Singapore Commemorative $25 Banknote (MAS 25th Anniversary)

This Singapore Commemorative $25 banknote is issued in 1996 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). 

Is there any significance to this issue? 

Well of course, every issue is significant. Apart from the 300,000 notes issued for circulation and in commemorative packages:

1. It is the only SECOND commemorative banknote to be issued by the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore (BCCS). 
2. It is the only SECOND $25 after the Orchid $25. 
3. It is the only note that has NO prefix in the serial number.
4. It is the only note that packs the MOST security features, in all the notes issued so far.

It is a beautiful banknote, minus the MAS building. The banknote is covered with intricate graphics and micro-lettering. The octagon multi-coloured hologram is a precursor to the silver hologram found in the Portrait series that started circulation in 1999. 

Front design:  The multi-redundant hologram and serial number that has no prefix, i.e. numbers only.

 Back design: Featuring the skyline of the financial district.

The octagon multi-redundant hologram with the symbol of the Singapore Lion and the numerals 25.

 The front cover of the "Cheque Book" commemorative pack. It was issued at S$36/- in 1996.

 There are a total of 12 security features packed onto the front design of the note.

On the back design, there are 4 security features. But . . . . sometimes, less is more. You will be mesmerized by what you see under UV.

 The front-design, under ultra-violet light: the bottom serial number and the seal of the Chairman, printed in fluorescent ink,  glow in orange colour.

The back-design under UV, glows like fire-works, never seen in any of the series ever produced. There are two "25" glowing next to the printed "25", and "1Jan96" at the right-hand corner, are invisible features that are visible only under UV.

So are you impressed? 

Yes, I am, from a technical point of view, it is an important production that has many significant features that are unique and not available in other series. 

No, I'm not, from a quantity point of view, the numbers are too large, simply because Singapore is too small! I'm not sure how many of the 300,000 notes were issued, but based on the fact that the commemorative packs are still being auctioned quarterly, it is definitely not scarce.

But in view of Singapore's population growing to 6.9 million by 2030, my advice: BUY NOW! EVERYTHING!

Of course, I'm just kidding. Bad pun intended. :-)

May I wish all readers who are celebrating the Lunar New Year, a Snaking Good Year ahead! 

恭喜！恭喜！富贵，平安。

Singapore Banknotes Ship $100 28-in-1 Uncut Sheet (Part 2) 新加坡一百元船舶系列28张连体钞-(第二部)

The Singapore Ship $100 uncut sheet has high numismatic importance and value due to its magnificent design and rarity. Therefore I’m doing a part 2 to give it better coverage.

Issued to commemorate 100 Years of Currency Board and 30th Anniversary of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), this $100 Ship Series 28-in-1 uncut sheet comes with two special overprints:

1. 100 Years of Currency Board & 
2. MAS 30th Anniversary

Specifications:
Date of issue: 10 July 1997.
Size: 661 x 547 mm
Signed by Minister for Finance Dr Hu Tsu Tau.
Special serial no: A/38 84xx90
All notes bear the same first 2 digits of 84 and last 2 digits of 90.
Come in a heavy wooden box.
Uncirculated mint condition.
Certificate serial no. and note's last 2 digits are non-matching.
Production: 100 sheets only.

Front design: Passenger Liner Chusan 
Back design: Singapore Changi Airport



Serial Number Configuration: 
This Ship $100 28-in-1 uncut sheet has 7 rows and 4 columns.
The serial numbers are arranged as follows.

1st column     2nd column     3rd column     4th column
840 090          840 790           841 490           842 190
840 190          840 890           841 590           842 290
840 290          840 990           841 690           842 390
840 390          841 090           841 790           842 490
840 490          841 190           841 890           842 590
840 590          841 290           841 990           842 690
840 690          841 390           842 090           842 790

All notes share the prefix A/38.

The first note on the top-left corner starts with the serial number 840090. The serial number of the note below increases with an increment of 100, consecutively to the last note at the bottom-right corner that ends with 842790. 

This arrangement is different from the Ship $2, $5 and $10 uncut sheets.



The “30th anniversary” overprint appears on the 1st, 4th and 7th row, on alternate notes. 

The “100 Years” overprint appears on the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th row, on alternate notes.




So, how many “30th anniversary” and “100 Years” overprints are there?

The Ship $100 note is without a doubt a very beautiful note: distinctive colours and themes, large sized, majestic and intricately designed. 

The banknote was released to the public in 1985, that’s 27 years ago. The passenger liner on the front has probably gone to a metal scrap-yard and Changi airport has transformed from a “garden” (as depicted on the back of the note) to Asia’s busiest sky-hub; and it has begun to build its fourth passenger terminal two months ago. SIA's Boeing Jumbo 747 Big Top has all been retired years ago with the introduction of the A380s.




Time flies but history is permanently “etched” on a banknote.

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这张新加坡一百元船舶系列28张连体钞由于其宏伟的设计和稀有的特性，具有较高的历史意义和收藏价值。因此我做了第二部给它更充分的介绍。

这张连体钞的发行是为纪念新加坡货币专员委员会一百周年和新加坡金融管理局三十周年纪念而发行。连体钞上加印了新加坡货币专员委员会一百周年和新加坡金融管理局三十周年纪念的标志。在新加坡纸币上“加印”是相当罕见的。

产品规格：
由新加坡货币专员委员会发行（BCCS），发行于1997年7月10日。

尺寸：: 661 x 547 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A/38 84xx90 。
所有纸币与84开头，90结尾。
原包装附带证书和木盒子。证书编号和钞票结尾号码不相同。
限量发行100张。
品质：未流通及完好无损。

正面主题：客轮舟山号
反面主题：新加坡樟宜机场





序列号和号码排列设定：
这$100元连体钞有七行四栏共二十八张。

钞票序号和号码按如下方式排列：

第一栏      第二栏      第三栏      第四栏
840 090     840 790     841 490     842 190
840 190     840 890     841 590     842 290
840 290     840 990     841 690     842 390
840 390     841 090     841 790     842 490
840 490     841 190     841 890     842 590
840 590     841 290     841 990     842 690
840 690     841 390     842 090     842 790

所有钞票序号同为A/38。

从左上方第一张开始号码为840 090.。下一张号码加100，连续，从上至下，从左至右， 至右下方最后一张为842 790。

很明显的，这一张$100元连体钞的钞票序号和号码排列于$2元，$5元和$10元是不一样的。

新加坡金融管理局三十周年纪念的标志，加印在第一，四和七行，行内交替。

新加坡货币专员委员会一百周年的标志，加印在第二，三，五和六行，行内交替

那请问，三十和一百周年的标志，到底有多少个？





这是一个张非常漂亮的钞票。色彩和主题独特，居有吸引力。作为一张大钞，它的设计精致，内容充分，印刷精美。

发行于1985年-转眼27 年了！正面的客轮可能以轮落废铁场。樟宜机场以从一个“花园” 转变成区域航空枢纽，第四机场客运大楼也在两个月前动工。新航波音珍宝747也全部退役，改由空中巴士A380替代。

时间飞逝，时过境迁，但历史永久的“铭刻”在钞票上。

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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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Win a Ship Series $2 (Red) 3-in-1 Uncut Sheet!

To promote the hobby of collecting numismatic banknotes and uncut sheets, I will give away a Ship $2 (Red) 3-in-1 uncut sheet (with folder, issued in 1993 that’s currently worth well over S$70), to a lucky winner.

I will post a total of 4 pictures of a portion of a Singapore banknote in our Facebook Page on every Wednesday & Friday this week and the next.

To win the prize, this is what you must do:

1. Immediately tell us the series and denomination of the note, and the name of the object depicted (e.g. Ship series $2 Tongkang) on our Facebook Page. 
2. LIKE and SHARE the photo. 

This is how you will win:

1. The person who posts the correct answer fastest for all the 4 pictures will win. 
2. If there is more than 1 person who has all the correct answers, the person who is fastest on average will win. 
3. If there is more than 1 winner based on the above, I will pick the ultimate winner. 
4. I shall have full discretion to decide who the winner is, and it shall be final and indisputable. 
5. The winner will receive the prize via postal mail. 

The first picture will appear on this Wednesday 26.09.12.

Join us at our Facebook Page and win!

Singapore Banknotes Ship $2 25-in-1 Uncut Sheet BCCS Overprint 新加坡船舶系列二元25张加印连体钞

This Ship $2 25-in-1 uncut sheet is issued to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Board of Commissioners of Currency Singapore (BCCS).



This is a very unique piece of uncut sheet; it comes with a special commemorative text over-printed on the top border of the uncut sheet:

“In Commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore 12 June 1992”.



To make this numismatic sheet even more unusual, after the commemorative text, the sheet serial number is also overprinted on the top right corner: “BCCS No: 0XXXX”.

The last 4 digits of the serial number coincide with the last 4 digits of each note.

As far as I know, this uncut sheet has achieved three “first”:

• First uncut sheet to have commemorative texts overprinted. 
• First uncut sheet to have the serial number overprinted. 
• First uncut sheet to have a 3-sided border around the sheet (top, left and right). 

Subsequent uncut sheets that have printing borders include the Ship $5, Portrait series $2 Y2K, $10 and $50 uncut sheets.

So I’d say this is a unique sheet but in terms of production numbers, it is quite large, probably in the ten-thousand range. But even so, very few can be found in the market.

Specifications:
Date of issue: June 1992.
Size: 675.5x 326 mm
Signed by Minister for Finance Dr Hu Tsu Tau.
Special serial no: Nx 2x3076
All notes bear the same last 4 digits of 3076.
Come in a wooden box.
Uncirculated mint condition.
Sheet printed serial no. : BCCS NO: 03076
Sheet serial no. and note's last 4 digits are matching.
Production: over ten thousand sheets (estimated).

Serial Number Configuration:
This Ship $2 uncut sheet has 5 rows and 5 columns.
The serial numbers are arranged as follows.

1st column     2nd column     3rd column     4th column     5th column

NR 203076     NS 203076     NT 203076     NU 203076     NV 203076
NR 223076     NS 223076     NT 223076     NU 223076     NV 223076
NR 243076     NS 243076     NT 243076     NU 243076     NV 243076
NR 263076     NS 263076     NT 263076     NU 263076     NV 263076
NR 283076     NS 283076     NT 283076     NU 283076     NV 283076

Based on the above, each column has a prefix that starts with the same serial number 203076, and the second digit changes in ascending order (0 to 2 to 4 to 6 and 8), from top to bottom.

This arrangement is different from the Ship $5 and $10 uncut sheets.



This is a beautiful note with a solid and attractive purple colour. This was the first purple coloured note and it has definitely done better than the orangey one. As a small $2 note, it is well-balanced and full of meaningful content that's iconic to Singapore. I especially like the “Chingay Procession” on the reverse that depicts the distinctive traditional cultural performances of the Singapore Chinese, Malay and Indian races, demonstrating the essence of racial harmony, a corner-stone of Singapore's multi-racial society.

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这张新加坡两元船舶系列25张连体钞的发行是为纪念新加坡货币专员委员会二十五周年纪念而发行。

连体钞上加印了新加坡金融管理局二十五周年庆的祝贺语和篇号。

加印祝贺语：“In Commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore 12 June 1992”.

加印篇号：“BCCS No: 0XXXX”。

在新加坡纸币上“加印”是相当罕见的。

这是一张相当独特的未切割连体钞。它有三个第一。

• 第一张加印祝贺语的连体钞。 
• 第一张加印篇号的连体钞。 
• 第一张连带“三边印刷框” 的连体钞（上，左和右 ）。 

值得一提，平面印刷产品一般成品后都须切割到实际大小，边框都会被切掉。留下“三边印刷框”无疑增加这张未切割连体钞的收藏价值。 

接下来有印刷框的连体钞就包括了船舶系列$5元，肖像系列$2 Y2K（千喜年），$10元和$50元。 

产品规格：
由新加坡货币专员委员会发行（BCCS），发行于1992年六月。
尺寸：675.5x 326 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Nx 2x3076。
所有纸币与3076结尾。
原包装附带证书和木盒子。
编号和钞票结尾号码相同。
限量发行1万张以上（估计）。
品质：未流通及完好无损。

序列号和号码排列设定：
这$2元连体钞有五行五栏共二十五张。钞票序号和号码按如下方式排列：

第一栏           第二栏           第三栏            第四栏            第五栏
NR 203076     NS 203076     NT 203076     NU 203076     NV 203076
NR 223076     NS 223076     NT 223076     NU 223076     NV 223076
NR 243076     NS 243076     NT 243076     NU 243076     NV 243076
NR 263076     NS 263076     NT 263076     NU 263076     NV 263076
NR 283076     NS 283076     NT 283076     NU 283076     NV 283076

按以上方式排列，每一栏的序号从NR开始连接号码203076。号码的第二个数字升序排列。 从零 到二到四到六到八，从上至下。这组号码在每一栏里重复。

很明显的，这一张$2元连体钞的排列于同系列的$5元40张和$10元45张是不一样的。 

这是一个张美丽的钞票。紫色很有吸引力。这是第一张紫色钞票。比起上一张橙色的好得多。作为一张小钞票，它的设计均衡和内容充分。我特别喜欢在钞票反面的“妆艺大游行”。它描绘了独特的新加破华，印和马来族的传统文化，显示出种族和谐的本质，是现代新加坡建立多元种族社会的一个基石。

现在您可在脸书上找到我们。

Singapore Banknotes Ship $10 40-in-1 Uncut Sheet (Part 2)

My first post in this blog was on the Ship $10 40-notes. There has been some interests on this uncut sheet recently and so I'd like to provide more insights into this beautiful piece.

Specifications:
Date of Issue: January 1998
Size: 553 x 702 mm
Signed by Minister for Finance Dr. Hu Tsu Tau.
Special serial no.: D/8x 20x592.
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 matching.
Limited to 1,000 sheets only.

Serial Number Configuration:
This Ship $10 40-notes uncut sheet has 8 rows and 5 columns.
The serial numbers are arranged as follows.

1st Column:       2nd Column     3rd Column    4th Column    5th Column
D/85 200592    D/85 201592    D/85 202         D/85 203        D/85 204
D/86 200592    D/86 201592    D/86 202
D/87 200592    D/87 201592    D/87 202
D/88 200592    D/88 201592    D/88 202
D/89 200592    D/89 201592    D/89 202
D/90 200592    D/90 201592    D/90 202
D/91 200592    D/91 201592    D/91 202
D/92 200592    D/92 201592    D/92 202

Looking at the above, each column contains 8 prefixes, starting from D/85 to D/92. 

The first 3 digits in each column is the same: 
column 1 starts with 200, column 2 -201, column 3- 202, column 4- 203, and column 5- 204. 

The last 3 digits are the same throughout.

Did you realize this serial number arrangement is completely different from the Ship $5 40-notes?

On the front, the $10 note features a barter trading vessel Palari.

The Ship $10 note is very well designed with it's distinctive red colour. The graphics blend in perfectly to make this a good looking note. The embossed print effects of this note on watermarked paper allow you to feel it between your fingers. Visually it has a pop-up effect and it's so much more interesting than the current polymer portrait series which feel completely flat.

On the reverse of the note, a view of public housing and the map of Singapore.

Question: Do you know which other notes bear the theme "Public Housing" and the map of Singapore?

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