50 Dollars 1967, Singapore
| in Krause book | Number: 5a |
| Years of issue: | 12.06.1967 |
| Edition: | |
| Signatures: | Minister for finance: Mr. Lim Kim San |
| Serie: | 1st Series - Orchid Series (1967–1976) |
| Specimen of: | 12.06.1967 |
| Material: | Cotton fiber |
| Size (mm): | 146 × 87 |
| Printer: | Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company Limited, New Malden |
* All pictures marked 
are increased partially by magnifying glass, the remaining open in full size by clicking on the image.
** The word "Specimen" is present only on some of electronic pictures, in accordance with banknote images publication rules of appropriate banks.
Description
Watermark:
Head of the lion.
The lion facing rightwards to represent a more forward looking nature.
Avers:
Centered is the orchid "Vanda Rothschildiana Teo Choo Hong".
Vanda Rothschildiana is a primary hybrid of Vanda coerulea x Euanthe sanderiana.
Plants are best grown hung in baskets or mounted and require bright to full sunlight and cool temperatures. If hung the roots must be watered frequently and humidity kept high. Plants should be grown in media that is well drained such as tree fern fibers (for small plants), several pieces of coarse fir bark,charcoal or empty slat baskets for adult plants. Fertilize weakly weekly with half strength balanced fertilizer like 20,20,20.
Vanda is a genus in the orchid family (Orchidaceae) which, although not large (about fifty species), is one of the most important florally. This genus and its allies are considered to be the most highly evolved of all orchids within Orchidaceae. The genus is very highly prized in horticulture for its showy, fragrant, long lasting, and intensely colorful flowers. Vanda is widespread across East Asia, Southeast Asia, and New Guinea, with a few species extending into Queensland and some of the islands of the western Pacific.
Lower right is the coat of arms of Singapore.
The National Coat of Arms of Singapore is the heraldic symbol representing the Southeast Asian island nation of Singapore. It was adopted in 1959, the year Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire. The committee that created it, headed by then Deputy Prime Minister Toh Chin Chye, was also responsible for the national flag and the national anthem of Singapore.
At the center of the emblem is a red shield bearing a white crescent (a new moon, representing a rising young nation) and five white stars (representing various national ideals including multiculturalism), supported by a lion and a tiger (representing Singapore and Malaysia respectively); below them is a blue ribbon inscribed with Majulah Singapura in gold, Malay for "Onward Singapore".
The central emblem of the coat of arms is a red shield with five white stars resting above a white crescent, similar to the crescent and stars used on the Singapore flag and such other national symbols as the national ensign for civilian ships. Red symbolizes "universal brotherhood and equality of man" and white "pervading and everlasting purity and virtue". The crescent represents a new moon, which reflects "a young nation on the ascendant", while the five-pointed stars "stand for the nation's ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality".
The supporters of the shield are a lion and a tiger: the tiger symbolizes the nation's historical connections to Malaysia (which Singapore was a state of from 1963 to 1965) while the lion represents Singapore itself. Below the supporters is a blue ribbon on which the national motto, Majulah Singapura, is written in gold. Majulah Singapura is also the title of the national anthem; it means "Onward Singapore" in Malay, the national language of Singapore.
Denominations in numerals are in all corners, in words on the left side, at the bottom.
Revers:
Множество катеров в гавани.
The view on The Collyer Quay and the Clifford Pier, and the buildings around it - The Asia Insurance Building, Ocean Building, Nedlloyd House и Alkaff Arcade.
Collyer Quay (Chinese: 哥烈码头) is a road in Downtown Core, Singapore that starts after Fullerton Road and ends at the junction of Raffles Quay, Finlayson Green and Marina Boulevard. The road houses several landmarks namely, Clifford Pier, Change Alley, Hitachi Tower, Ocean Towers and Ocean Financial Centre.
And now, about the buildings on Banknote, as the numerated by me on the photo (from left to right):
1) Asia Insurance Building (Ascott Raffles Place), Ascott Raffles Place Singapore, 2 Finlayson Green. Built in 1954. Renovation - 2008. 20 floors.
The former Asian Insurance Company Asia (前 亚洲 保险 大厦; qián Yàzhōu Bǎoxiǎn dàshà), now known as Ascott Raffles Place, is located in the heart of Singapore's CBD, at the corner of Finlayson Green and Raffles Quay. It is 82 meters high and surpassed the Cathay Building until the completion of the Shaw Center in 1958. The office building was constructed in 1955 and designed by one of the first Singapore architects, Ng Keng Xiang. The house served as the headquarters of the Asian Insurance Company, one of the first local insurance companies. In 2006, the building was acquired by the Ascott Group and since then the office tower has been converted into a serviced apartment complex. The building, renamed Ascott Raffles Place, is on a 999-year-old lease with an area of approximately 950 square meters. 
2) Nedlloyd House, 1 Finlayson Green (till 1970 - KPM Building). Built in 1931.
The Dutch founded Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij (KPM) in 1888 as a regional shipping line in the Indonesian archipelago. At its height, KPM operated more than 140 ships ranging from small vessels of less than 50 tonnes to large passenger liners exceeding 10,000 tonnes. Its services extended from the Dutch East Indies to South Africa to the west, Australia to the east, and China to the north. Part of its fleet was based in Singapore.
KPM was founded by Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland and Rotterdamsche Lloyd in 1888. Both companies had been operating regular steamship services between Holland and Java for almost 20 years, and they started KPM to form a feeder line for the home steamers. KPM took over the ship and lines from its predecessor, Nederlandsch-Indische Stoomboot Maatschappij (a subsidiary of the British India Steam Navigation Company), and commenced operations on 1 January 1891 with 29 small steamers – 13 new ones and 16 from the Nederlandsch-Indische Stoomboot Maatschappij.
In the early 1900s, KPM lost two vessels in the Singapore Harbour. The Reijniersz was destroyed by fire on 23 January 1907, while the Djambi sank in 1909 after it collided with the Polynesien, a steamer owned by French shipping company Messageries Maritimes.
KPM’s fleet expanded rapidly. With the increase in operations, the company set up an office at Nos. 2 and 3 Collyer Quay in 1914, and a service from Penang and Singapore to ports in China was started in 1916. By around 1920, KPM had 92 vessels that operated 50 services with about 300 ports of call. Two well-known fast steamers – Melchior Treub and Rumphius – ran the weekly service to Java and Sumatra, while 10 services connected Singapore and the Dutch East Indies with 84 ports of call.
In 1931, the KPM Building was opened in the business district. By then, Singapore had become a key centre for KPM’s activities. Part of its fleet was based in Singapore, and its contribution to the maintenance of Singapore’s trade was recognised by the government.
At the start of World War II, KPM’s fleet had grown to 146 vessels. It was operating more than 70 services with over 400 ports of call. Its services extended beyond the East Indies, with nine international routes to South Africa, Australia and China, as well as covering other countries like Indo-china, Mauritius, Thailand, New Zealand, Japan and Myanmar. It had grown into the second-largest Dutch steamship company and become synonymous with shipping in the Dutch East Indies. (eresources.nlb.gov.sg)
3) Ocean building, 10 Collyer Quay. The Old building ( built 1930), in 1974 was demolished.
4) Alkaff Arcade.
Built in 1909 by the Alkaff family, one of three prominent Arab property owners in Singapore at the time, Alkaff Arcade was designed by Donald McLeod Craik of architectural firm Swan and MacLaren. Known for its unique Moorish style, particularly its two onion domes and arches, Alkaff Arcade also had a cast-iron facade characteristic of 1900s Victorian architecture. The building housed offices and shops, including the office from which the Alkaffs administered their family’s properties under the company, Alkaff and Co.
In 1962, the Alkaffs sold Alkaff Arcade to Singapura Developments for $12 million. Hailed as Singapore’s best-known waterfront landmark and the first indoor shopping centre, the building was demolished in 1978.5 The site of the old Alkaff Arcade is currently home to the new Arcade, a shopping-cum-office building that was completed in the early 1980s. (eresources.nlb.gov.sg)
5) Clifford Pier was a former pier located beside Collyer Quay at Marina Bay within the Downtown Core of the Central Area, Singapore. The pier, which opened in 1933, ceased operations in 2006.
In 2008 the site was converted into a restaurant, One on the Bund, with Chinese cuisine. This restaurant closed in 2014 and was replaced by another restaurant, The Clifford Pier, which offers a selection of local, Asian, and Western dishes under the operations of the Fullerton Bay Hotel.
The Hokkiens called the pier ang theng beh thow(Chinese: 红灯码头) meaning "red lamp harbour", and to the Malays as lampu merah (meaning “red lamp”), both referring to the red oil lamp beacon which shone over the pier at night as a warning to ships.
Before the Tanjong Pagar wharves were built in the 1850s, Johnston's Pier was the chief landing place. By the 1920s, the pier was worn out and Governor of the Straits Settlements Sir Cecil Clementi decided to build a new pier. In 1929, the plans to build Clifford pier was approved.
The new pier was named Clifford Pier in memory of Sir Hugh Clifford, former Governor of the Straits Settlements. The decision to name the newly constructed pier after Sir Hugh Clifford sparked contention. The Straits Settlements Association of Singapore had several correspondences with the current governor Sir Cecil Clementi appealing to retain the name of Johnston for the new pier. Persuasion failed due to the governor refusing to reverse his decision on grounds that Clifford's name was prominent in the region. Several members of the public also showed displeasure at the renaming, believing that the memory of Johnston's Pier would go along with its demolition. Despite the loss of the original name, locals continued to refer to the new pier in its Hokkien and Malay names.
Clifford Pier was a landing point for immigrants and other sea passengers. The pier was later used as a terminal for tourists and day trippers who boarded small boats and ferries heading for the Southern Islands. During the annual pilgrimage season to Kusu Island, regular ferries departed from Clifford Pier to the island.
With the construction of the Marina Barrage, a dam across the Marina Channel which will convert the existing Marina Bay into a reservoir, the existing Clifford Pier has ceased operations on 1 April 2006. The Marina South Pier has been constructed at Marina South and was opened in April 2006 to replace the existing Clifford Pier. The existing 26,000 square meters Clifford Pier site including its adjacent former Customs Harbour Branch building has been safeguarded for conservation, and its surrounding land parcels are currently being developed into a retail, leisure, entertainment and hotel center.
Clifford Pier was designed by the Public Works Department, where Frank Dorrington Ward was then the Chief Architect in the 1930s. The pier has a simple but unique architecture with a roof structure comprising concrete arched trusses in a riband form. Details, such as brackets and even the fire hose cabinets, were evidently designed with much consideration.
6) 2 houses on Сollyer quay - "G.H.Kiat and co." (book store) and "Robinson and Co." (retail store).
On banknote is only "Robinson and Co." visible (retail store), because "G.H.Kiat and co." in 1975 was already demolished.
Robinsons & Co. Pte Ltd is a retail company which has department stores in Singapore and Malaysia. The company owns the Robinsons department store, John Little in Singapore and has franchise outlets of Marks and Spencer in both countries. The company has grown into one of the country's most renowned department stores. Robinsons celebrated their 160th anniversary in 2018.
Robinsons & Co. Limited is currently part of the UAE-based Al-Futtaim Group.
7) Maritime House (Union Building), 20 Collyer Quay.
The Union Building was designed by the renowned architecture firm "Swan & Maclaren" and officially opened in 1925. The Collyer Waterfront building was commissioned by the Union Insurance Society of Canton to house its offices in Singapore. Constructed using the latest materials and building technologies, the seven-story building, with its classic façade and striking tower, has become the main attraction of the bustling waterfront. Later, renamed the Maritime House, it was demolished in the 1980s.
Denominations in numerals are in top right and lower left corner.
Comments:
If you find my work useful I will be grateful for any help in supporting the site.
-
PayPal