Bank notes were used in the Straits Settlements from the 1850s, but these were issued by private banks. It wasn't until 1899 that the first government notes were issued. This page concentrates on the government issues.

The Straits Settlements currency was superceded in 1938 by coins and notes issue by the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Malaya. During the Japanese occupation Japanese Government currency was issued, and by 1948 all Straits Settlements bank notes were withdrawn (although the coins remained legal tender until the end of the 1960s).

As with the coins, Straits Settlements government bank notes left a lasting legacy. Long after the original notes had been withdrawn, Singapore and Malaysia were using the same basic colours and formats for their paper money, i.e. small blue dollar (or Ringgit in Malaysia), slightly larger green 5 dollars, larger red ten dollars, etc..

High values (i.e. 1 dollar or more) were printed on both sides. Smaller values (e.g. 1 cent upwards) were sometimes printed on one side only.

I don't have a definitive list of notes issues by the Straits Settlements government, so I will display the images that I have been able to find. All these images have been sourced from the internet, without regard to image rights. If you object to your image appearing here let me know and I will remove it.

Click on any image to see a full size scan.

1898

1917

1919

1920

1924

1925

1930

1933

1934

1935

Contact me at TimLight99@hotmail.com

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