1 dollar 1935

Common. The 1935 Straits Settlements one dollar (Pick P-16b) was issued in substantial quantities by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co Ltd and survives in considerable numbers today. While this specific note is in uncirculated condition and thus more desirable than circulated examples, the P-16b variety itself is not scarce. The Straits Settlements currency series remains readily available to collectors, and UNC specimens of this denomination and date can typically be acquired at moderate prices on the collector market.

Issued by the Government of the Straits Settlements on 1st January 1935, this note represents the colonial British administration's currency during a pivotal period in Southeast Asian history. The classical portraiture—featuring a bearded gentleman on the obverse and a woman's profile on the reverse, paired with the heraldic tiger symbol—reflects the Victorian and Edwardian aesthetic traditions of British colonial currency design. This series would be among the last notes issued under the Straits Settlements name before the territory fell under Japanese occupation during World War II.

The obverse features an ornately bordered design with a large portrait medallion on the right side depicting a mature, bearded gentleman in formal Victorian-era attire with a stern, dignified expression—likely a colonial administrator or government official of the period. The left side contains a blank oval space, suggesting a planned counterpart portrait or allegorical design. The reverse displays classical numismatic design principles with a prominent tiger rendered in fine engraved detail positioned centrally, flanked by two circular portrait medallions: a classical female profile (possibly Britannia or allegorical representation) on the left and a blank space on the right. Decorative corner elements and geometric border patterns frame the entire composition. The note employs fine line engraving throughout with sophisticated security crosshatch overlay patterns in red and blue.

FRONT: 'THE GOVERNMENT OF THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS' (issuing authority); 'PROMISES TO PAY THE BEARER ON DEMAND AT SINGAPORE' (redemption promise); 'ONE DOLLAR' (denomination); 'LOCAL CURRENCY FOR VALUE RECEIVED' (legal tender declaration); '1ST JANUARY 1935' (issue date); Serial number '69349'; 'BRADBURY WILKINSON & CO LTD ENGRAVERS, NEW MALDEN, SURREY, ENGLAND' (printer attribution); Chinese/Japanese characters present at top center (content unclear from image resolution). BACK: Large denomination numeral '1' in decorative corner medallions; 'Bradbury Wilkinson & Co Ltd, New Malden, England' (printer attribution repeated).

Intaglio engraving (line engraving) executed by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co Ltd, the renowned British security printer headquartered in New Malden, Surrey. The exceptional clarity and fine detail visible throughout both obverse and reverse—particularly in the portrait medallions, tiger engraving, and border ornamentations—are characteristic of high-quality intaglio production. The applied security features (red and blue diagonal crosshatch patterns) appear to be security overprints applied as part of the multi-stage printing process rather than integral engraving.

This note is cataloged as Pick P-16b, one of nine documented variants of the 1935 one dollar Straits Settlements note. The 'b' designation in the Pick system typically indicates a specific printing or signature variety. All major variants in this series (P-16a, P-16as, P-16b, P-16bs, P-16cts, P-16cts1, P-16cts2, P-16p2, and P-16s) were printed by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co Ltd (BWC). The serial number visible on this example (69349) falls within the standard serial range for P-16b notes. No overprints or exceptional markings that would indicate a rarer sub-variety are apparent in the visual analysis.