1000 Dollars

The Board of Commissioners of Currency was established in 1967 when Singapore and Malaysia ended their currency union, and the Orchid series — of which this is the top denomination — was the new nation's first fully independent issue. A $1,000 note at that level implied institutional confidence in Singapore's financial stability at a time when that confidence was anything but guaranteed internationally.

Thomas De La Rue printed the entire Orchid series, and the relationship reflected Singapore's deliberate alignment with British-standard security printing infrastructure during those early years. The watermark remains the primary security feature — modest by later standards, but consistent with De La Rue practice of the period.