Straits Settlements Banknotes - Coin Community Forum

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 3 / Views: 2,409
cerava New Member United Kingdom 4 Posts	Posted 09/26/2015 11:50 am I have been collecting mid-grade Straits Settlements and Sarawak coinage for several years now as they are relatively affordable despite the astronomical price rise for the EF+/AU/MS specimens. I recently read Frank Goon's book about Malaysian/Singaporean/Borneo and it's pre-independence incarnation banknotes and became intrigued by the paper money. Lo and behold, I referred to several catalogues and visited many dealers only to find all of the banknotes - even in rather tatty condition - to be selling at astronomical prices. To make it even worse, the local auction houses seem to place their opening bids really close to catalog prices. It seems that everywhere I look, these notes and modern "solid number" banknotes can literally go over a 1000% premium over their face value. Are these notes truly scarce, or as I suspect - a game where everyone has been caught up in Tulip Mania where speculation reigns supreme? It's a shame that as I was getting intrigued by our banknote heritage, I've been largely put off by the speculative behaviour of the majority of dealers and senior numismatists in my country. I was wondering if I should just begin collecting them slowly (if they are truly scarce) or will the bubble burst as it did with stamps in the 70s? Report this Post to the Staff

agandau Valued Member Australia 193 Posts	Posted 09/27/2015 05:26 am I expect it is another incarnation of Tulip mania. Given the geographical aspect, it could be one of the many Chinese fads that sweep through in various areas these days. If you think it is a craze, then selling your collection now may be a timely opportunity. Some years ago Japanese collectors were big on collecting the Japanese invasion money issued during WW II for some South East Asian conquests. I think its popularity has faded somewhat in recent years and that may give you some hope that in future your desirable Sarawak coins and notes may also become less fashionable in time. Report this Post to the Staff
nalaberong Pillar of the Community Canada 2805 Posts	Posted 09/27/2015 4:12 pm Hey, here's a vaguely related fun fact that I heard somewhere: during the Great Depression, thousands of Straits Settlements 20-cent coins were shipped to Calgary, where they entered circulation and passed as Canadian 25-cent coins due to similarity in size and design. Because the Straits Settlements coins were only made of .400 or .600 fine silver (compared to Canada's .800 fine coins), this led to large profits. I never knew about this, but apparently all the coin stores around here are always finding lots of Straits 20-cent coins in peoples' collections (but few coins in any other denomination). Report this Post to the Staff
alphaNumis New Member 5 Posts	Posted 10/16/2015 09:59 am * Edited by Staff - Please review the rules that you agreed to when you registered. * Edited by alphaNumis 10/16/2015 10:07 am Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 3 / Views: 2,409

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: World Coins and Currency Forums Forum: World Paper Money and Banknotes

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

View Last 100 New Topics

View Last 100 Active Topics

Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.21 seconds to rattle this change.