Be Better Guys: October 2008

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one rupee British India King George V 1918 silver coin

My collection is more on silver coin and straits settlements coin. One of them is this one rupee British India King George V 1918 silver coin. I bought this coin this year in penang. I don't know much about this coin until I Google it recently. This coin history making them more interesting.

This indian rupee is also called "pig rupee". Why? The first year of issue (1911) has an elephant on the Kings robe that was considered to resemble a pig, thus the variety is known as the "pig rupee" (Type I). This variant is also on the 1/2 Rupee, the 1/4 Rupee, the 2 Annas and the 1/4 Anna coins. The elephant figure was redesigned (Type II) and this design was used on all issues starting in 1912.

Mine is aType II with a new design of elephant and mint in bombay. The Rupee was minted in both Calcutta and Bombay. There is no mint mark for Calcutta. The Bombay issues have a small dot on the reverse under the ornate near the bottom of the coin (see illustration).

You can read more about this coin story from this website i found via google:
http://jfcampbell.us/india/george5/george5.htm

Netherlands indies coin: First coinage

one of my hobby is looking for an old coin. Some of them you can buy at a cheap price as long as you know where to look. I bought this coin in penang this year. The condition of this Netherlands indies coin: First coinage ain't very good but still a good collection for me.

The Netherlands Indies is a group of four large and some 3,000 small islands between southeast Asia and Australia. The home of earlier Buddhist and Hindu cultures, it became Islamic after the 12th century and was taken over by the Dutch in the 17th century. Following Japanese occupation during World War II, it became the independent republic of Indonesia in 1945. Capital: Batavia (now Jakarta).

Monetary System
100 cents (sen) = 1 gulden (roepiah)

Source:
A Catalog of Modern World Coins 1850-1964 by R.S Yeoman

You need extra money right? Check your coin.

You must have many coins in your piggy bank. Some put them in there to use in rainy day. While some just want to bank in them later. Please don't do any of the above before you check that coin. Your coin maybe will help you add up a bit of your money.

This is about Malaysia coin only. If not I need to write a few thousand pages for every coin in the world. Anyway, the concept is almost the same for any coin but please check standard catalogue for your country first.

If you got 1 sen coin, please feel free to check for year 1968 and 1970. This is because the mintage for 1968 is only 10,500,000 and the price for UNC is around RM20 per piece. The mintage for 1970 is 2,535,000 and the price for UNC is around RM50. For year 1976, you need to check for bronze variety. It is extremly rare but totally worth it because the price is around RM800 per piece for UNC. For 1979, you need to check for nickel variety because the price for UNC is RM3,100. A rare item that only a few lucky person can find this.

If you got 5 sen coin, feel free to check for year 1971 (mintage 16,657,712; UNC price=RM6),
1977 (mintage 10,609,162; UNC price=RM6) &
1982 (with extra "dot" on parliment house; UNC price=RM140).

For 10 sen, please don't ever missed 1971 coin because the mintage is only 32,326 and the price for UNC is around RM120.

If you got 20 sen coin, please check for year
1970 (mintage 1,054,000; UNC price=RM22),
1971 (mintage 9,958,000; UNC price=RM10),
1978 (mintage 6,847,000; UNC price=RM12) &
1994 (mintage 2,680,339; UNC price=RM45).

If you got 50 sen coin, please check for year
1969 (mintage 2,000,000; UNC price=RM150),
1979 (extra dot; UNC price=RM150), &
1995 (mintage 1,650,423; UNC price=RM20).
Don't forget to check for security thread for 1967, 1968 & 1969. The coin without the security thread is price around RM1,000 for UNC.

Next time when you want to used that 50 sen coin, 20 sen or 10 sen coin, please check the year it been minted first. If you don't know where to sale your item or how much the value of your item. Feel free to e-mail me with the real picture of your item.

The Brookes of Sarawak.

Do you know, Sarawak is the only states in Malaysia ruled by a British family; the Brookes, for over a century. The Brookes also minted and issued their own coin and banknote. Long before the present stateborders were drawn, for hundreds of years the land was under the domain of the powerful Sultans of Brunei. The enterprising traveler and trader James Brooke became friends with the Sultan of Brunei and after helping the latter put down a local rebellion, obtained a piece of land from Sultan as a reward. That piece of land was roughly the size of the present 1st division of Sarawak, and from 1841 onwards, when James Brooke became the 1st Rajah of Sarawak, the size of the country gradually became augmented as the power of Brunei diminished.

The second Rajah, Charles, brought up among the Dayak people, was possibly the most popular and also the most extraordinary of all the Brookes. Rajah Charles set out to bring peace to the country, settling disputes between tribes, forbidding the traditional practice of headhunting and banning slavery and human sacrifice. His reign was long, ending in 1917. By the time of his death, many of his ambitions for the country had been realized.

The third Rajah, Vyner Charles, is shrouded in mystery and little is known of him. His short reign was abruptly brought to an end when the Japanese occupied Malaysia during World War II. After the occupation, the Rajah ceded the state to the British Government, who held until Sarawak joined Malaysia in 1963.

Source: Malaysia by MPH Publishing

You need extra money? check your banknote2.

This is an update from my previous posting You need extra money? check your banknote. This price is from a standard catalogue of Malaysia Singapore Brunei 18th edition book by Steven tan. You can check How much Malaysia ringgit denomination series current value price.

For 5 ringgit denomination, there is no replacement note price guide in the catalogue. Below is the price for the 1 ringgit denomination signed by Tan Sri Dato' Seri Ali Abul Hassan.

I hope this price guide can help you start your banknote collection. Happy hunting.

Straits Settlements flag.

I am a fan of straits settlement coin. Been hunting for this coin since I start collecting. Many of you maybe own a straits settlements coin with Queen Victoria (1837 - 1901), King Edward VII (1901 - 1910), King George V (1910 - 1936) or King George VI (1936 - 1952) face. Most of the coin is made from silver thus making it a good collection for investment. Have you ever see straits settlements flag?

I browse for wikipedia and find straits settlements flag by Himasaram . Straits Settlements or Negeri-Negeri Selat is establish in 1826 until 1946 after the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, by which the Malay archipelago was divided into a British zone in the north and a Dutch zone in the south.

most of the picture I found is a drawing not original flag from that time. If any of you found any original flac picture please do share them with me.

You can read more about the flag description here:
http://flagspot.net/flags/my-str.html#des

You can read about Straits Settlements history in here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straits_Settlement

Learn Banknote Grading via this Banknote Grading Picture

It is very hard to do grading for your banknote if you're newbie's in this hobby. You cannot simply read books and understand what people write about banknote grading. You will only understand grading after many years of collecting and looking and touch so many banknotes in your possession. This pictures in here is just a simple guide to show you, how banknote grading looklike.

Uncirculated: Uncirculated or mint condition. No fold. May have slight sign of counting mark. 100%. As you can see on this 1 cent banknote-King George-Board of Commissioners of Currency Malaya; the notes don't have any fold and looklike new.

Extremely Fine: Near uncirculated condition. Slight sign or wear and light folds. One or two corners show sign of wear 85%. As you can see on this $1 dollar banknote-Queen Elizabeth-Board of Commissioners of Currency Malaya and British Borneo; it have a light fold on bottom right corner.

Very Fine: With sign of wear and folds, slight wrinkles or traces of dirt. All edges perfect. Corners slightly rounded. 65%. As you can see on this $5 dollar banknote-Queen Elizabeth-Board of Commissioners of Currency Malaya and British Borneo; it have some wrinkles and dirt traces.

Fine: Considerably worn and circulated. Creased folds, wrinkles and dirt, minor tear. 50%. As you can see on this 50 cent banknote-King George-Board of Commissioners of Currency Malaya; It have some minor tear on the middle but the overall design still can be seen.

Very Good: Obvious damage and dirt. Heavily soiled with edges and torn but the overall design still visible (35%). As you can see on this 25 cent banknote-King George-Board of Commissioners of Currency Malaya; The banknotes obviously damaged and torn.

My grading may not be accurate to some collector, you can share it here if you think what I am giving in here not that good. Some people don't mind to collect banknote below then fine condition. I suggest collect for at least Very Fine Condition if you cannot afford Uncirculated condition. It will be easy for you to sell them later on after you upgrade your collection. Wish what you read here will help you enjoy Banknote collecting.

Spanish Coin: Pillar Dollars

On My trip to Kota Kinabalu recently, I bought this silver coin from one of the coin trader there. I try to google any information on this coin that i can read and I found this article about this item. This is a spanish coin from mexico which were popularly known as'Pillar Dollars'' (from the design) or ''Pieces of Eight'' (from the practice of cutting them in pieces to make change), most often in quarters (two reales), from which we get the expression ''two bits.''

On the obverse, the two hemispheres of the earth represent the Old and New Worlds, with waves below to represent the sea that divided the Old and New Worlds. The Pillars of Hercules represent the Strait of Gibraltar, Spain's gateway to the new world, and the crowns show Spain's power over both the Old and New worlds. The banners on the Pillars show the motto PLUS VLTRA, ''more beyond,'' a reference to the discovery of the New World. At the top is the legend VTRAQUE VNUM, '''both are one,'' an expression of Spain's oneness with its colonies, with the date and mintmarks at the bottom.

On the reverse is the crowned Spanish Royal family's coat of arms, with the castle representing Castile, the lion representing Leon, and the fleur de lis representing the Bourbon dynasty. On the left are the assayer's initials, with the denomination on the right. The legend PHILIP V D G HISPAN ET IND REX, stands for ''Philip V, by the grace of God, king of Spain and the Indies.''

I found this info via Google from this website:
mysite.verizon.net/vzeqg1oh/priv-hjd.htm

You need extra money? check your banknote.

Do you know, some of your current banknote got value that can exceed 200 times then its face value? Have you ever check your banknote before you use them? Do you want to know?

The easiest banknote that can give you extra profit is by finding a replacement note. Current Replacement note is very easy to find and not very hard to spot. Check for serial number beginning from the letter "Z". Its either ZA, ZB or ZC and almost all Malaysia denomination is using the same serial letter "Z" for replacement. Replacement note is banknote that been issued to replace your torn banknote.

The most profitable and hard to find banknote is RM1 denomination banknote that been signed by Tan Sri Dato' Seri Ali Abul Hassan. Make sure if you received any RM1 denomination, please check the signature. The RM1 banknote you see here is signed by Tan Sri Dato' Sri Dr. Zeti Abdul Aziz. The value of the RM1 signed by Tan Sri Ali Abul Hassan can exceed a value of RM500.00 a piece for Uncirculated condition. I know a friend who got lucky and have 200 pieces of this banknote in Uncirculated condition. I don't think he will sell this item until he can get RM1000.00 a piece for the price.

If you ever get your hand on this banknote, please don't put them in your wallet or in your pocket. The banknote may get folded and have sign of wear on them. This will decrease the value of your banknote. Ensure that the surface that you put your banknote is clean and free from liquid and dust. Enjoy your banknote hunting.

I have update about this at: You need extra money? check your banknote2.

Wisma Merdeka, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Another good place to look for banknote and coin in Kota Kinabalu is in Wisma Merdeka. This Place is just near Hyatt Hotel and not so far from Gaya Street Tamu. If you already arrived in Kota Kinabalu Town, Just asked local there where is Wisma Merdeka.

There are two shop selling banknote, coin and antique in Wisma Merdeka now. Last time, there are about five of them. This two shops is on second floor near a shop selling Kenwood speaker. Both seller is nice and friendly guy. They have many collection of British Borneo and Rajah banknote and coin series. Both shops also have a big collection of antique from song and ming dynasty.

Why I don't publish their shop picture in here? You need to go to their shop yourself. If you an antique lover like me, you will understand.

Malaysia Banknote Watermark

One day a friend e-mail me and asked if I have any old Malaysian banknote with Yang Dipertuan Agong Watermark. Do you know what is watermark? Where to find this watermark on your banknote?

Watermark is one of the security feature for banknotes. You can find watermark for Malaysia banknote on the left side of your banknote. Try to look at your banknote thru a bit of light. I think most of you already know this feature in your banknote but don't really sure what it is called.

How about the Yang Dipertuan Agong watermark? Malaysia banknote starting from 1st until 4th series banknote is using tiger watermark for all denomination. Yang Dipertuan Agong Watermark is for 5th until the current issued Malaysia banknote.

I already told that friend regarding this. When I asked him why he want to find old Malaysia Banknote with Yang Dipertuan Agong face, I never received a reply. For me, 24 years old banknote is still consider new and you can easily find this banknote in any local banknote dealers in Malaysia.

Learn grading your banknote and coin

Uncirculated (UNC), extremely fine (EF), very fine (VF), fine(F) and very good (VG) is some of the term used for banknote and coin. This is called grading, a subjective issue since no machine has been built to do them.

How to learn grading your banknote and coin? Do you know your banknote and coin grade? Reading is the easy way but you will not understand 100% about the grading. You need someone to guide you and teach about grading.

The best way is to find any local numismatic society and join them. Most of them willing to teach you about grading technique. Another way is to find a reputable coin and banknote seller and buy their banknote from very good condition until uncirculated condition. Asked them to teach you a little bit about grading. Make sure they have time to teach you.

If you need to read more about grading, you can try buying a book by KN Boon. His books can help you understand grading the simple way. Standard Catalogue by Steven Tan also a good books for grading and a must for Malaysia, Singapore or Brunei collectors.

Maybank2u new face lift.

Today Malaysia online bank Maybank2u.com changes their faces after so many years. The page is less yellow then the old one, thank god. Hope this new faces will stay like that because I cannot stand yellow color. I also never see any banknote with yellow color.

Maybank2u.com is the 1st choice for all Malaysian to do their online transaction because of it security features. I am also a maybank2u.com supporter since my early day doing business in www.lelong.com.my. For Maybank2u.com customer who still wandering to log in, the log in button is on the upper right corner. There is a choice of online banking, personal banking and business banking.

Since when Maybank2u.com exist I not remember but I think they are the 1st Malaysian Bank who give online banking for Malaysian. If any of you remember since when Malaysia 1st online bank Maybank2u.com exist, please share them here.

http://www.maybank2u.com.my/

Gaya Street Tamu-5 october 2008

I went to Gaya Street Tamu again on 5 october 2008. I saw another seller beside uncle Lim who sales mostly First Day Cover and Stamp. He also sale banknote and coin. Some of his banknote and coin is not on display maybe because many people is around that Tamu and he afraid if his collection got stolen. If you want to buy, I think you need to asked if he got any banknote and coin for sale.

At the back of his picture you can see a little girl looking and picking First Day Cover and Stamp. For me this is a good indication that teenager nowadays still do collecting as a hobby. I don't have time to browse his collection that day because it already at 10am and he seem to be busy wuth his other customer. Maybe will be coming to this Tamu next time and look for him.

People tell me that this is Cikgu Chong. The only problem when dealing with him, is that he don't understand other language then Chinese. Other people need to help you telling him what you need. He have some collection for sale but you need to tell him that you want to buy banknote and coins. Most of the collection is not on display. He keep the collection in a plastic box most of the time.

Being a Virgin: The Secret to Long Life

Meet the oldest virgin - Clara Meadmor who has just celebrated her 105th birthday last week. According to her, NO SEX is the secret of her long life. She further tells newspapers that from the young age of 12, she knew that she will never be married thus, concentrated and consumed all her life working. Ms. Meadmor never had sex because she was too busy earning a living. Some even questioned her sexual preference.

"People have asked whether I am a homosexual and the answer is no. I have just never been interested in or fancied having sex," Clara said.
"I imagine there is a lot of hassle involved and I have always been busy doing other things.
"I've never had a boyfriend - I've never been bothered about relationships. When I was a girl you only had sex with your husband and I never married.
"I've always had lots of platonic friendships with men but never felt the need to go further than that or marry.

"I made my mind up at the age of 12 never to marry and I've not gone back on that."
But Clara was never a girl short of marriage proposals and despite "offers" she turned them all down.
"I grew up in an era where little girls were to be seen and not heard so I had to learn to stand up for myself and earn my own living," she said.
"Some men don't like that in a woman and before long I was too old to marry anyway."
Instead of looking after a husband, Clara took up reading, gardening, walking, cooking and listening to Radio 4's Woman's Hour.

young Clara in the 1930s

Gaya Street Tamu-28 september 2008

I am on holiday in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah from 27 september 2008 until 12 October 2008. Kota Kinabalu is a best place to go holiday if you a looking for a white sandy beaches and beautiful craft. Kota Kinabalu also a great place for Borneo banknote and coin collector. The important thing is you need to have a good bargaining skill.

28 September 2008, I went to Kota Kinabalu tamu@pasar minggu in Gaya street. It is situated in town, near to state library. Gaya street tamu open once a week on Sunday from 6am until 12pm. If you want to buy your banknote and coin cheap, you need to wake up early and be there at 8am.

Gaya Street Tamu sell many things that produce locally. Most of the items sell here is crafts, food, pets and flowers. Sea shells collecting is a new hobbies that just start booming in Sabah in the last 5 years. This seller sale many sea shells that I never saw anywhere before. I don't know if sea shell collecting is illegal in Malaysia, I don't collect them.

If you want to find a banknote and coin seller in Gaya street Tamu. They're only two frequent sellers in here. One is a Bajau ethnic uncle who is selling Gong, parang, kulintangan and many Sabah musical instruments. You need to listen carefully and find a local music sound, that will be him since he is the only one who sell them. I cannot find him though. Maybe because he is on holiday for a hari raya aidilfitri preparation.

Another one is Uncle Lim a Chinese who sell many stone and other crafts. Most of his banknote and coin already sold out a few months before. I bought 3 RM20 Malaysia ringgit denomination at a cheap price. Will auction them in lelong when I go back to port klang.

Both of this sellers, you need to bargain for a good price. The easy thing to do is to buy their item in bulk. Make sure you asked for the price of one item 1st and asked for discount. After that, add another item and asked for discount again. The price will be lower each time you add one item. This method will not be useful if you are going there after 8am. When both of them already have many customers. The best thing to do is to come early to make sure you're their 1st customer.

How to test for silver?

Yesterday, a friend of mine asking me how I test my coin for silver or fake silver? Many newbies and collector doesn't know there a special kits for testing your coin and silver. You can easily found them in ebay and the price is around $40 US dollar. Just type silver acid test in search and you can find people who sale them.

You need to file the item using include clip on the coin surface where it cannot be seen. Just put the acid on the coin surface. The acid color will change and you can determine if it is fake or not. Just Follow instruction on the bottle and you will be OK.

Another old method I am using is magnet. Just put your magnet on the coin and if they stick to them, it is 100% fake. Silver cannot be a magnetic.

Mini Chicken Salad Croissants

PREP: 20 min. + chilling
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Great for a cookout or other get-together,
this popular chicken salad could also be
served on lettuce or on a slice of cantaloupe
or honeydew melon. When there are kids in
the crowd, I often substitute halved red seedless
grapes for the peppers.”

1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
4 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
20 lettuce leaves
20 miniature croissants, split

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream,
mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, combine the chicken, celery,
mushrooms and peppers; stir in sour
cream mixture until combined. Cover and
refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Just before serving, stir in the bacon
and pecans. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken salad
onto each lettuce-lined croissant