Catalog
10 Dollars - Charles Brooke
| Issuer | Government of Sarawak |
|---|---|
| Year | 1880-1903 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Printed in black and grey, the note carries a portrait vignette of Rajah Charles Brooke at the upper left, with a central vignette of Baroness Burdett-Coutts before a sailing vessel at the top centre. The Coat of Arms of Sarawak appears within the design, while the central denomination panel is flanked by inscriptions in Arabic and Chinese script within an ornate frame. Corner cartouches repeat the numeral value. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 10 SARAWAK 10 TEN TEN DOLLARS 10 10 |
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| Comments |
Perkins Bacon had built their reputation on intaglio security printing for colonial administrations across the British Empire, and the Sarawak series reflects that technical pedigree. Charles Brooke, the second White Rajah, assumed rule in 1868 following the death of his uncle James, and this note was issued under his personal authority — not the Crown's, not a chartered bank's. Sarawak was a private raj, and its currency reflected that unusual constitutional position.
The denomination is substantial for the period and the territory. Ten dollars in 1880s Sarawak was not a note that changed hands in the bazaars of Kuching; surviving examples showing genuine circulation wear are uncommon precisely because most transactional business ran on smaller values.