Malayan dollar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The dollar (Engliah, Malay: ringgit, Jawi: ريڠڬيت) was the currency of the British colonies and protectorates in Malaya and Brunei until 1953. It was introduced in 1939, replacing the Straits dollar at par, with 1 dollar = two shillings four pence sterling (60 dollars = 7 pounds).
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[edit] History
The Malayan dollar was issued by the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Malaya, with a hiatus during the Japanese occupation (1942–1945). During this period, paper money was issued in denominations in cents and dollars. This currency was fixed at 1 dollar = 1 Japanese yen, compared to a 1:2 pre-war rate. Following the war, the Japanese occupation currency was declared worthless and the previous issues of the Malayan dollar regained their value relative to sterling.
In 1952 the board was renamed the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Malaya and British Borneo. The Board began issuing banknotes in 1953. See Malaya and British Borneo dollar.
[edit] Coins
Coins were issued between 1939 and 1950 in denominations of ½ and 1 cent (square, bronze), 5, 10 and 20 cents (silver until 1945, cupro-nickel from 1948).
[edit] Banknotes
1, 5 and 10 dollars notes were printed in the U.K. for circulation in Malaya in 1940. However, because a shipload of 1 and 5 dollars notes were captured by German forces, only the 10 dollars were issued. Because of the war in Europe, the Survey Department printed 10 and 25 cents for circulation. These were replaced in 1941 by notes printed by Thomas de la Rue in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents.
During the Japanese occupation, the Japanese government issued notes for 1, 5, 10 and 50 cents, 1, 5 and 10 dollars in 1942, followed by 100 dollars in 1944 and 1000 dollars in 1945. This currency was known colloquially as Banana money, a reference to the bananas shown on the $10 bill, and possibly also a scornful reference to Banana republics.
After the British regained control of Malaya, notes were issued in 1945 (dated 1941), in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 1000 and 10,000 dollars.
| Cent Note | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Value | Main Colour | Description | Date of issue | Printed | ||
| Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | ||||
| blank | 1 cents | purple/orange | King George VI | blank | 1941 | Thomas De La Rue | |
 |
blank | 5 cents | red/green | blank | 1941 | Thomas De La Rue | |
| blank | 10 cents | dark blue/pink/brown | blank | 1940 | Survey Department, | ||
| blank | 10 cents | Blue/pink | blank | 1941 | Thomas De La Rue | ||
| 20 cents | brown/orange | Coat of arms of the Federated Malay States (left), the Straits Settlements (centre top), and the Unfederated Malay States and Brunei (right). | 1940 | Thomas De La Rue | |||
| 25 cents | green/orange | 1941 | Survey Department, | ||||
| 50 cents | purple/orange | 1941 | Thomas De La Rue | ||||
| Malayan Dollar | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Value | Main Colour | Description | Date of issue | ||
| Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | |||
| $1 | green | King George VI | Coat of arms of the Federated Malay States (left), the Straits Settlements (centre top), and the Unfederated Malay States and Brunei (right). | 1940 | ||
 |
$1 | Blue | 1941 | |||
| $5 | blue | 1940 | ||||
| $5 | Green/yellow | 1941 | ||||
| $10 | purple | 1940 | ||||
| $10 | Red | 1941 | ||||
| $50 | Blue/mauve | 1941 | ||||
| $100 | red/green | 1941 | ||||
| $1000 | blue/purple | 1941 | ||||
| $10000 | green/light brown | 1941 | ||||
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Pick, Albert (1996). Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: General Issues to 1960, Colin R. Bruce II and Neil Shafer (editors), 8th ed., Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87341-469-1.
- Krause, Chester L. and Clifford Mishler (2003). 2004 Standard Catalog of World Coins: 1901-Present, Colin R. Bruce II (senior editor), 31st ed., Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87349-593-4.
[edit] External links
- Don's World Coin Gallery - Malaya
- Tables of Modern Monetary Systems by Kurt Schuler - Malaya Mirror site
- The Global History of Currencies - Malaya
- Global Financial Data currency histories table (
Microsoft Excel format)
| Preceded by: Straits dollar Ratio: at par, or 60 dollars = 7 British pounds |
Currency of Straits Settlements, Brunei 1939 – 1942 |
Succeeded by: Banana money Location: present day Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Ratio: at par Note: The Japanese allowed the Malayan dollar to circulate. But they were in practice hoarded as a more reliable store of value. |
| Preceded by: Banana money Location: present day Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Reason: Japan lost World War II Ratio: The occupation currency became worthless. The value of the pre-occupation currency was restored. |
Currency of Straits Settlements September 1945 – March 31, 1946 |
Currency of Malaya, Singapore 1946 – 1953 |
Succeeded by: Malaya and British Borneo dollar Reason: creation of a common Board of Commissioners of Currency Ratio: at par, or 60 dollars = 7 British pounds |
| Currency of Brunei 1945 – 1953 |
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