Heritage Offers Historic British Colonial Notes from Southeast Asia Certified by PMG

Hundreds of banknotes certified by PMG® are being offered in an upcoming auction presented by Heritage Auctions. Bidding is for the HKINF World Paper Money Signature® Auction - Hong Kong, is expected to open in mid-November, with the sale wrapping up on December 5-6, 2026.

One of the top banknotes in this auction is a Straits Settlements / British Administration 1898-1900 5 Dollars with Serial Number 1 graded PMG 30 Very Fine and pedigreed to The Peh Family Collection. In 1898, the British government took over paper money issuance in the Straits Settlements, and this particular rarity is believed to be the first-ever banknote issued, marked by its serial number A/1 00001.

The auction house describes the historically important banknote as being signed by Currency Commissioner Fred Gordon Penney before being folded into a small square and saved for decades. The annotation on the back of the note reads: "This is the first Currency note ever issued in the Straits Settlements. Fred G Penney, 1st May 1899." Among only 36 issued examples of this catalog number in the PMG Population Report, it is exceeded in grade there by only one other note.

Click images to enlarge.

Another PMG-certified highlight of the auction is a Malaya / British Administration 1940 5 Dollars with Serial Number 1 graded PMG 55 About Uncirculated EPQ and pedigreed to The Peh Family Collection. This particular rarity is among the first series of Malaya Currency notes, which includes 1, 5, and 10 Dollar denominations. It is also the very first example of its type, as identified by its serial number A/1 000001. Most of these notes were destroyed after World War II and, according to the auction house, this is the only example known today without a cancellation overprint to appear in the PMG Population Report.

Click images to enlarge.

Other PMG-certified Peh Family Collection highlights in the sale include:

• a Sarawak, Government of Sarawak 1918-22 5 Dollars - Serial Number 3 graded PMG 25 Very Fine
• a Malaya / British Administration 1940 10 Dollars with Serial Number 1 graded PMG 53 About Uncirculated
• a Malaya / British Administration 1940 1 Dollar with Serial Number 1 graded PMG 58 Choice About Uncirculated EPQ
• a Malaya / British Administration 1940 25 Cents with Serial Number 1 graded PMG 50 About Uncirculated EPQ
• a Malaya / British Administration 1940 10 Cents with Serial Number 1 graded PMG 63 Choice Uncirculated EPQ
• a Singapore, Board of Commissioners of Currency ND (1973) 50 Dollars with Serial Number 1 graded PMG 45 Choice Extremely Fine EPQ
• a Singapore, Board of Commissioners of Currency ND (1988) 500 Dollars with Serial Number 2 graded PMG 63 Choice Uncirculated EPQ
• a Singapore, Board of Commissioners of Currency ND (1999) 50 Dollars with Serial Number 1 graded PMG 66 Gem Uncirculated EPQ
• a Singapore 2007 20 Dollars Commemorative with Serial Number 1 graded PMG 67 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ
• a Singapore 2007 20 Dollars Commemorative with Serial Number 3 graded PMG 67 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ