Singapore Commemorative $50 Plastic Banknote

This $50 plastic banknote was issued to commemorate Singapore's 25th year of independence on 9th August 1990.

This special issue is of numismatic significance for a few reasons:

1. This is the first commemorative note issued by the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore (BCCS).
2. This is the first plastic note in the history of Singapore's currency.
3. This is also the first note designed in Singapore by a Singapore artist.

However the significance of this commemorative note is dampened by the unusual high production numbers issued under two tranches:

1. 300,000 notes issued with an overprint of the anniversary date "9 August 1990" that came in a special folder.
2. 4,800,000 notes (without overprint) issued for circulation.

Clearly the BCCS wanted each and every working citizen to own a piece of history. This suspicion was substantiated by a low issue price of $55 for the $50 note in folder and each purchase was limited to 2 sets ony.

The 4.8 million notes issued for circulation was a dry-run to test out the ability of the banking system to handle plastic notes. Although I have no knowledge of the outcome, I suspect it must be very challenging because plastic notes or polymer notes as it is currently known, were only issued for circulation some 15 years (estimated) later. 

Numismatic was a popular hobby in the late eighties to early nineties, and very quickly the 4.8 million plastic notes disappeared, into the hands of collectors and ordinary folks, hoping to make a few bucks. And a few bucks they could but anything more, would be quite impossible.

So let's take a closer look at the design of the note, the security features and how it impacts plastic notes of the future.

Specifications
Date of Issue: July 1990
Size: 157 x 74 mm
Signed by Minister of Finance Dr Hu Tsu Tau
Special Serial No.: Single prefix starting with A, follow by 6 digits.
Special Notes in Folder with Overprint "9 August 1990": 300,000.
Notes for Circulation: 4,800,000.

The most striking feature in this plastic note is the hologram (not sure if I use this term correctly), a silver substrate that shows the image of the first President of Singapore Yusoff  bin Ishak and five stars. This accordingly is the Optical Variable Device (OVD) that enables the image to be viewed from the front and back, and would give out a rainbow pattern when viewed at different angles.

The  front of the note depicts Singapore's transformation from a trading sea-port in the 19th century into becoming the world's busiest port, strategically connecting the East and the West.

The reverse of the note depicts a scene of the first sitting of parliament on 8th December 1965 and 'a jubilant mixed group of Singaporeans with the State flag behind them'.

Do you know who were the four cabinet ministers seated next to founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew? If you know the answer, tell us on our Facebook Page.

Based on the notes I have, a few of them did not have the last digit of the serial numbers printed correctly- it was only printed partially. This was probably a mechanical problem and it happened only to the set of serial numbers on the top right-hand corner.

Apart from the OVD, this commemorative plastic note also has some very advanced security features that makes it 'virtually unforgeable'.

1. Intaglio printing: 
or raised printing to give the embossed texture was widely used on texts and graphics.
2. Perfect registration: 
images that are exactly the same on the front and back of the note, such as the green Orchids on top of the OVD.
3. Micro-printing: 
printing that are so small, it's only visible under 10x magnification. For this note it's just below "YUSOF BIN ISHAK", and it reads "BOARDOFCOMMISSIONEROFCURRENCYSINGAPORE . . . ".

4. Shadow-image: 
like a water-mark in paper currency, an image can be viewed when it's held against light. In this note it shows the 25th anniversary logo.

5. Latent image: 
an image varies when viewed at different angles.  In this note, the BCCS logo.
6. Invisible feature: 
invisible under normal lighting condition but will glow brightly under ultra-violet (UV) light. In this note, the decorative outline of the OVD will glow brightly under UV light.
7. Fluorescent ink:
the serial numbers and seal of the minister's glow under UV light.

For the first time in the history of Singapore currency, the signature of the designer, Mr Chua Mia Tee, can be found on the note. 

This is the first and only note that bears two signatures: the minister's and the designer's. Well done Mr Chua!

So do the current polymer notes (Portrait series $2, $5 & $10) shared the same security features of the 1990 $50 note?

All except the OVD and latent image, they were replaced with the "gold patch", "complex clear window" and "embossed clear window".

So, why did it take so long from this 1990 plastic note to the current polymer notes? And why isn't there a $50 polymer note in circulation yet?

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Feng Shui Banknotes - Singapore Ship Series

If you take a closer look at the Singapore Ship series, you should see a colourful lithographic printed mythical creature, on the central panel, unique to every denomination (except the $2). I could easily recognize the creatures on the $1, $5 and $10 notes, but beyond that the creatures are so stylised I find it hard to tell what they are. So I asked myself: do other people know and can they tell or it’s just me?

To encourage participation, I thought of giving away a small prize (a Ship $2 Red 3-in-1 uncut sheet) to anyone who can tell me the answers of the mythical creature depicted on the $5, $10, $50 & $100 notes. Contradict to the idea, as the organizer I must know the answers in order to determine the winner!

So I checked the MAS website and to my surprise, they are not all mythical but rather auspicious creatures in the Chinese culture.

Why auspicious creatures? And why only in the Chinese culture and not other cultures? Is it about Feng-Shui, the ancient art of geomancy and astrology?

The Ship series (1984 – 1999) was the third series of banknotes after the Bird and Orchid. Clearly no mythical or auspicious creatures were found in those earlier series. So what were the designers and stakeholders thinking that led them to use auspicious creatures in our currency? What influenced them?

Let’s take a trip back into history at the time when the notes were designed. I guess it would be between 1980 and ‘81 when the design directions were decided and production begun in ‘82 and ‘83.

Singapore in 1975 had just survived the first decade of its independence and the seventies were tumultuous years not for the faint hearted. In the short span between 1975 and ‘79, catastrophes, communism and the cold-war machinery were not far away from our door-step.

Communist Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia in 1975- cities were purged and over 1.7 million people murdered in The Killing Fields. Communist North Vietnam captured Saigon and eventually unified as Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976. In the same year, Indonesia invaded East Timor and the Great Tangshan earthquakes killed over 240,000.

In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and Vietnam invaded Cambodia and overthrown the Khmer Rouge; China retaliated by invading northern Vietnam and in less than a month, both sides suffered a combined casualties of over 100,000.

The political landscapes in the region were transformed so quickly, you could almost smell it coming. So as a small country, we need to do whatever we can- every man and every creature, shall do their part, moving from strength to strength, to fulfil our destiny. And yes . . . we did.

So whether it was a desperate or intended attempt to improve our feng-shui and ward off bad luck, or merely a form of stylised art by having the auspicious creatures to make our banknotes look "auspiciously" better, as long as the promissory notes give confidence to the holders, then they have served us well. And I’d like to thank the designers and their higher-up for giving us this beautiful and majestic Ship series.

Auspicious Creatures in the Ship Series (1984 – 1999)
$1          Chinese Crane (鹤 symbol of longevity)
$5          Chinese Lion with a Ball (狮 symbol of power & majesty)
$10        Phoenix (凤 凰 symbol of prosperity, peace & good government)
$50        Mandarin Ducks (鸳鸯 symbol of fidelity, conjugal affection, peace & prosperity)
$100      Chinese Crane (鹤 symbol of longevity)
$500      Chinese Peony & Butterfly (牡丹 symbol of happiness & prosperity; 蝴蝶 joy & warmth)
$1,000   Stylised Phoenix (凤 凰 symbol of prosperity, peace & good government)
$10,000 Chinese Dragon (龙 symbol of benevolence, prosperity & longevity)
*The above information is taken from mas.gov.sg and primaltrek.com

Now if you're the note designer for the 5th series, to keep your job, you better have more Mandarin Ducks!! :-)))

I'm sorry I can't show you photo of the $500, $1,000 & $10,000 notes because I don't have any. If you have them and would like to share them with fellow enthusiasts here, pls email me. 

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