PMG-certified British Malayan Note from the Goon Collection Realizes Nearly $250,000 in Noonans Auction
Posted on 4/18/2025
A British Malayan rarity certified by Paper Money Guaranty® (PMG®) led the way and realized six figures in an auction dedicated to Southeast Asia banknotes from an impressive collection. Noonans Mayfair Auctions' The Frank Goon Reference Collection of British Malayan Banknotes Part Three was held on March 22, 2025.
The top note in the auction was an Malaya & British Borneo / British Administration 1953 1,000 Dollars graded PMG 55 About Uncirculated EPQ and pedigreed to The Frank Goon Reference Collection (lot 134), which realized SGD322,400 (about $241,300), doubling its pre-auction estimate of SGD100,000 to SGD150,000. This high-denomination rarity features an early portrait of the newly crowned Elizabeth II on the front of the note dated 1953, the same year as her coronation. Among an intricate back design lies the 16 coats of arms of the Federated Malay States. The PMG Population Report lists only 22 total notes of this particular catalog number, and this is the sole-finest graded.
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Each of the PMG-certified notes in the collection are encapsulated with a special PMG label highlighting their provenance to Frank Goon, the author of "The Banknotes of British Malaya." Noonans offered Part 1 of the Frank Goon Collection in March 2023, with a Singapore ND (1973) 10,000 Dollars - Replacement graded PMG 58 Choice About Unc EPQ leading the way by realizing SGD124,000 (about $93,000). Part 2 was offered in March 2024.
Other PMG-certified highlights in this auction, all pedigreed to the Frank Goon Reference Collection, include:
- a Strait Settlements ND (1919-33) 10,000 Dollars Specimen graded PMG 50 About Uncirculated (lot 37), which realized SGD99,200 (about $74,200)
- a Malaya / British Administration 1942 (ND 1945) 1,000 Dollars graded PMG 35 Very Fine (lot 120), which realized SGD57,000 (about $42,700)
- a Sarawak, Government Treasury 1919 25 Cents graded PMG 40 Extremely Fine (lot 60), which realized SGD47,100 (about $35,300)
- a Sarawak, Government of Sarawak 1929 10 Dollars graded PMG 55 About Uncirculated EPQ (lot 73), which realized SGD39,700 (about $29,700)
- a Strait Settlements / British Administration 1925-29 10 Dollars graded PMG 53 About Uncirculated (lot 43), which realized SGD37,000 (about $27,700)
- a Malaya & British Borneo / British Administration 1961 10 Dollars graded PMG 66 Gem Uncirculated EPQ (lot 139), which realized SGD37,000 (about $27,700)
- a Malaya ND (1942) 10,000 Dollars Color Trial Specimen graded PMG 62 Uncirculated NET (lot 123), which realized SGD34,700 (about $26,000)
- a Sarawak, Government of Sarawak 1918-22 5 Dollars graded PMG 20 Very Fine (lot 62), which realized SGD32,200 (about $24,100)
Prices realized include 24% buyer's premium. The $ symbol represents US Dollars.
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