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20 Cents - Victoria
| Issuer | Straits Settlements |
|---|---|
| Year | 1871-1901 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 23.8 mm |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The numeral '20' in large, horizontally lined relief occupies the centre of the field, enclosed within a beaded circle. The legend STRAITS SETTLEMENTS arcs across the upper periphery, while TWENTY CENTS curves along the lower periphery, with the date positioned to the lower right between the beaded circle and the outer toothed milling border. Raised dots flank the issuer's name at left and right. The overall design is clean and typographic, with the denomination rendered prominently for ease of identification in commerce. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The Straits Settlements operated as a Crown Colony administered by the British India Office until 1867, when control transferred to the Colonial Office in London — a bureaucratic shift that directly prompted the establishment of a proper local coinage series, of which this type is part. The denomination itself was calibrated to the Spanish and Mexican dollar fractions still circulating heavily in the Straits ports, rather than to any British imperial standard.
The .800 fineness was a deliberate downgrade from sterling to discourage melting and export, a chronic problem in Southeast Asian colonial currencies where silver commanded a premium in local trade.