Noonans Offers PMG-certified Southeast Asian Rarities from the Unparalleled Frank Goon Collection

Over 250 rare Southeast Asian notes from the spectacular Frank Goon Collection certified by Paper Money Guaranty® (PMG®) are being offered in a Noonans auction. The sale, presented as Part I of the unparalleled collection, is being held in Singapore on March 25, 2023.

The top lot in the auction is a group of three Malaya 1939 Specimens: a 10 Dollars graded PMG 53 About Uncirculated, a 5 Dollars graded PMG 55 About Uncirculated EPQ and a 1 Dollar graded PMG 58 Choice About Uncirculated (lot 105). The Malayan Dollar was used in the British colonies of Brunei and Malaya (which included Singapore), though implementation of the currency was interrupted by Japanese occupation during World War II.

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According to the auction house, this is believed to be the only set of these rare Specimens in private hands that are dated 1939, and they were likely produced just after the agency to manage the Malayan Dollar was created in 1938. This lot has an estimate of SGD 200,000 to SGD 260,000 (about $150,000 to $195,000).

Goon, the author of "The Banknotes of British Malaya," built what is believed to be the most comprehensive collection of banknotes ever assembled from the region. To highlight their prestigious provenance, the notes from the Frank Goon Collection were encapsulated with a special PMG label that includes a notation about the collection as well as an image of an orchid, an important symbol in Singapore that reflects its blending of cultures.

Other PMG-certified highlights in the sale include:

• a Straits Settlements 1930-33 1,000 Dollars Specimen graded PMG 62 Uncirculated (lot 41) with an estimate of SGD 80,000 to SGD 100,000 (about $60,000 to $75,000)
• a Malaya ND (1942) 10,000 Dollars Color Trial Specimen graded PMG 55 About Uncirculated (lot 133) with an estimate of SGD 60,000 to SGD 80,000 (about $45,000 to $60,000)
• a Singapore ND (1973) 10,000 Dollars - Replacement graded PMG 58 Choice About Unc EPQ (lot 210) with an estimate of SGD 50,000 to SGD 70,000 (about $37,500 to $52,500)
• a Malaya and British Borneo 1953 10,000 Dollars Specimen graded PMG 55 About Uncirculated (lot 139) with an estimate of SGD 50,000 to SGD 70,000 (about $37,500 to $52,500)
• a Malaya 1942 (ND 1945) 1,000 Dollars Color Trial Specimen graded PMG 65 Gem Uncirculated EPQ (lot 132) with an estimate of SGD 40,000 to SGD 60,000 (about $30,000 to $45,000)
• a Straits Settlements ND (1861-1903) 500 Dollars Specimen graded PMG 62 Uncirculated (lot 7) with an estimate of SGD 40,000 to SGD 50,000 (about $30,000 to $37,500)
• a Straits Settlements 1901 100 Dollars Progressive Proof graded PMG 50 About Uncirculated (lot 35) with an estimate of SGD 40,000 to SGD 50,000 (about $30,000 to $37,500)
• a Straits Settlements ND (1916-20) 50 Dollars Proof graded PMG 58 Choice About Unc (lot 37) with an estimate of SGD 40,000 to SGD 50,000 (about $30,000 to $37,500)
• a Malaya 1942 (ND 1945) 100 Dollars Color Trial Specimen graded PMG 65 Gem Uncirculated EPQ (lot 131) with an estimate of SGD 40,000 to SGD 50,000 (about $30,000 to $37,500)

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