The dollar was the

currency A currency, "in circulation", from la, currens, -entis, literally meaning "running" or "traversing" is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general ...

of the Raj of Sarawak from 1858 to 1953. It was subdivided into 100 ''cents''. The dollar remained at par with the

Straits dollar The Straits dollar was the currency of the Straits Settlements from 1898 until 1939. At the same time, it was also used in the Federated Malay States, the Unfederated Malay States, Kingdom of Sarawak, Brunei, and British North Borneo. H ...

and its successor the

Malayan dollar The Malayan dollar ( Malay: ''ringgit'', Jawi: رڠڬيت) was the currency of the British colonies and protectorates in Malaya and Brunei until 1953. It was introduced in 1939, replacing the Straits dollar at par, with 1 dollar = two shillings ...

, the currency of Malaya and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

, from its introduction until both currencies were replaced by the

Malaya and British Borneo dollar The Malaya and British Borneo dollar ( ms, ringgit; ms, رڠڬيت, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset) was the currency of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, North Borneo, Brunei and the Riau archipelago from 1953 to 1967 and was the successo ...

in 1953. During the Japanese occupation period (1942–1945), paper money was issued in denominations ranging from 1 cent to 1,000 dollars. This currency was fixed at 1 dollar = 1

Japanese yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the ...

, compared to a 1:2 pre-war rate. Following the war, the Japanese occupation currency was declared worthless and the previous issues of the Sarawakian dollar regained their value relative to sterling (two

shilling The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence ...

s four

pence A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...

Coins

All Sarawak coins carry the portrait and the name of one of the three " White Rajahs" of Sarawak, James Brooke until 1868, Charles Brooke from 1868 to 1917, and

Charles Vyner Brooke Vyner, Rajah of Sarawak, GCMG, full name Charles Vyner de Windt Brooke (26 September 1874 – 9 May 1963) was the third and last White Rajah of the Raj of Sarawak. Early life The son of Charles Brooke and his wife Margaret de Windt ( Ranee Ma ...

from 1917 to the end of this currency in 1938. Throughout the history of the Sarawak dollar, coins were minted in values of cent, cent, 1 cent, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, and 50 cents. The copper was the smallest denomination and the first to be discontinued, last being issued in 1896. The was also always copper and after reductions in size was eventually discontinued in 1933. Starting in 1892 1 cent coins had a hole in the centre, but the holed design was discontinued after 1897. In 1920 the 1 cent coin was struck in copper-nickel but later reverted to bronze in 1927. The 5 and 10 cent coins were 80% silver until 1920, when they were briefly reduced to 40% silver and then replaced by copper-nickel the same year. The 20 and 50 cent coins remained silver but in 1920 were reduced from 80% to 40%.

Banknotes

The first series was issued by the Sarawak Government Treasury. They were hand-stamped notes of low quality. All later notes were issued by the Government of Sarawak except for the 10-cent and 25-cent notes in 1919 (by the Treasury again). Throughout its history, banknotes came in the values of 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 25 cents, 50 cents, $1, $5, $10, $25, $50, and $100.

References

External links

Coins from Sarawak
{{Portal bar, Asia, Malaysia, Money, Numismatics 1858 establishments in Sarawak 1953 disestablishments Currencies of Malaysia Currencies of the British Empire Dollar Raj of Sarawak Modern obsolete currencies Obsolete currencies in Malaysian history

Coins

Banknotes

See also

References

External links