20 Dollars 1979, Singapore
in Krause book | Number: 12 |
Years of issue: | 06.08.1979 |
Edition: | 80 000 000 |
Signatures: | Minister for finance: Mr. Hon Sui Sen |
Serie: | 2nd Series - Bird Series (1976–1984) |
Specimen of: | 06.08.1979 |
Material: | Cotton fiber |
Size (mm): | 148 x 72 |
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.
When it was first unveiled, some sections of the public felt that it should have been facing rightwards to represent a more forward looking nature. However, the original left-facing lion was maintained.
Avers:
The Yellow-breasted Sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis). The species of sunbird found from Southern Asia to Australia.
It is a beautiful bird with olive green back and yellow underside. The bill is long and curves downwards. Males have a metallic blue throat and breast. Thy have short wings and fly with fast and direct flight, and hovers to feed. Immatures are similar to females. Sometimes seen with other honeyeaters.
Top 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 centre 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 symbolises "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 symbolises 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.
Lower is the business center of Singapore.
Above and below are the strip pattern of Singapore orchids.
Denomination in numerals are in top left and lower right corners, in words centered.
Revers:
Singapore Airlines Concorde 102 G-BOAD (model of 1977) takes off.
During December 1977 both BRITISH AIRWAYS and SINGAPORE AIRLINES commenced a joint CONCORDE interchange service agreement on the Bahrain/Singapore route .... as an extension to the established BRITISH AIRWAYS London to Bahrain CONCORDE service. This arrangement was supported by BRITISH AIRWAYS flight/technical crew with a combined cabin crew representative of both airlines. This particular aircraft supported full/definitive 1970´s era SINGAPORE AIRLINES livery on its port side (only) and full/definitive 1970's era BRITISH AIRWAYS livery on its starboard side (only). (HJG Message Board)
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger jet airliner that was in service from 1976 to 2003. It was one of only two supersonic transports to have entered commercial service; the other was the Tupolev Tu-144. Concorde was jointly developed and produced by Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) under an Anglo-French treaty. It featured a maximum speed over twice the speed of sound at Mach 2.04, with seating for 92 to 128 passengers. First flown in 1969, Concorde entered service in 1976 and continued commercial flights for 27 years.
Under the plane is Changi International airport.
Changi Airport, located at the eastern edge of the island, is Singapore’s international airport. It replaced Paya Lebar Airport in July 1981, which had become overwhelmed by the immense volume of passenger air traffic. To cope with the increase in the number of air passengers, the government had announced in June 1975 that a new airport would be built at Changi.
In the same month, preparations for the Changi site began. It was a massive undertaking involving the clearance of an existing airbase built during the Japanese Occupation, acquisition of land, demolition of over 550 buildings, exhumation of about 4,100 graves and clearance of nearly 200 ha. (2 sq km.) of swamp land. Reclamation works were also carried out, resulting in about 870 ha. (8.7 sq km.) of land reclaimed from the sea. All reclamation and earthworks were completed in May 1977, following which construction work began. There were two phases of construction. Phase I involved the construction of all buildings and facilities that would make the airport operational by mid-1981. These included a passenger terminal (now known as Terminal 1), a control tower and a runway, all of which were completed by June 1981. Under Phase II of construction, a second runway and another passenger terminal (Terminal 2) were built. A main feature of the airport is the iconic 78-meters-tall control tower designed by the Public Works Department.
Changi Airport replaced Paya Lebar Airport as Singapore’s new international airport on 1 July 1981. It was declared officially opened by then Minister for Defence Howe Yoon Chong on 29 December 1981. About 900 foreign guests were invited to the event, during which individuals and government departments that had contributed to the planning and construction of Changi Airport were honoured.
Since its opening, Changi Airport has received numerous awards and accolades, and is largely considered one of the best airports in the world. It has also undergone numerous expansions, resulting in the extension to Terminal 1 in 2000, and the opening of the Budget Terminal and Terminal 3 in 2006 and 2008 respectively. Passenger movements through Changi Airport also witnessed a remarkable growth over the years, reaching 53.7 million by the end of 2013. (eresources.nlb.gov.sg)
Female dancer is on the left side. I did not found yet - what dance, exactly, performs the dancer, but< I think, that it looks like the New Year chinese dance (with hoop, decorated with flowers).
I still in search of the exact info about this dance.
Denomination in numerals are in top left and lower right corners.
Comments:
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