History of Money in Malaysia :  Colonial Notes & Coins

• Portuguese Coins
• Dutch Coins
• Coins of Penang
• Singapore Merchants' Tokens
• Currencies of the Straits Settlements
• Currencies of the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Malaya
• Currencies of Sarawak
• Currencies of the British North Borneo
• Tokens of the British North Borneo
• Currencies during the Japanese Occupation of Malaya
• Currency Issued by the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Malaya and British Borneo (1952-1967)
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Currencies of the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Malaya

The Board of Commissioners of Currency Malaya came into being in October 1938 and started to issue currency in 1939. The obverse side had the inscription ‘George VI King and Emperor of India’. However, after the Indian Independence Act 1947, the British Parliament assented to omit the royal title of Emperor of India’ from the coins. Accordingly, the coins issued for Malaya from 1948 to 1950 had the inscription ‘ King George The Sixth’ on the obverse.

Sir Basil Blackett was appointed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies in September 1933 to review the Malayan currency. He recommended in his report that the sole power of issuing currency for the area should be entrusted to a Pan-Malayan Currency Commission. This recommendation was adopted by the Malayan States and in 1938, the Board of Commissioners of Currency Malaya came into being. The Board commenced to issue currency in 1939. All the notes issued by the Board bore the portrait of King George VI (1936 – 1952).