Sasana Kijang Bank Negara

I visited Sasana Kijang Bank Negara on the same day as the Malaysia Numismatic Auction no.149 on 25 September 2011. Sasana Kijang located at Jalan Dato Onn, Kuala Lumpur, just beside Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) headquarters. For address, maps and complete information about its location, you can read my post; Sasana Kijang location. This post is a series of posts about the new BNM building. Thank you to BNM for their generosity on providing information relating to numismatic with the new Numismatic gallery. In my visit that day only a small crowd are coming to visit that museum. Maybe because not many people know about the new place.

When I drive to Sasana Kijang, I don't see any road signboard that can provide information for that place location. It will be hard for people who don't really familiar with Kuala Lumpur road but the easy way is to find Memorial Tun Hussien Onn, the building is just beside that memorial. If you parked on LG4, the lifts will bring you straight to lobby. The lift to the visiting floors a little bit weird for me. I can only see the letter "G" and only realized that it is a lift when I saw people coming out from that thing. They're four floor for visitor but currently the first floor still not finish yet.

On the Ground Floor, you can find Cafe and Gift Shop. This is the last place I visit that day but a must visit for every visitor. The cafe look exclusive but the food price are cheaper then 3 star hotel with a 5 star hotel food. The sardine curry puff in the picture make me want to visit Sasana Kijang again. On that day, I buy this curry puff twice for take away because of the delicious taste that I cannot find in other place. The price is only RM2 a piece. When you visit this place, Please don't forget try eating in their cafe. Thank you for the cheap but delicious food BNM.

In the gift shop, you can buy gift related to numismatic and also T-Shirt, Necklaces, bracelets, bookmark. You also get to view gold leaf banknotes on display in the shop. Some of the Numismatic item you can buy include Malaysia new 3rd series coins commemorative folder, Malaysia 2nd series coins, Sukan Komanwel 98 commemorative banknote, "Malaysia Numismatic Heritage" book and "Kedah & Perlis Currency Heritage" book. They're also some books related to painting/batik and painting collection of BNM. I suggest this shop sell Steven Tan catalog in the future, to help non collector buying books related to Malaysia numismatic.

The "Galeri Numismatik" is located on the second floor of the visitor building. The gallery is a little bit dark maybe to conserve daily energy used and to help you look at the collections better. You will be greeted by BNM Barter Trade game once you enter the starting gate. Its need two persons to play the game and it teach you how hard it is to do barter trade instead of exchange money. Nobody in the gallery during my visit that day. I try to play the game alone but I then realized this is not what I am coming for. They display their collections according to the earliest coinage in Malaysia history. You get to see the vast collection of early Malay coinage from Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah, Perak, Melaka and also Sabah (British North Borneo) & Sarawak coins. Most of their Malay Sultanate collection are something that I never seen before in my life. Read More.

Please wait for my other posts about the new BNM Complex. You can also view more pictures related to this post at Malaysia Coin Facebook page.

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No issue Malaysia coins

A friend of mine asked me to find a 20 sen 2003 to complete her collections. She even offer RM100 for a piece of that coin, if you can find it. Many newbies who are looking to complete their collection don't know that they're some years Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) don't issue any coins for certain denominations. If you find someone selling that particular coins, it most probably a fake or replica, just to satisfy collector desire for that coins. Some of the coins also sold by Mistik Website/blog for a very high price. Here are the list of coins not issued by BNM.

No issue Malaysia coins (Duit tiada keluaran):

1 sen:
Year (1969, 1972, 1974 & 1975). Last known mintage 2007.

5 sen:
Year (1969, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1983, 1984 & 1986).

10 sen:
Year (1969, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1984, 1985, 1986 & 1987).

20 sen:
Year (1972, 1974, 1975, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2003).

50 sen:
Year (1970, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976 & 2006).

One ringgit:

Year (1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1987 & 1988). RM1 no more legal tender from 7 December 2005.

BNM don't mint coins for that years because there is no coins shortage for that particular denominations in circulation. For some years, BNM minted over 100 millions pieces coins a year and the next year, they don't mint a new coins. It will be easy for you to understand about collecting if you bought a book. There is a small book by Peter Eu & Ben Chiew sold for RM25 that can help you learn a little bit about Malaysia coins and banknotes.

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Coin Collection Manager 1.0

Do you remember Banknote Collection software that I share with you a few months back? The software creator, Abhisoft has released a new software for coin collection; Coin Collection Manager 1.0. Coin Collection Manager is a professional application designed for people who have a hobby of collecting coins. Easily catalog your coins collection by storing detailed information about each coin with images. You can also take print outs of your collection, and even export to HTML, PDF or CSV format. The software price is just $15 per license.

Features

• Store your Coin Collection Details with Images
• Large Capacity - You can store thousands of coins
• Summary - Quickly view information about a selected coin
• Printing - Take a print out of your collection
• Export - Easily export your collection to HTML, PDF or CSV format
• Image Preview - Quickly preview the image of selected coin
• Zoom - View the image of coin in actual size
• Search - Easily search your collection
• Valuation - Shows the total money you spend on your collection along with its current value
• Free Life Time Updates - Buy once and get all future versions for free
• System Requirements: Windows XP, Vista, 7

What details you can keep in Coin Collection Manager 1.0:

You can keep details such as Currency name, Denomination, Country, Year, Series, Material, Grade, Purchased Price and where do you purchased the notes from.

You can buy this software at abhisoft.net.

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How to calculate gold coin price?

One of my readers favourite question is How much is my gold coin worth? I had been thinking about writing this post; How to calculate gold coin price? for over 3 months. It's not easy to find the right calculation for the estimate value of gold coins. Most of the time, the value worth more then the bullion price. But the easy way to calculate the value of your gold coins is by looking at the gold bullion price. This calculation can also be used for Silver Coin price. Thanks to my friend Wilson@Willy Chow for the tips and calculation formula. Hopefully this can help all Malaysian collectors who had been asking about Malaysia and Singapore gold coins.

Gold Silver price calculator

‎(current gold/silver price (per ounce) × 0.03215) × ( coin weight × gold/silver content) = coin silver value in US$

For example:
Tunku gold coin
(1820.80 x 0.03215) x (18.66 x 0.917) = US$1001.67 = RM3085.00

150th anniversary of Singapore gold coin.
(1820.80 x 0.03215) x (24.88 x 0.916) = US$1333.79 = RM4,028.98


Current Gold Price per ounce:


(If the chart cannot be viewed, you can go to Kitco.com)


Current Silver Price per ounce:



(If the chart cannot be viewed, you can go to Kitco.com)

For Free Currency Converter, you can try these website:
http://business.westernunion.com/currency-converter/

Please remember, this calculation is only for the bullion spot value. You must take into consideration the coin mintage, condition, type, age and also its rarity. For Malaysia gold coins market, this calculation give the "almost accurate" price for gold coins. Please give comment if you have any idea on this matters. This post meant to help collector who own a gold coin to calculate their estimate Gold/Silver Coins Value.

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Excavator driver can get historic artifacts

One of my Penang sifu always told me, try to be a friend to a excavator driver because excavator driver can get historic artifacts easily. Depends on where they were digging, they can find bowls, wine pots, jars, ceramic items, ancient coins, wine bottles, inking pots, opium pipes and etc. When I am in Penang, I always get old Penang coins (Straits Settlements, Malaya & British Borneo, some token) from excavator driver. A news by Guang Ming Daily last week bring back the old memories. I can easily get old coins in Penang because they're many ways to get them (beside buying).

Guang Ming Daily share a story of 58 year-old Dong Yong who loves collecting artifacts. He has been uncovering a great number of ancient artifacts with rich historical value. Working as an excavator driver over the years has not only provided Dong Yong with the source of livelihood but the job has also landed him a lot of ancient artifacts, he told Guang Ming Daily.

“I managed to dig up some bowls and plates with floral and rooster designs, and these richly coloured items are in prefect conditions,” he said.

“The bowls and ceramic items which remain commonly used among members of the Chinese community were recovered at rural areas off the Mersing Road. Therefore, it is evident that the Chinese had started to arrive in and live here since a long time ago,” he said.

Dong also found some ancient coins when carrying out his duty as an excavator driver. They are Qing dynasty coins as well as those manufactured in 1862 in India and carry the words “One Cent India Straits”.

“The coins were dug up at a place nearby the Kuala Sedili beach. Apart from that, I also found a wine bottle made of glass measuring one-inch thick. It is likely that the bottle had been left behind by the Dutch in those days,” he said.

Currently residing at Taman Kota Jaya, Kota Tinggi, Dong is preserving all the excavated items and artifacts in a proper way.

He said, he is also keeping a five yuan currency note which was issued by the Bank of China and carries the portrait of Sun Yat-sen. At the same time, his collection includes a 10 dollar note issued during the British colonial era in 1941.

Inking pot commending Japanese achievement in war

“Of my vast collection of artifacts, an extremely unique inking pot made of a seaside stone and weighing some 2kg is particularly eye-catching. Featuring artistically carved clouds as well as two carvings of bats, the artifact is rich in Chinese cultural value,” he said.

A row of Chinese characters neatly engraved at the back of the stone include this sentence – “battle must be won and success must be achieved”. By taking into account the strong will of the Japanese to achieve their goals, the stone probably belonged to the Japanese.

Dong said, the inking pot has been preserved for more than four decades. He found it at a wood factory located in a remote area in Kota Tinggi. Nowadays, it is hard to locate such inking pot and hence, Dong sees it as his prized possession.

“A coat of powder must be applied to the back of the inking pot before we can clearly see the engraved words. Judging by the words, the inking pot was probably manufactured in the second half of year 1942.

Source: mysinchew.com

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Ringgit sign Aishah

A lot of my friends who are not a collector asking about "ringgit sign aishah" (Malaysia Ringgit banknote signed by Aishah). Many of them believe or just heard rumours that a ringgit notes signed by this Aishah can get them a high return if they sell it to collector. Some heard rumours saying that notes signed by Malaysia former Permaisuri Agong Puan Seri Aisyah. Many of them also knew that there is no Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) governor name Aishah. The only women who ever been appointed as a BNM governor is Y.M. Tan Sri Dato' Ungku Dr. Zeti Akhtar binti Ungku Abdul Aziz.

Who exactly BNM Aishah?

The signed is exactly owned by Tan Sri Dato' Seri Ali Abul Hassan bin Sulaiman, BNM Governor from September 1998 until April 2000. His signature look like "Aishah".

Why Malaysian looking for Aishah banknote?

They heard rumours saying that the notes signed by Aishah can get them high value. Some also heard that you can get 10 times the value if you change them at BNM. Many people don't know that you can only get face value if you change any old ringgit in BNM. You can read my post about that in Tukar duit lama di BNM?

What is the truth about duit Aishah?

What many collector are looking for is a RM1 notes signed by Tan Sri Dato' Seri Ali Abul Hassan bin Sulaiman with CR prefix. The notes can go up to RM2000 for a Uncirculated notes. The notes get into circulation by mistake and only few of that banknotes exist in this world and only few UNC notes exist. Its a very rare notes for Malaysia Numismatic. They're also people who are looking for RM50 notes and RM100 notes signed by Tan Sri Dato' Seri Ali Abul.

Nilai duit sign Aishah@Ali Abul

RM50 BG-UNC Price=RM850.

RM50 BH-UNC Price=RM400.

RM50 BJ-UNC Price=RM450.

RM50 ZA (replacement notes)-UNC Price=RM1,800.

RM100-UNC Price=RM320.

RM100 ZA (replacement notes)-UNC Price=RM460.

Other than that, here is the price of other Aishah banknote:
RM2 side sign-UNC Price=RM50.
RM2 ZD (replacement notes) side sign-UNC Price=RM90.
RM10 side sign-UNC Price=RM120.
RM10 ZA (replacement notes) side sign-UNC Price=RM250.
RM2 center sign-UNC Price=RM15.
RM5 center sign-UNC Price=RM25.
RM10 ZA (replacement notes) center sign-UNC Price=RM100.

Please remember

You don't get the high price from changing them in Bank Negara! You also cannot get the high price from selling it to any banknote dealers. The best way to get a high price for that kind of banknotes by selling them online yourself. You can read my post on How to sell coins as a guide.

PS: To all blogger who copycat my post, please give a link back to my blog original post! I already report hundreds of blogs for DMCA copyright complaints. Almost all blogs I reported had already been deleted.

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Nilai duit lama

I had been writing about "nilai duit lama" (Malaysia old currency value) a long time ago but still many of my readers, email me asking for the same thing. The best way to know what is the value of Malaysia coins and banknotes are by buying any of this two books; Steven Tan Standard catalogue or KN Boon Books. You will get the latest nilai duit lama from any of the books. What I am sharing with everyone is from Steven Tan old catalogue books. It is just meant for a new collector or anyone who own an old coins to understand Malaysia Coins and banknote value. If you're really serious on collecting, you should buy any of those books.

For "nilai duit syiling", you can read my post; Check your coin value. Only Malaysia Parliament coin series are displayed on that post. This is because the 2nd series @bunga raya coin series value are mostly only have face value. Old doesn't mean the value and prices are higher. Many readers mistakenly think that their old coins can bring them fortune. That why you can see many sellers in Mudah.my selling their old coins for thousand of ringgit. I am sharing the price value to prevent Malaysian from selling their coins for a ridiculous price.

What coins that you should be looking for?

1 sen coin

1968-10,500,000 pcs Minted-UNC value=RM30.

1970-2,535,000 pcs Minted-UNC value=RM120.

5 sen coin

1971-16,657,712 pcs Minted-UNC price=RM8.

1977-10,609,162 pcs minted-UNC price=RM8.

1982 with extra "dot" on parliment house-UNC price=RM250.

10 sen coin

1971-32,326 pcs minted-UNC price=RM280.

20 sen coin

1969-15,000,000 pcs minted-UNC price=RM120.

1970-1,054,000 pcs minted-UNC price=RM50.

1971-9,958,000 pcs minted-UNC price=RM15.

1978-6,847,000 pcs minted-UNC price=RM40.

50 sen coin

1969-2,000,000 pcs minted-UNC price=RM150.

1979 extra dot-UNC price=RM100.
1988 extra dot on parliament-UNC price=RM40

Don't forget to check for security thread for 1967, 1968 and 1969. 50 sen coin without the security thread, the price around RM1,000 for UNC.

If you don't know what UNC or Uncirculated means, you can read my post; Coin Grading for newbies. I am not buying your coin, I am sharing this to help everyone sell their own coins. You can read my post on how to sell coins. In that particular post, I am teaching you on how to start selling in mudah.my or eBay Malaysia. If you're new in coin collecting, I also already wrote a post on 10 tips for new coin collector. Coin collecting is a rewarding hobbies if you know what to sell and what to keep. Now, don't forget to share this Nilai duit lama post with your friends and go check your old piggy bank. Who know, the most famous Malaysia coin, Malaysia 10 sen 1971 coin is in your piggy bank?

PS: To all blogger who copycat my post, please give a link back to my blog original post! I already report hundreds of blogs for DMCA copyright complaints. Almost all blogs I reported had already been deleted.

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How to detect online Seller Fraud?

Do you know How to detect online Seller Fraud? I had received many email from online buyer who are frustrated with their online trading experience in Malaysia especially in Mudah.my and Facebook. Many of them told me that they find a high quality banknote/coins selling at a cheap price in Mudah.my. Many newbies buyer don't know that they're many scammer/fraudster out there who put their item at a cheap price as a bait. Most of them don't have the actual item (just a pictures that they found in Internet. Some even do counterfeit coin photo) and some of them will only send less valuable banknotes/coins to you.

How to detect Fraud online Seller:

1. If the price is too good to be true, try avoiding dealing with the seller. Unless he or she want to do Cash on Delivery (COD) with you. When you meet the seller, make sure you prepare your knowledge on how to check the genuine banknote/coin. If you want to start buying, I suggest you should learn the market price first. Buy a good books/Catalogue like Steven Tan Book or KN Boon Book. It is a must if you really serious in collecting coins and banknotes.

2. Do some investigation about the seller. Its hard to know if the seller in Mudah.my is genuine seller or fraudster since Mudah.my don't have any feedback system. Its a scammer heaven but a hell for buyer who had been cheated by them. You can try do some little investigation yourself to make sure if the seller is genuine or scammer:

i. Search his phone number or email+scam (or any words related) in Google. This will help you find any information about their details. If they had scam people before, their phone number will be pop-up in some websites/forums or blogs.

ii. After you confirm that you want to buy their item, seller normally will send you their name and Maybank account number, again, please Google and search for his account details in internet.

3. Asked in forum or join a Facebook groups that is related to your transaction if the seller is genuine or had been involving with fraud before. For Malaysia coin collecting, you can try this pages Kelab Pengumpul duit lama dan negara asing. Look for active pages or groups. Some groups or pages might had been stop active since their admin maybe had been busy.

4. If that seller are selling banknotes, try search the serial numbers of the notes in Google. Some of them just copy and using any pictures they can find online. If they're selling coins, it will be hard to trace but you can try search in Google the coins/sales title.

5. If you're newbies in online buying, always buy a cheaper banknote/coin first. Buying online is not like buying with your coin dealer in Amcorp mall. You cannot get hold of the item. What you see are only pictures.

I am also planning to compile a list of trusted sellers that I had been dealing with since 2003 and sellers who I know are genuine online seller. Hopefully, the list will help new online buyer from get cheated by online fraudster. I need help on compiling that list. You can email me at lunaticg@gmail.com if you want to suggest any Malaysian Banknote/Coin Online Sellers in the list. Online trading will be easy and fun if you know how to do it.

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Tukar duit lama di BNM?

"Betul ke tukar duit lama di BNM akan dapat harga tinggi dari nilai mata wang tersebut? Sebagai contoh duit RM50 merdeka akan dapat nilai sekali ganda? Ada juga yang kata duit syiling yang sukar dicari pun akan dapat harga yang tinggi kalau tukar kat BNM? Duit kertas RM1 yang ada gambar tugu negara tu boleh tukar kepada duit RM50? Boleh tolong bagi penjelasan?"-Malay

"Is it true that we can change old money at BNM and we will be able to get price higher than the value of the currency? For example, RM50 merdeka, I will be able to get double the value? Some also said that a rare coins will get higher price if we change them at BNM? RM1 with national monument picture can be exchange for RM50 at Bank Negara? Can you help and give explanation?"-English.

I had been receiving many questions about this matters since I start this blog in 2008. I don't know where this rumors come from but it keep on coming in my mailbox. Its just a myth that you can get a high value if you change your old ringgit banknotes or coins at BNM. You can only get face value if you change any kind of money at any bank. BNM (Bank Negara Malaysia) is a body/bank to issue Malaysia currency and safeguarding the value of our currency. They're not business entity who buy and sell currency.

Maybe the rumours came from people who exchange their old money with banknote and coin collectors but not every old money will give you high value. A 1 sen 1971 coin will only get you a value of 1 sen since many collectors don't want to buy them. You can read about Malaysia old coins value here; nilai duit lama Malaysia. For coins that Malaysian collectors consider as a rare coins, you can read this post; Malaysia Rare Coins List. Most of the time, I advice my readers to sell the coins themself if they want a higher price. This is because selling them to coin dealers will only give you at least 50% or lower then market value. You can try sell them online at eBay or Mudah.my, just read my post on How to sell coins.

You can also change your old RM500 or RM1000 at BNM but they will only give you face value. Selling them to a collector will get you a higher price then the face value.

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Where to change old ringgit?

Do you know where to change old ringgit? A friend of mine argue with me, "I heard Bank Negara Malaysia will Interrogate you for hours if you want to exchange your old RM500 or RM1000 banknotes". I don't believe what he said and try to exchange my old notes to experience it myself. BNM statement on 12 September 1998, announced the demonetisation of the RM500 and RM1,000 notes, and they ceased to be legal tender from July 1, 1999. The statement said the volume of both the RM500 and RM1,000 notes in circulation before the move stood at 1,989,479 and 4,523,731 pieces respectively.

After arriving at BNM, I go straight to "Kaunter Penukaran Wang" (BNM Money Exchange Counter) and said I want to change my old RM500 notes to the ladies who work there. He give me the above form and asked me to fill the necessary details. They're nothing much on that form, only the part asking you "why you don't exchange the notes earlier" a little bit interesting. After filing up the form I send it back to the counter. They asked for my Identity Card (kad pengenalan) and told me to wait for a while. 15 minutes later they called me and exchange my old ringgit with 5 pieces of new RM100. There is no interrogation going on as told by my friends.

Question and answer about Malaysia old ringgit exchange at BNM:

Do you get full value of your RM500 or RM1000 notes?

Yes. BNM will give back full value of your banknotes. Some people suggest to change to Money Changers, they only give half of the value of the notes and told you that BNM will never received that banknote since it has been demonetizes.

Where can I change RM500 or RM1000 notes?

You can still change them to a smaller denomination at all Bank Negara Malaysia branches:

(Walk-in Customer Service Centre)

Laman Informasi Nasihat dan Khidmat (LINK)

Ground Floor, D Block,

Jalan Dato' Onn

50480 Kuala Lumpur



Tel : 1-300-88-5465 (1-300-88-LINK)

Fax: 603-2174-1515

E-mail: bnmtelelink@bnm.gov.my

SMS : 15888



Operating Hours: 9.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. (Monday - Friday)



Bank Negara Malaysia Pulau Pinang

Jalan Corner Light

10200 Pulau Pinang

Tel: 604-262-7125



Bank Negara Malaysia Johor Bahru

Jalan Bukit Timbalan

80000 Johor Bahru

Johor Darul Takzim

Tel: 607-224-0799



Bank Negara Malaysia Kota Kinabalu

Jalan Lapan Belas

88000 Kota Kinabalu

Sabah

Tel: 6088-211-211



Bank Negara Malaysia Kuala Terengganu

Jalan Sultan Mohamad

21100 Kuala Terengganu

Terengganu Darul Iman

Tel: 609-622-0571



Bank Negara Malaysia Kuching

Jalan Satok

93000 Kuching

Sarawak

Tel: 6082-252-311

Why did BNM take the RM500 and RM1000 banknote out of circulation?

BNM has taken out the RM500 and RM1000 notes from circulation and withdrawn their legal tender status (“demonetised”) to complement the exchange control measures introduced in 1998.

Where can I exchange mutilated (duit rosak) banknotes?

You can exchange mutilated Malaysian currency banknotes at any of the six BNM branches namely BNM Kuala Lumpur, Pulau Pinang, Johor Bahru, Kuala Terengganu, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. You can read more about it at; Where do you change damage money?

Can I exchange new banknotes and coins at BNM branches?

BNM has stopped the service of exchanging new banknotes and coins since 1997. You can exchange new banknotes and coins at your banking institution (Maybank, CIMB, RHB, Alliance bank).

Can I exchange foreign currencies at BNM?

No. You can exchange foreign currencies at any commercial bank or licensed money changer. BNM won't accept Iraq Dinar, Myanmar Kyat, US Dollars or any other foreign currency.

Can I change counterfeit currency that I received from circulation?

No. counterfeit money don't have any value. You can read more on what to do if you received counterfeit notes; What to do if I found counterfeit notes. Its also an offence to keep and circulate counterfeit money.

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How to buy gold coins in eBay

Regarding my post, tips to buy cheap gold coin, a reader asked and email me "How to buy gold coins in eBay"? Gold prices has steadily going up and today we can see its jump to USD1770. To buy them cheap and below market value, you nee a lot of patience. You cannot just come in and bought gold like you do in Jewelery shop. You need to do your own research and investigating. It took me days to decide whether that particular seller is genuine and honest seller. I am not an experience eBay buyer but I learn from others mistake and tips. Most of my items are Malaysia gold coins.

How to safely buy gold coins in eBay:

1. Only buy from seller with high positive feedback.

High positive feedback in here means you need to look if the seller had been dealing with gold before. How frequently they has been selling gold or gold coins? Do they have any negative feedback? Look at the feedback given by their buyer, read what people say about them. Do people that give them feedback has bought gold from other sellers before? Some feedback maybe are not genuine, you need to check that. For me, I also double check how old the user ID from the seller positive feedback. Anything below 3 months old are suspicious to me. 200 positive feedback already consider as a high positive feedback (If the seller only trade gold).

2. Only buy coins with major services grading

If you're more concern about grading, you should only buy an auction with major grading services (ANACS, NCG, PCGS, NCS, ICG). It will help you avoid buying something with lower grading. I am not into grading since it will cost me more. I just love to find Malaysia gold coins with low market value.

3. Read seller return policy

Make sure you also read sellers return policy. Most sellers have different return policy, some don't allow refund. I will be avoiding this kind of sellers since I am in Malaysia. Sometimes we are not satisfied with the actual coins that we received. Look for something (in their return policy) that will help you when problem happens.

4. Avoid auction with stock pictures

What I mean is auction without the original coin pictures. They're dozens of seller who are using the same old pictures in their sale. If you had seen the picture before that mean something weird is going on.

5. How much you're willing to pay

When buying on eBay, you should stick to how much money you are willing to pay for the coins. You should put into consideration the amount of shipping cost and other fees not just the bidding price. You also need to know your local market value. Most of the time, sellers in other country don't know Malaysia coins price.

Thank you for reading and happy hunting.

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Tips to buy cheap gold coin

A buyer asked my Tips to buy cheap gold coin before. I am not a gold coin dealers but I can find a cheap gold coins. Gold is a very good business if you know how to deal with it. If you had been reading my old post, Where to sell your gold coins, you might had been realized where I get my gold coins. The gold price had been going up over USD $1600 and I don't think it will ever stop with this kind of economy. Some people say commemorative gold coins are over price but you can still buy them at a below market price (Commemorative gold coins market price) if you can do what I am sharing in here.

How to buy cheap gold coins in Malaysia:

1. Buying them Online.

The best way to buy Malaysia gold coins is via eBay. Most of the time you can get the coins at gold value. Just look for reputable sellers in eBay and don't buy from anyone who have low positive feedback or low overall feedback. For newbies, I suggest you don't immediately buy gold coins in eBay, try cheap item first. After you understand how things work in eBay, you can start your gold coin hunting. With the introduction of Paypal in Malaysia bank system, buying online has been easy for everyone. With this method, you can buy them cheap but the item will be slower reaching your hands. Especially if you have problem with Malaysia Custom.

2. Ar-Rahnu/Pawn Shop

I get a lots of my gold coins from Bank Rakyat Ar-Rahnu and Pawn shop. Bank Rakyat has not accepting any coins without certificate anymore and its became a bit harder to find a new gold coins via Bank Rakyat Ar-Rahnu but you can still try your luck. I am always try making friends with any Ar-rahnu or Pawn shop workers. Asked them to help you distribute your phone numbers when they're people who want to sell/pawn their commemorative gold coins. But do remember, you need to be closed to the bank/pawn shop since most of the time, the owner want to sell them fast. You also need to make sure you can get a high amount of cash fast to conclude the transaction.

3. Among other collectors.

Other collectors are also the good way to find a cheap gold coins in your collection but most of the time, the price is not that cheap. For a start, try joining a group in Facebook, register with Malaysia Numismatic Society or any other numismatic group you can find. Trust is the big problem since not everyone know how to test a real gold. For me, this is where a friends in pawn shop will come in handy. I will meet the seller at the pawn shop and asked them for a help on checking/testing the gold.

4. Other methods

Other methods that I am using are finding them in mudah.my or some online forum that related to golds. You can still negotiating with the sellers most of the time. Sometimes, Gold investment company also have gold coins for sale. Most of them sell that coins according to their carat not their market value. Just make sure you know how to test for real golds. You also need to know Malaysia commemorative gold coins value. Make sure you knew your gold coin carat. Most gold coins are in 21K or .917 fineness but they're some coin with 24K gold. Also check if that coin a rare, rare coin have a high value.

Anyone investing in gold in here? Do you know that gold coins value is much more higher then their bullion value most of the time?

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10 tips for new coin collector

Many readers who are newbies in coin collecting always email me asking for question that I already answered in these blog. In this post, I compiled my blog 10 Tips for new coin collector. All of them are old posts that most readers asked me and what newbies should learn before start to collect their coins. Coin collecting is a rewarding hobbies if you know how to take care your coins. But please don't clean/wash your coin since that will downgrade its grading & value. the toning on that coins are true gems to collector like me.

1. Best Book for collecting-Steven Tan catalogue Books

If you really want to start collecting, a book is a must. The best book for Malaysia coin collecting is by Steven Tan. The price is just around RM70 a piece. You can find all the market value price for Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei, Banknotes and Coins. Studying the price will help you in your coin hunting. If you just start, I suggest you look for Malaysia coins era (Straits Settlements, Malaya, British Borneo, Parliament series etc) that suits your budget. It will take time to complete your collection if you have a tight budget. Read More.

2. Coin Picture Grading for Newbies

I have many request from newbies in this hobbies for a grading pictures that can help them understand a little bit about coin grading. Many newbies do not know what UNC, EF or VF mean. Its actually a coin grading terms. Coin grading involved evaluation of coin surface, lustre and coin details. You can try compare this grading pictures with your own coin, to understand what is your coin condition. Other collector maybe have different opinion on grading. Read More.

3. Malaysia coins value.

Many of my readers don't want to buy coins catalogue books because they just want to know the price on some of their collections. Most of them are not collectors but they have some old coins in their possession. You can find "nilai duit lama Malaysia" or Malaysia coins value in this post but the best ways are always buying a new coins catalog book. Read More.

4. Where to find coin in Malaysia

If you want to buy cheap coins for your collection, here is a tips from me on where can you find coin in Malaysia. Buying them with coin dealers will mostly make you pay according to the market price. To get a lower price, you need to look at other options/places other then coin delaers shop. Just make sure you know their market value before you do your coin hunting. Read More.

5. How to sell coins?

Many readers always asking me the same question; How to sell coins? Where to sell my coins? Do you know what is the best way to sell my coins?Here is my tips on how to sell your coins. Read More.

6. Malaysia Coin dealer list.

You need coin dealers for coin, paper money, banknote, accessories (album, Tweezers, Magnifiers, Microscopes, holder, capsules, cutter, watermark detectors, uv test lamp etc). Some of them also deals with Stamps, Postal History, Documents, Phone cards, Posters, Ang Pow, China antique ware, Antique & Various Collectibles. Here is a list of Malaysia coin dealers complete with their address, telephone numbers, emails, who to contacts etc. Read More.

7. Where to sell your gold coins?

Where to sell your gold coins? Not everyone knew where can you sell your precious metal. Here are some tips from me on where can you sell your gold coins in Malaysia. Read More.

8. Tools for coin collecting

Here is some tools that I has been posted in this blog that might come handy to any new coin and banknote collector. This tools come from various source but mostly come from books that I read. This is a good tools to help you understand more on the hobby. Read More.

9. Free ebook & Microsoft Access

If you want free stuff for your collecting, you can always look at the Free label on the top of my blog. You can find some free ebook available for download. If you are looking for Steven Tan ebook catalog, I don't think it will ever exist yet. Read More.

10. lunaticg.blogspot Table of Content

I always advice my readers to look and search first in this blog Table of Content before emailing me since I had wrote almost everything that you need. So far, this blog have over 500 article and almost half of it are about Malaysia. Read More.

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Beware of online counterfeiters

Do you remember my post, Malaysia 1972 10 sen coin? Until today, many readers who read them sms me and think that I had them for sale. Even though I already told in that post that the coin in the pictures are altered using photo software. Look like many Malaysian are easily get cheated by conman because they don't search for information and don't know how to buy thing online. I post that article because I want to educate my readers that such coins not exist. Please beware of online counterfeiters, they do exist anywhere in the world.

With so many people looking for Sa-Puloh Ringgit Watermark Agong, I also had seen an increase amount of these kind of notes on Internet, especially in mudah.my. For your information, all those notes are counterfeit, just to satisfy a demand by Malaysian who are looking a high profits from the notes sales. Some of the buyers who sms me told that a Bomoh/Pawang/Shaman asked them to look for the notes for money making opportunity. Online counterfeiters will make these banknotes for you and sell them at higher price.

For me, this are just money making opportunity for online counterfeiters. Some just altered the notes and coins using software without even having the actually coin or notes. When you already bank-in the payment, they will never reply your email or sms. Even if you report them to Police, they will most probably go away since the name used to bank-in owned by third party who never meet them before. To all my readers, stop looking for something that don't exist. Its better for you to learn making money online without sacrificing a single cents from your pocket.

PS: You can read Malaysia coins list in my old post about "nilai duit lama Malaysia" (Malaysia old coin value). If there is no price on the list, thats mean that coins are not minted for that year. If you want the latest price, you can but coins catalog by Steven Tan or KN Boon.

I also had been missing an auction of a very nice Brunei 1 cent 1887 coin in MNS auction recently. If I had at least read Dickson Niew blog before the auction started, I most probably have the opportunity to delete them in my wish list.

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Banknote Collection Manager 1.0

Its been a long time since I don't added any new collecting software that I can found in the Internet. Many of you might want a software that can help you cataloging all your collection in your PC for easy viewing especially if you want to check it in your coin hunting day. Today, I share with you Banknote Collection Manager 1.0, a software that is easy to use at a cheap price USD$14.95. You can easily store your bank note collection with detailed information and images.

Features:

• Store Your Bank Notes Collection Details with Images
• Large Capacity - You can store thousands of notes
• Summary - Quickly view information about a selected note
• Image Preview - Quickly preview the image of note
• Zoom - View the image of note in actual size
• Search - Easily search your collection
• Valuation - Shows the total money you spend on your collection along with its current value
• Free Life Time Updates - Buy once and get all future versions for free

System Requirements: Windows XP, Vista, 7

What details you can keep in Banknote Collection Manager 1.0:

You can keep details such as Currency name, Denomination, Serial Number, Country, Year, Series, Material, Grade, Purchased Price and where do you purchased the notes from.

You can buy this software at abhisoft.net.

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How to sell coins?

Many readers always asking me the same question; How to sell coins? Where to sell my coins? Do you know what is the best way to sell my coins? I wrote Where to sell your gold coins before in here but many people don't read it or don't know it is almost the same thing. Many newbies also asked about grading (UNC, EF, VF) and what they meant, I already wrote a grading tips for newbies (with pictures); newbies coins picture grading & newbies banknote picture grading. If you're looking for Malaysia coins & banknote price, I also had posted them before in price and value label/categories. I always advice my readers to look and search first in this blog Table of Content before emailing me since I had wrote almost everything that you need.

How to sell your coins (banknotes) in Malaysia?

1. Sell them online

The best way to sell your coins is try to sell them online yourself in Mudah.my, lelong.com.my or eBay Malaysia. Its not hard to start. What you need is just to register your ID and post your item for sale. make sure you give the best pictures for your coins; obverse and reverse pictures. Your pictures should be around 800 pixels and buyer could see the details of the coin. You also need to give as much details as you can. If your item is proof coin, it will be easy to find the details since you have the card with you. If you don't have the details, try search them in Google. If you're newbies, try to avoid buyer from oversea. Don't forget to add your contacts number in the post.

2. Among other collectors.

Networking among other collectors is an important thing if you want to sell your items in the future. Without any friends, people will be afraid to deal with you since nobody know you. Most people afraid that they will get scam with a fake coins. Try joining a group in Facebook, register with Malaysia Numismatic Society or any other numismatic group you can find. Collectors will give you the highest price from other type of buyers. Just don't meet them online, meet them offline (in the real worlds) as well.

3. Coin shops

Coin shops should be the last place for you to look for buyer. Most shop will normally buy your coin at least 50% from their market value. Try to asked around on the same day for best price before you decide to sell them to the shops. You can also check online if your coin is rare. A rare coin have a high value if you're selling them in a coin shop. Just Google any inscription (writing) you can find on the coins and you might find one similar to yours. If you're in KL, you can always find all the Klang Valley dealers in Amcorp Mall or you can check their address in my Malaysia coin dealers list. Do remember though, old coins doesn't always mean that it has a high value. Most dealers most probably have a lot of coins like your in their stock.

PS: this tips only for normal & rare coins, if it is very rare, you can also send them to auction house. Will not discuss about it in here since it will make non collector confuse.

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Where to sell your gold coins?

The Gold price has been breached USD $1500 an ounce for the first time last month and it will continue to goes up. It will not be hard to sell your coins when the price is going up since many people willing to buy them if you know where to put them for sale. Where to sell your gold coins? Not everyone knew where can you sell your precious metal. Here are some tips from me on where can you sell your gold coins in Malaysia.

1. Among other collectors.

Networking among other collector is an important thing if you want to sell your items in the future. Without any friends, people will be afraid to deal with you since nobody know you. Most people afraid that they will get scam with a fake golds or scammer who just want to offer cheap gold price. Try joining a group in Facebook, register with Malaysia Numismatic Society or any other numismatic group you can find. Collectors will give you the highest price from other type of buyers.

2. Sell them online

You can try to sell them online yourself in Mudah.my or eBay Malaysia. Its not hard to start. What you need is just register your ID and post your item for sale. make sure you give the best pictures for your coins; obverse and reverse pictures. You also need to give as much details as you can. If your item is proof coin, it will be easy to find the details since you have the card with you. If you don't have the details, try search them in Google. If you're newbies, try to avoid buyer from oversea. Most of the time, a scammer will try to contact you if you sell any gold online. If the buyer want to do meet up to collect its item, make sure you bring along a friends.

3.Jewelry/coin shops

Most shop will buy your gold 70% from the gold value. Try to asked around on the same day for best price before you decide to sell them to the shops. Most of the time, they offer you a low value first. Make sure you knew your gold coin carat. Most gold coins is in 21K or .917 fineness but they're some coin with 24K gold. Also check if your coin a rare. A rare coin have a high value if you're selling them in a coin shop but jewelry shop will just offering you a scrap value.

4. Gold Investment Company

Most people don't know that Gold Investment company like Publicgold and Nubex buy your gold coins. Sometimes their prices are higher then Jewelry/coin shops. If you want to sell, make sure you check PublicGold PublicDinar website, they will buy 70% from the gold value according to their PublicDinar buy price and check Nubex website under sell your gold tab.

5. Pawnshops

You can find any pawnshop near your area but not all pawnshop will buy gold coins. They'll test your gold for authenticity and then offer a price. This is not the best place to sell your coins but when nobody want to buy, they always have no problem buying it from you. You also have an option to pawn your gold coins before you sell it to them.

Any of you knew other places that we can sell our gold coins in Malaysia?

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