The Republic of Singapore
Singapura / சிங்கப்பூர் / 新加坡
Singapore Mint
Below, I believe, is the first gold coin minted and issued in Singapore by the Singapore Mint. This coin was issued in 1969 to commemorate the 150th year of the founding of Singapore 1819-1969. In 2019, Singapore's central bank, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) released a $20 polymer banknote celebrated the 200th year of the founding of Singapore.
Singapore once belonged to the Sultan of Johor, prior to the arrival of the British governor Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819. Raffles was then granted the right to establish a trading post in Singapore by Sultan Hussein following his return from exile in Riau (now part of Indonesia) and installed as the new Sultan of Johor with the help of Raffles. In 1824, a treaty was signed that led to the control of Singapore by the British. In 1826, Singapore became part of the Straits Settlements. From 1942 to 1945, Singapore was occupied by the Imperial Japanese army during the second world war. Internal self-government was granted in 1955 and in 1963, Singapore merged with Malaya, Sarawak and British Borneo (now Sabah) to form Malaysia. Brunei was also invited to join at that time but decided not to. In 1965, Singapore left Malaysia and became a Republic.
This coin was initially acquired from a goldsmith and for that it was purchased based on gold value then and not as a gold coin collectible item. This coin was given to me as a wedding gift by my late mother many years ago. The condition of this gold coin is still in excellent condition. I believe this coin is not rare.
The design on the front of the coin is the National Coat of Arms of Singapore. It should be noted that this coat of arms has since been altered to show a happy or smiling face, rather than a sad one, as per below. The symbol of the arms showing a lion holding the shield on one side and the tiger doing the same on the other side. On the shield it has the five stars above a crescent. Underneath, it has the banner with the words - Majulah Singapura (Advance Singapore). If you look carefully, the banner represents a sad look. I am not sure when this sad looking Coat of Arms was altered as coins issued right up to 1991 all having the same design. However, in 1992, this was changed and all coins minted since then showing a smiling banner look. Are they really that superstitious? It seems that auspicious dates also played an important part in Singapore as well. The Feng Shui got it to be right, right?
One Hundred and Fifty Dollars
 |
Arms of Singapore
|
Specifications
Fine gold - 0.916
Mintage - 198,000
Diameter - 30.48mm
Weight - 24.88 grams (about 0.8039 of an ounce pure gold)
Designer (obverse) - Christopher Ironside
Date of Release - ???
 |
Lighthouse
|
I believe the lighthouse depicted on the reverse is the Raffles lighthouse. This lighthouse is located on Pulau Satumu (Satumu Island), which is the southernmost island, south of Pawai Island. The island of Satumu is about 14 km south of Singapore's main island. Satumu in Malay means one tree. The foundation stone for this lighthouse was laid in 1854 by the then Governor of the Straits Settlements William John Butterworth (b.1801-1856), and the construction for the lighthouse was completed in 1855. Interesting to know that this is still a working lighthouse and is managed by two lighthouse keepers on a daily 12 hours shift cycle for 10 days and then 10 days off. In another word, at least 4 keepers are employed on rotation every 10 days to work on this lighthouse. The tower stands 29 meters tall and has a range of 12 nautical miles. Well, you can visit this island as well. How good is that? I wonder if they have a restaurant or a bar on the island?,
Unfortunately, I do not have the case or the official certificate for this coin. It would be nice if I had them.
In addition to the above, a proof version of the coins were also released and restricted to 500 sets. One can only assume that this would be a rare item. Value wise, I have no idea, but it will be worth many times above the value of the normal issue.
As mentioned earlier, this coin was minted by the Singapore Mint. The Singapore Mint was established in 1968 and has contractual rights to mint all coins for the government of Singapore. In addition to this, the company also mint coins for foreign entities. Singapore Mint is wholly owned by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the central bank of Singapore.
No comments:
Post a Comment