· Process

. Forum

· Asian Money Fair

· Portrait

. Ship

. Bird

. Orchid

. Banana

. Strait Settlement

· Coins

· Counterfeit

· Laws

· Acknowledgements

17^th March 2002

            On the 17^th of March this year, we went to the annual Asian Money Fair held at Suntec City. The Fair lasted from 15-17 of March and shows, talks, exhibitions and auctions were all part of the Fair.

            A committed tripartite collaboration, consisting of EuroCoin AG, MP Asia, The Singapore Mint bought over the established Singapore International Coin Show (SICS) and Singapore Collectibles Fair (SCF), previously owned by Taisei Stamps & Coins Pte Ltd.

Asia Money Fair (AMF) made its debut on 9 March 2001 with the aim of becoming an annual meeting place for mints, dealers and collectors to establish new contacts, renew ties and share information. The three-day event was a resounding success, which attracted over 4,500 visitors, 60 dealers and 11 mints, currency issuing authorities and corporate companies.

Asia Money Fair hails the return of the 16th Singapore International Coin Show and Singapore Collectibles Fair. As a new highlight to the show, talks will be arranged for participating exhibitors to introduce their products. Topics of the talks included “How to start a coin collection” and “The New Euro”, given by experts from numerous organizations.

Another addition to the show programme is a series of public auctions open to visitors of AMF 2002. Besides coins, banknotes, stamps and card collectibles, this year's visitors can look forward to an even wider range of products including antique timepieces, jewellery and toys. The main highlight of the auction was an extremely rare Queen Elizabeth II $1000 note.

In celebration of its 35th anniversary, the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore, will be holding a thematic exhibition at the Asia Money Fair 2002. Through this interactive display on touch-screen computers, visitors can get a better understanding of Singapore's currency history and development as well as learn about the intricate process of producing currency. This colourful and illustrative programme certainly did attract a lot of curious people to check this educational programme out. The in-depth information gave interesting facts about the different series of notes and coins of Singapore.

Quizzes modeling after the game show “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” were set up on big screens, allowing both the participant and spectators to test their knowledge on Singapore’s evolution of currency. Thus, this creates a win-win situation where both parties learn and have not only a deeper understanding on Singapore’s currency but also a fun-filled time.

The exhibition was the much-enjoyed segment of the Fair as many visitors swooped out their cameras to take snapshots of the rare, common, old and new coins or notes. Beginning from the early days of Singapore when the Straits Settlements currency was used, till the current Portrait series were all found in this exhibition. Special items included the uncut $1000 note where it was the center of attraction for the exhibition, while rare Banana notes from World War II took a share of the limelight too.