Monetarium Offers Rare PMG-certified Specimens from Southeast Asia

A stunning group of Malaya & British Borneo Specimens are among more than 400 world banknotes that are certified by PMG® and being offered in a Monetarium auction focused on Asian rarities. Bidding is already underway for Monetarium Auction 41, which will be held on August 17, 2026.

The top highlight in the sale is a set of Malaya & British Borneo 1953 Specimens (1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 1,000 and 10,000 Dollars) graded PMG 53 About Uncirculated to PMG 65 Gem Uncirculated EPQ (lot 1262), which has an estimate of SGD150,000 to SGD200,000 (about $116,000 to $155,000). This set of Specimens includes every denomination of the Malaya & British Borneo 1953 banknotes, with each rarity featuring the same portrait of a young Queen Elizabeth II shortly after her reign began the year prior. Each of these vibrant Specimen notes is difficult to find individually, making this a rare opportunity for an advanced collector to obtain them all at once.

Other PMG-certified notes in the sale include:

• a Singapore, Board of Commissioners of Currency ND (1973) 10,000 Dollars graded PMG 45 Choice Extremely Fine (lot 1414), which has an estimate of SGD30,000 to SGD36,000 (about $23,000 to $28,000)
• a Straits Settlements / British Administration 1925-27 100 Dollars graded PMG 25 Very Fine (lot 1173), which has an estimate of SGD26,000 to SGD30,000 (about $20,000 to $23,000)
• a Malaysia, Bank Negara ND (1996-99) 2 Ringgit with a Solid-8 Serial Number graded PMG 67 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ (lot 1370), which has an estimate of SGD26,000 to SGD30,000 (about $20,000 to $23,000)
• a China / Empire 1264-1341 Yuan Dynasty 2 Kuan graded PMG 10 Very Good NET (lot 1123), which has an estimate of SGD26,000 to SGD28,000 (about $20,000 to $22,000)
• a Straits Settlements / British Administration 1925-29 10 Dollars graded PMG 40 Extremely Fine EPQ (lot 1183), which has an estimate of SGD18,000 to SGD22,000 (about $14,000 to $17,000)
• a Straits Settlements / British Administration 1925 50 Dollars graded PMG 25 Very Fine (lot 1174), which has an estimate of SGD18,000 to SGD20,000 (about $14,000 to $15,500)
• a Straits Settlements / British Administration 1898-1911 10 Dollars graded PMG 30 Very Fine (lot 1175), which has an estimate of SGD18,000 to SGD20,000 (about $14,000 to $15,500)
• a Singapore, Board of Commissioners of Currency ND (1980) 10,000 Dollars graded PMG 30 Very Fine EPQ (lot 1456), which has an estimate of SGD13,000 to SGD15,000 (about $10,000 to $11,500)

Estimates are provided by the auction house. The $ symbol represents US Dollars.