· Process

. Forum

· Asian Money Fair

· Portrait

. Ship

. Bird

. Orchid

. Banana

. Strait Settlement

· Coins

· Counterfeit

· Laws

· Acknowledgements

This is the $1 note of the Ship series. It is also the smallest of all the notes in this series, and it was published in 12 January 1987. This is a blue colored note. At the back of the note is a picture of the Sentosa Satellite Earth Station and it was one of the higher technological ones back then. This pictures shows that we are the forerunners in technology, ready for the 21st century, and not behind any of the other large nations. Next the orchid beside it, is the Vanda Miss Joaquim, named after the lady who crossbred two other orchids to come up with this. This orchid is very hardy, displaying the qualities of Singapore. In the background are trees and a blue sky. As Singapore is very well known to be a Garden City, the whole background picture and the orchid depicts very well what Singapore is like. At the front of the note is a Chinese “Sha Chuan”. This depicts the way many of our forefathers took to come here to work. Most of them sailed here from all of Asia, and the Sha Chuan was one of the methods used. Next there is a crane and a Chinese carp. The carp usually signifies prosperity that was very appropriate at the time this note was printed, as we were facing an economic downturn. The pictures in the front show tradition and history while the pictures at the back shows technology and our environment. These four aspects shows Singapore very clearly as a strong nation who keeps the benefits of tradition and take also technology, forming a very good contrast, thus bringing out tradition and technology.

The $2 notes come in two colors, the orange and the purple but the front and back designs are all identical. The red note was produced on 28 January 1991 while the purple note was printed on 16 December 1991 with the red note being the lesser of the both. The printing of these two notes does not signify at special thing, but the notes signifies Singapore. At the back of the picture, there is our National flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim. Next to it is the picture of a Chingay procession. If one takes a closer look at the picture we can tell that there are people of many different races taking part in the procession. This Chingay procession takes place after the Lunar New Year and is participated by many different organizations and various races. Each of the organization presents an item throughout the show and performs their traditional dances. There are schools and communities that take part, making it seem extremely exciting and fun. The picture shows Chinese performing the dragon dance. At the front of the note, is the picture of the Tongkang. The Tongkang was used by our forefathers back then, when they came here to work. At that time airplanes were not available yet, thus their mode of transport was usually by the sea. A the background is a rising sun. The rising sun is very appropriate to be placed behind the Tongkang as it signifies the hopes our forefathers had when they came here. They hoped to earn money so that their children back in China can have a proper education. It also shows the spirit of a young nation being born, full of aspirations and strength.

This is the $5 note of the ship series and it was first issued on 21st August 1989. It is a green colored note. At the back of the note is the body of a dragon, displaying the energy and strength of our nation. Right in the centre of the body is our national flower the Vanda Miss Joaquim, it is an orchid named after its founder Miss Vanda Joaquim.The flower is original as it had been crossbred using two other orchids. Beside it is the view of the PSA Container terminal. The PSA Container terminal has always been the pride of Singapore. It had been ranked constantly as the best port in the world, with very organized and efficient system. It also proves to the world that although we are a very young nation, we are still able to be competitive and it helps us to give the world confidence in doing business with us. Right beside it is the national symbol the Merlion. Again the Merlion is formed by a fish and a lion and is a fictitious animal, but in my heart the Merlion is real. At the front of the note is the picture of a Twakow. The Twakow was used by our forefathers when they came to Singapore to search for a job. As there were no airplanes at that time, most immigrants came here through the sea. The sea was also a very important source of food. The fish at the bottom of the note is called the Commerson’s Anchovy. It was a source of food for the people. Above it is a picture of a Chinese lion with a ball in its mouth. This picture signifies strength and prosperity just what Singapore wanted. These pictures contrasted technology and tradition very well, bringing out the best in each aspect.

This is the $10 note for the ship series and it was first issued on 1st March 1988. The note is red. At the back of the note is the picture of the map of Singapore and surrounding it is our national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim, an orchid named after its founder Miss Vanda Joaquim, who cross bred two other orchids before coming out with this completely new flower. Beside it is the picture of Housing Development Board (HDB) flats. The picture of the flats have been taken from Potong Pasir as its design is extremely unique. The picture shows the good organization of the HDB flats and how they first implemented the plan, to get rid of the attap houses, towards the road of the modernization of Singapore. At the front of the note, we are able to see a phoenix at the centre. It is a fabulous bird in worship of the sun. It was first spoken of in Roman legend and often being compared to being undying. This is the spirit that Singapore most probably wants its citizens to have. Next to it, we have the barter trading vessel called the “Palari”. It is used back then for barter trading, where men swapped items with other men for things they needed or wanted, when they monetary system was not fully in place yet. At the bottom of the note is a fish known as the round scad. It is a tropical fish as is often used as a bait for fishing. These pictures contrasted technology and tradition very well, bringing out the best in each aspect.

This is the note of the $50 in the ship series. It was first issued on the 9th of March 1987. It is a blue colored note. At the back of the note is the picture of the map of Singapore and surrounding it is our national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim, an orchid named after its founder Miss Vanda Joaquim, who cross bred two other orchids before coming out with this completely new flower. Next to it is a bird's-eye view of the Benjamin Sheares Bridge and in the background is the busiest part of Singapore where millions of monetary transactions are made each day, Shenton Way. Benjamin Sheares Bridge was named after our second president, Mr. Benjamin Sheares. The bridge is used by many people daily to get to work and many others. From there we can have a very clear view of the Singapore skyline, with the tall skyscrapers in Shenton Way, and also the PSA. When night falls, the view from there is utterly magnificent. At the corner of the picture is a dragon, signifying the financial and physical strength of Singapore. At the front of the picture, is a coaster vessel called the “Perak”. It is used widely at our ports to transports goods and is much more high in technology as compared to the ships featured in the previous notes. This depicts the level of technology we were at during the 1980s. Next to it is a pair of mandarin ducks and a six-banded grouper. The grouper has been know to be a local delicacy served at a high price at many restaurants. These pictures contrasted technology and tradition very well, bringing out the best in each aspect.

This is the note of the $100 in the ship series. It was first issued on the 1st of August 1987. It is a brown colored note. At the back of the note are pictures of our national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim, an orchid named after its founder Miss Vanda Joaquim, who cross bred two other orchids before coming out with this completely new flower, surrounding a focus point. I feel that the point is a focal point of our visions. Next to it is a bird's-eye view of the Singapore Changi Airport The Singapore Changi Airport has always been the pride of Singapore. It had been ranked constantly as the best airport in the world, with a very organized and efficient system, providing good facilities for its users. It also proves to the world that although we are a very young nation, we are still able to be competitive in the world and it helps us to give the world confidence in doing business with us. At the background is an aeroplane with the Singapore Airlines sign on it. Although it is still very young as compared to other airlines, it is already a very established airline and is well known throughout the world for the good services it provides. When night falls, the view from there is utterly magnificent. Looking at the airplanes go by at night can take our troubles away. At the front of the picture, is a passenger liner called the “Chusan”. It is used widely at for cruises and is much more high in technology as compared to the ships featured in the previous notes. This depicts the level of technology we were at during the 1980s. Next to it is a Chinese crane, signifying prosperity, and beside it is a Slender shad. The fish is a delicacy to be served on the dinner table. These pictures contrasted technology and tradition very well, bringing out the best in each aspect.

This is the note of the $500 in the ship series. It was first issued on the 1st of March 1988. It is a green colored note. At the back of the note are pictures of our national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim, an orchid named after its founder Miss Vanda Joaquim, who cross bred two other orchids before coming out with this completely new flower, surrounding a focus point. I feel that the point is a focal point of our visions. Beside it is a picture of men and women from the three services of the armed forces and the civil defense force. This shows the part of military defence, and that our citizens are fit and ready to defend our country from any invading nations. By seeing them standing to attention, I know the level of discipline they have. The Civil defence force is also ready to defend any interior conflicts like riots or fires. There is a Singapore flag flying high above them with pride. This shows that they love Singapore and place the country above themselves. It also depicts the pride they have towards the nation. At the front of the picture, is a general cargo vessel called the “Neptune Sardonyx”. It is used widely at the PSA for the transport of cargo and goods and is much more high in technology as compared to the ships featured in the previous notes. This depicts the level of technology we were at during the 1980s. Next to it is a very colourful picture of a Chinese peony and a butterfly, signifying the art and culture of our nation, and beside it is a Indian Mackerel. The fish is a common dish to be served on the dinner table. These pictures contrasted technology and tradition very well, bringing out the best in each aspect.

This is the note of the $1000 in the ship series. It was first issued on the 22nd of October 1984. It is a purple colored note. At the back of the note are pictures of our national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim, an orchid named after its founder Miss Vanda Joaquim, who cross bred two other orchids before coming out with this completely new flower, surrounding a focus point. I feel that the point is a focal point of our visions. Next to it is a bird's-eye view of a ship-repair yard in the PSA. The PSA has always been the pride of Singapore. It had been ranked constantly as the best port in the world, with a very organized and efficient system, providing good facilities like this ship-repair yard for its users. It also proves to the world that although we are a very young nation, we are still able to be competitive in the world and it helps us to give the world confidence in doing business with us. At the background is a complex structure of the ship repair yard, showing that our port does not have a lack of technology. At the front of the picture, is a container ship called the “Neptune Garnet” and at the background is a picture of a small part of the PSA. The ship featured is used widely for transportation of those huge containers that we often see at the PSA and is much more high in technology as compared to the ships featured in the previous notes. This depicts the level of technology we were at during the 1980s. Next to it a phoenix at the centre. It is a fabulous bird in worship of the sun. It was first spoken of in Roman legend and often being compared to being undying. This is the spirit that Singapore most probably wants its citizens to have and beside it is a polka-dot grouper. The fish is an aquarium fish and is very big. These pictures contrasted technology and tradition very well, bringing out the best in each aspect.

This is the note of the $10000 in the ship series and also the largest denomination. It was first issued on the 21st of August 1989. It is a red colored note. At the back of the is a picture of our national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim, an orchid named after its founder Miss Vanda Joaquim, who cross bred two other orchids before coming out with this completely new flower, and the large flower signifies our pride to be a Singaporean. Beside it is a picture of the 1987 National Day Parade held at the Padang. There are every different race taking part in the march showing Singapore as a multi-racial society. The straight rows signifies discipline of our troops, who are ready to take part in war if our country’s existance is threatened. At the front of the picture, is a general bulk carrier called the “Neptune Canopus”. It is used widely at the PSA for the transport of large cargo and goods and is much more high in technology as compared to the ships featured in the previous notes. This depicts the level of technology we were at during the 1980s. Next to it is a very colourful picture of a Chinese dragon, signifying the art and culture and also the strength of our nation. Beside it is a White Promfert. The fish is a common dish to be served on the dinner table, but it is quite a delicacy. These pictures contrasted technology and tradition very well, bringing out the best in each aspect.