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5 Dollars
| Issuer | Government of the Straits Settlements |
|---|---|
| Year | 1901-1924 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 119 x 75 mm |
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| Obverse description | Printed in black and purple on plain paper within an elaborate guilloche border, the note incorporates ornamental corner pieces with numeral "5" devices and foliate scroll-work, with the royal arms vignette at upper centre flanked by the issuer's title in bold letterpress. A large red-purple open-lettered "FIVE" underprint spans the centre field, overlaid by the promise-to-pay text, issue date, and two pairs of serial numbers. Multilingual inscriptions appear in Chinese script along the upper panel and in Jawi (Arabic-script Malay) and Tamil along the lower panel, reflecting the colony's linguistic diversity. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed entirely in black on plain paper, the reverse is dominated by a large intaglio vignette of a tiger walking to the left, set within an oval frame surrounded by dense engine-turned guilloche work and floral lathe patterns. Symmetrical rosette medallions occupy the left and right fields, while sinuous ornamental devices anchor the four corners of the central oval surround. The composition is entirely without text, the intricate engine-turned decoration filling the note to its borders. |
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| Comments |
The Straits Settlements — a Crown Colony comprising Singapore, Penang, and Malacca — operated its own currency independently of the broader Malay states throughout this period. These notes were issued under the Currency Ordinance of 1899, which transferred note-issuing authority from the mercantile banks to the colonial government, a move resisted by Chartered Bank and Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation for years before it took effect.
De La Rue's involvement guaranteed consistent security printing across the lengthy 24-year span of this issue. The series is notoriously difficult to find in used grades, as many examples were damaged by the humidity and salt air inherent to the port environment.