Singapore Paper Money

What You Must Know Before Collecting Singapore's Paper Money

If you're a collector of old money, you have probably found plenty of nations whose currency has too little variety to be interesting or has so much variety that it becomes impossible to study. Singapore's old notes solve that problem; it is a young nation but has had plenty of patterns on its paper money over the years, which boosts the collector value of old notes and coins from Singapore. eBay is home to a variety of Singapore's paper notes.

Singapore has released banknotes in four different series. Each one has a different theme. If you want to start a themed collection, you may want to look through each series so you can build that collection around your favorite.

• The Orchid Series is the oldest. Singapore issued these banknotes from 1967 to 1976. They all feature Singapore's national flower, the orchid, along with a scene from the city.
• The Bird Series followed the Orchid Series and remained in use until 1984. You can identify them by the bird on the obverse side, whose species varies by denomination.
• The Ship series is the third to be released and lasted until 1999. The series honors Singapore's maritime heritage by displaying ships, with older models on lower denominations.
• The Portrait series began in 1999 and remains in use. They show a portrait of Singapore's first president.

Some of Singapore's old money has value to collectors because it commemorates specific events. Those banknotes commemorate specific anniversaries for the county. There are only a few of them, which makes it easy for you to collect them all or use them as an addition to a different collection. The 50-year anniversary designs stand out from the others because there are five similar designs with just enough unique features to make for an interesting set.

Banknotes see a lot of wear and tear when they are in circulation. You need to look at their condition to determine an old banknote's value to your collection. Look for notes that have sharp corners and few, if any, creases or folds. The paper should be crisp and clean without any signs of damage. If you're having trouble assessing a note, look for uncirculated (UNC) notes or for notes that have already been graded. Affordable notes will likely be in used condition, while newer notes will often cost more.