In my quest to add every country that ever issued paper money to my collection I have purchased a completely work out old banknote from British North Borneo (Malaya area of Asia). This particular note is from 1938, though British North Borneo has issued a few issues of this denomination. Unfortunately I had to cough up $51 for this banknote, but that is how it is with British North Borneo. Supply is low, demand is high. This one might even turn out to be a decent investment in the end, considering scarcity of such notes. Ugly, but valuable ;)

British North Borneo p27: 50 Cents from 1938

Malaya & British Borneo was formed as a currency commission for the purpose of providing a common currency for use in over ten different regions which included Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore. This first issue of banknotes from 1953 features a relatively young Queen Elizabeth II at right on the face, and the arms of sixteen states on the back. I have been watching these banknotes riding the value roller coaster, going up and down and I think that now, for however brief a period the eBay values are down, which is great for buyers. I remember not being to purchase this banknote for less than $50USD in any condition, and now I have managed to win an auction for only $25.49.

Malaya & British Borneo $5 from 1953 (pick 3a)

In the 1940′s Malaya printed an issue of money, ranging from 1 cent to 10,000 dollars featuring the portrait of King George VI. As mentioned in a more recent post, p11, the $1 bill is readily available for a very affordable price of around $10USD and is a solid investment in my books. Picks 6-10 are also available often and encompass the fractional currency of 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents. Pick 12, which is a $5 bill is not seen too often, and p13, the banknote featured here is up for auction often, though at a premium. I purchased this one for $41.55USD. A good investment none-the-less, I think.

As I have stated, and continue to state, banknotes with British royalty on them will, in my opinion, be quite valuable down the road, especially from countries that are no longer in existence. And with that thought in mind I came across, and purchased Malaya and British Borneo’s p3a which is a $10 bill featuring Queen Elizabeth II. This is the highest denomination of the 1953 set which can often be found on eBay, though I have seen a few rare examples of the $50 bill and the $100 bill up for auction, and selling at a very high premium. Too rich for my blood! Its $10′s for me!

I cannot believe that there are still tons of one dollars bills from Malaya from 1941 available for under ten bucks. Occasionally you can still come across 20 and 50 cent bills as well, though they are usually a little more costly than the one dollar bills. Ofcourse, their availability hints at a fairly healthy supply, but considering the age of the banknotes, the fact that they feature King George VI, and the fact that they are from a non-existent country, I would think that they are a solid investment for those who are buying paper money for the purpose of selling it down the road.

How can this kind of bill not grow exponentially in value, considering I have bought many examples in VF condition for $7.51 – $14.55?? I’m stocked up. I suggest you do the same.

Malaya p11 from 1941.