sheet actually comes with a printing border, something unusual: 
  1. at the top     - a colour bar with alphabets indicating the columns
  2. on the left     - arabic numbers indicating the rows & a set of printed numbers probably indicating batch numbers and, production date and time.
  3. on the right   - a smaller border with markings.
  4. at the bottom- a semi circle notch and a set of printed numbers

Top border: colour bar 顶部 - 颜色彩条。

Top and left border: Alphabet A, B, C, D, E indicating the 5 columns (on the top). 
Arabic numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 indicating the rows (on the left).
顶部: 字母A, B, C, D, E 标明五个栏。
左侧: 阿拉伯数字1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 标明八个行。


On the left border, a set of printed numbers probably indicating  batch numbers, and production date and time. If that's true, then the sheets were printed on 22 February 1995, at 7.38pm. That's about 30 months before the issue date. 
左侧: 一组可能代表生产批号,生产日期和时间的打印数字。如属实, 那此张未切割纸币是在一九九五年,二月二十二日,晚上七点三十八分生产。

So are you looking forward to 2015? In other words printing would be completed in 2013 (?). Final design and approval would be given in 2012 (?). What am I talking about? 

Ok, back to the Ship $5 uncut sheet.

At the bottom: a semicircle notch in between the first and second column. Anyone knows the purpose of this notch?
底部:半圆形的缺口在第一和第二栏之间。您知道该缺口的目的吗?


At the bottom right-hand corner, a set of printed numbers. Anyone knows what it means?
底部右下角:一组打印数字。您知道该组打印数字的意思吗?


On the reverse-side, the colour bar is at the bottom. The set of printed numbers is different from the front.
反面:颜色彩条是在底部。这组打印数字和正面的那一组稍有不同。

If you've engaged a printer in your course of work, you'd know this is the original print that comes off the press before the sheet is cut to it's required size.


Most uncut sheets do NOT come with the printing borders. The only other uncut sheet (pre-portrait series) that do come with borders would be the Ship $2 (Violet) 25-in-1, commemorating MAS 25th anniversary.


Specifications:
Date of issue: August 1997.
Size: 569 x 688 mm
Signed by Minister for Finance Hu Tsu Tau.
Special serial no: B/xx 9xx592
All notes bears the same last 3 digits of 592.
Come with box and certificate. 
Certificate serial no. and note's last 3 digits are non-matching.
Limited to 1,000 sheets only.

Serial Number Configuration:
This Ship $5 uncut sheet has 8 rows and 5 columns.
The serial numbers are arranged as follows.

1st column: 
B/28 959592 
B/28 909592
B/28 859592
B/28 809592

B/29 959592
B/29 909592
B/29 859592
B/29 809592

Based on the above, the entire sheet has 10 prefixes: 
B/28, B/29, B/30, B/31, B/32, B/33, B/34, B/35, B/36 & B/37; 
and 4 sets of numbers (959, 909, 859, 809) that ends with 592 and are repeated with each prefix.


My other Ship $5 uncut sheet (last 3 digit 593), also bears the exact prefixes, serial no. and configuration. 

Is it the same for all other Ship $5 uncut sheets? 
If you've one of this, check it out and tell us on our Facebook Page.

The Ship $5 note is well designed with a vibrant green mixed with yellow and red. A majestic reverse but I find it a less prominent note compared to the other notes of the same series because the Twakow, the star subject of this note, is overly subtle. To put it plainly it is too small without emphasis and there's too much empty space around it. Looking at it, I still can't tell what's a Twakow.


Questions:
1. Among the $2, $5, $10, $50 and $100 notes, which has the lowest "in circulation" numbers?

2. The beautiful reverse of the Ship $5 note showcases the Merlion and the PSA container terminal. Is this the terminal at Keppel or West Coast? The 5-storey building could be a clue.

If you've the answers, please tell us on our Facebook Page.

So with this, the publication for the Ship series is complete ($2, $5, $10, $50 & $100). I will provide an update for the Ship $10, $50 and $100 in the near future.

Hope you like it so far. And please LIKE us on Facebook.





新加坡 $5元船舶系列40张未切割纸币

这是一张相当不寻常的未切割纸币。

为新加坡金融管理局三十周年纪念而发行。纸币上加印了新加坡金融管理局和三十周年庆的双标志。

加印在新加坡纸币是相当罕见的。

这个三十周年庆的标志看起来是不是很熟悉?是的,这个标志也用在一百元船舶系列28张未切割纸币上。这是仅有的两张为新加坡金融管理局三十周年纪念而特别发行的未切割纸币。

值得一提的,这张未切割纸币还连带了一个印刷框。一般的印刷框都会被切掉。这无疑增加这张未切割纸币的收藏价值。


这张未切割纸币的特点包括:
顶部 - 颜色彩条和用字母标明的栏。
左侧 - 用阿拉伯数字标明的行和一组可能代表生产批号,生产日期和时间的打印数字。
右侧 - 一个较小有标记的边框。
底部 - 一个半圆形的缺口和一组打印数字。

平面印刷产品, 成品后都须切割到实际大小,边框都会被切掉。

多数未切割纸币张都没边框。如没记错,另一张有边框的是$2元船舶系列25张未切割纸币,为新加坡金融管理局二十五周年纪念发行的。

产品规格:
由新加坡货币专员委员会发行(BCCS),发行于1998年八月。
尺寸:569 x 688 mm
由新加坡财政部长胡赐道博士签名。
所有纸币都有特别钞票序号D/XX XXX592。
所有纸币与592结尾。
原包装附带证书和盒子。
证书号码和钞票结尾号码不相同。
严格限量1千张。
品质:未流通及完好无损。

序列号和号码排列设定:
这$5元未切割纸币张有八行五栏共四十张。钞票序号和号码按如下方式排列:
第一列
B/28 959592
B/28 909592
B/28 859592
B/28 809592
B/29 959592
B/29 909592
B/29 859592
B/29 809592

按以上方式排列,整张有10个序号:
B /28, B/29, B/30, B/31, B/32, B/33, B/34, B/35, B/36 & B/37;
和四组号码 (959, 909, 859, 809) 接相同结尾号码592;
这四组号码在每个序号里重复。

我的另一张$5元未切割纸币(以593结尾)序列号和号码也按如上方式排列。如果您也有相同的$5元未切割纸币 ,请去查看排列是否一样,并在我们的Facebook页面上告诉我们您的发现。



这张船系列五元纸币设计相当美观。以绿色为主色搭配红和黄。反面的设计相当壮丽。反观正面比起其他同系列的设计,就逊色了。船舶作为主题,画面太小,空洞太多,失去壮丽感。

在此,船舶系列的未切割纸币以介绍完毕。在不久的将来我会为大家更新船舶系列的十元,五十元和一百元未切割纸币的照片和更深入的介绍。

希望您对我的作品感到满意。 请到我们的Facebook页面上“喜欢”我们。

Wednesday 22 August 2012

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Friday 17 August 2012

Printers of Singapore Banknotes Orchid Series

Do you know who are the printers of the Orchid series banknotes?

You will not fail to notice on the reverse-side of the Orchid notes, at the bottom centre, in fine print: 

  1. Bradbury Wilkinson & Co. Ld New Maiden, Surrey, England
  2. Thomas De La Rue & Company, Limited.

These were the only two printers of the Singapore Orchid series banknotes.

Do you know which notes did they print?

Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co printed the Orchid $1, $5 and $100.
Thomas De La Rue & Company printed the Orchid $10, $25 and $50.










Based on the above printing order of the Orchid banknotes, would it be the same for the Bird series (and the Ship & Portrait)? 

Stay tuned.

Thursday 9 August 2012

Singapore Orchid Specimen Banknotes - LKS Reverse (Part 2)

As you may know, a 5-note HSS Orchid Specimen set was auction-off for a lackluster three thousand over dollars in 2010. That was the only set that was sold publicly, and as a result it set a benchmark price for the Orchid Specimen 5-note set in 2010. No other set came up in the market after that. 

So what's the market price of the Orchid Specimen Set in 2012?

A fellow collector who bought the Ship $100 28-in-1 uncut sheet from me, requested I sell him my Orchid Specimen sets. So I offered him 3 sets: Orchid 5-notes LKS, Orchid 5-notes HSS and Bird 6-notes HSS, at a low 5 figure sum. Obviously the 2010 benchmark price was brought up and the deal fell through. I wouldn't blame him because no one is sure about the present price. 

But I'm keen to know what's the market price, so I put  up a LKS 5-note set on our friendly auction site and BANG!!! I received multiple offers, emails after emails, ranging from dealers to collectors and at the last minute before the auction closes, Mr. L made his move and the set was sold and a new benchmark price was set. 

Thanks to Mr. L, I've the opportunity to take out the set and let it see some daylight. Since it is going to a new home, I must take some photo: yes I didn't bother for 25 long years!!! 

Below are the reverse-side of the Orchid Specimen 5-notes set, signed by Lim Kim San and limited to 77 sets only.



$1 note: public housing;  Housing & Development Board (HDB) 10-storey tall 1-room flats.


$5 note: my favorite- the Singapore River at Boat Quay; I could still vividly remember the stench of the river. It took a decade to clean up the river; a mega feat that also took away the river's soul.


$10 note: four major races; a united multi-racial society. If you look carefully, there's a map of Singapore behind the clasped hands. Do you know how many other notes have the map of Singapore in it's design?


$50 note: Clifford Pier, aka Red-light Pier. For seafarers, this is the Pearly Gates into Singapore and then sell some stuff at Change-Alley before heading to Bugis! I took my first ever ferry ride to Kusu island from this pier decades ago.


$100 note: this is the most uninteresting design of the Orchid notes: " a peaceful scene along the Singapore waterfront". The buildings on the right looked like the Old Supreme Court,Victoria Theatre and City Hall. The tall building on the left looked like Prima Flour. And the sailing boat. Is this "scene" historically relevant?
  

Inside cover of the folder, spelling out the specs of the notes.