Catalog
1 Ringgit / Dollar - Hassanal Bolkiah 1st portrait
| Issuer | Brunei Currency Board |
|---|---|
| Year | 1970 |
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| Composition | Copper-nickel |
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| Obverse description | Bare-headed right-facing effigy of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah I, wearing a traditional Malay headgear (tanjak) and a military-style uniform with decorations visible at the collar. The portrait is rendered in fine relief at the centre of the field. The circumscribed legend reads 'SULTAN HASSANAL BOLKIAH I' with a raised dot stop at the base. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Brunei's Currency Board was established in 1967 following the country's decision not to join Malaysia, and the 1970 ringgit issues were among the earliest coins to carry Hassanal Bolkiah's portrait after he assumed the sultanate in 1967 at age twenty-one, following his father's abdication. The Currency Interchangeability Agreement signed with Singapore and Malaysia that same year meant these coins circulated alongside Singapore dollars at par — an arrangement with Singapore that remained in force and continues to this day.
The "1st portrait" designation distinguishes this from later effigies; Hassanal Bolkiah's portrait was updated multiple times across subsequent decades as the series continued.