Sarawak Banknotes

Sarawak dollar was the currency of Sarawak from 1858 to 1953.  The dollar remained at par with the Straits dollar and its successor the Malayan dollar.  Both Sarawak dollar and Malayan dollar were replaced by the Malaya and British Borneo dollar in 1953.

James Brooke 

( 18aug1842 – 11Jun1868 )

 

1862-1863

Charles Brooke

 ( 3Aug1868 – 17May1917 )

1897-1917

Charles Vyner Brooke 

( 24May1917 – 1Jul1946 )

1919

1.7.1919

1929-1940

1940

British Crown Colony

1946-1963

1945 Proof

Sarawak Banknote 1919 $1 No.2

A rare Sarawak $1 note, issued by the then Raj of Sarawak in 1919 when the State was under the Brooke Dynasty, has been bought by a Malaysian collector during a live auction held by London-based Spink & Son behind closed doors in January 2021.

The note was sold for £27,000 , plus a 20% commission to the auctioneer.

The black and white note with a red 'No.2' printed on it, features a portrait of Charles Vyner Brooke, who ruled Sarawak from May 24, 1917 to July 1, 1946 at its top left corner. He was the last ruler or White Rajah, as the rulers of the Brooke Dynasty were then called, before Sarawak came under British control and subsequently joined Malaysia.

Charles was the son of the second Sarawak ruler Charles Brooke, and grand nephew of Sir James Brooke, a British soldier and the first White Rajah who founded the Raj of Sarawak — as the then independent state was known — and ruled it from 1841 to 1868.

The value of the note was printed in three green circular engine turned designs in the centre.

Another feature that stands out on the currency is the allegorical maiden with a beehive and anchor — representing industry and commerce — at the top of the note.

The maiden was modelled after the Baroness Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, a British philanthropist whom King Edward II had reportedly described as "the most remarkable woman in the kingdom", second only to his mother, Queen Victoria. Born on April 21, 1814, Burdett-Coutts was known during her time as 'the richest heiress in England' after she inherited in 1837 her grandfather’s £1.8 million fortune. 

Known as a close friend of Charles Dickens and the Duke of Wellington, she is also remembered in history for her love of James, and the assistance she provided him by gifting him ships, advancing loans, and helping to finance his efforts to stamp out rebellions among the natives in Sarawak during his rule. 

James was made the first Rajah of Sarawak in 1841 by the Sultan of Brunei, who ceded the sovereignty of the State to James in return for his help in restoring him to his throne during a period of political turmoil. The Brooke Dynasty ruled Sarawak till 1946.

Other distinct features of the note include the coat of arms for Sarawak under the Brookes' rule at the top right, and the printed signatures of the then Accountant of Sarawak Joseph P Reutens at the bottom left, and of the then Sarawak Government Treasurer George C Gillan on the bottom right.

Malaya Old Currency : 1845-1926 Straits Dollar ( King George V )

Brief History

The Straits Settlements were established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, which was based in Calcutta, India.

The Straits Settlements originally consisted of the three individual settlements of Malacca, Prince of Wales Island ( now Penang Island ) with the Province Wellesley ( now Seberang Perai ), and Singapore.

On the 1^st April 1867 the Settlements became a British Crown colony, making the Settlements answerable directly to the Colonial Office in London.

The following territories were temporary incorporated in the Straits Settlement : Dinding ( 1874 -1935 ), Christmas Island ( 1900 – 1958 ), Cocos Island ( 1903 – 1955 ), and Labuan ( 1907 – 1946 ).

On the 1^st April 1946, Straits Settlement was dissolved.

Coinage History

In the early 19^th century, the most common currency used in the East Indies was the Spanish dollar, including issues both from Spain and from the new world Spanish colonies, most significantly Mexico. Locally issued coinages included the Kelantan and Trengganu keping, and the Penang dollar.

In 1837, the Indian rupee was made the sole official currency in the Straits Settlements, as it was administered as part of India. However, Spanish dollars continued to circulate and 1845 saw the introduction of coinage for the Straits Settlements using a system of 100 cents = 1 dollar.   

In 1867, administration of the Straits Settlements was separated from India and the dollar was made the standard currency.

King George V

“George V, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India”

“George V, Dei Gratia Britanniarum et terrarum transmarinarum quae in ditione sunt Britannica Rex, Fidei Defensor, Indiae Imperator”

George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 20 January 1936.

 

Year Minted	Value	Metal	Weight	Diameter
1916	¼c	Bronze	2.33g	18.0mm
1916	½c	Bronze	4.66g	23.0mm
1932	½c	Bronze	2.91g	18.5mm
1919-1926	1c	Bronze	5.85g	21.5mm
1918-1920	5c	Silver 0.4	1.36g	16.0mm
1920	5c	Co-ni	4.0g	20.0mm
1926-1935	5c	Silver 0.6	1.35g	16.0mm
1916-1927	10c	Silver 0.6	2.71g	18.0mm
1918-1920	10c	Silver 0.4	2.71g	18.0mm
1926-1927	10c	Silver 0.6	2.71g	18.0mm
1916-1917	20c	Silver 0.6	5.43g	23.8mm
1919	20c	Silver 0.4	5.43g	23.8mm
1926-1935	20c	Silver 0.6	5.43g	23.8mm
1920-1921	50c	Silver 0.5	8.42g	28.5mm
1919-1926	$1	Silver 0.5	16.85g	34.1mm

	¼¢	½¢	1¢	5¢		10¢	20¢	50¢	$1
1916
1917
1918
1919
1920
1921
1926
1927						√
1932
1935