Posted 10/11/2009 12:43 am
"Malaya" at the time was not a single country, but nominally comprised of several different countries, all theoretically independent of each other but all having some kind of tie to Britain. The Straits Settlements (Singapore, Malacca and Penang) was administered as a single British colony, the Federated Malay States (Selangor, Perak, Sembilan and Pahang) was a unified British protectorate where the local princes had largely surrendered their powers, and the "Unfederated Malay States" (Johor, Terengganu, Kelantan, Perlis and Kedah) which were all more or less autonomous British protectorates with the local prices still theoretically in charge.
Back when "Straits Settlements" coins were issued, the other Malay states sometimes issued their own coins, and sometimes just used Straits coins. In order to simplify things and provide a single unified currency for all of these nations, a Board of Commissioners of Currency was set up, with the administrators or their representatives from all the different member-states participating (much as the various countries of Europe all have a say in the European Central Bank which issues the euro coins and notes).
After the war, the British created the Malayan Union to bring about political unity to the peninsula, though internally the old divisions remained in place, and the Board of Commissioners continued to serve as the currency issuer, with it's membership expanded to cover the British protectorates and territories in northern Borneo.
Back when "Straits Settlements" coins were issued, the other Malay states sometimes issued their own coins, and sometimes just used Straits coins. In order to simplify things and provide a single unified currency for all of these nations, a Board of Commissioners of Currency was set up, with the administrators or their representatives from all the different member-states participating (much as the various countries of Europe all have a say in the European Central Bank which issues the euro coins and notes).
After the war, the British created the Malayan Union to bring about political unity to the peninsula, though internally the old divisions remained in place, and the Board of Commissioners continued to serve as the currency issuer, with it's membership expanded to cover the British protectorates and territories in northern Borneo.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
