10 cents 1920

Common. This denomination and year are standard issues from the Government of the Straits Settlements' 1920 series. No evidence of a limited print run or recall exists for this Pick-6c variety. Fair condition examples like this one are regularly encountered in the collector market at modest valuations, consistent with the widespread circulation of these notes during their era of issue.

Issued by the Government of the Straits Settlements during a period of relative stability in the early 20th century, this note predates the Japanese occupation of Singapore (1942-1945) and represents the colonial-era monetary system. The prominent coat of arms featuring three seated figures symbolizes British imperial authority, while the Singapore-specific reverse design with the octagonal shield emphasizes the note's primary redemption location. The inclusion of Chinese characters (角 jiao) reflects the significant Chinese merchant and laboring populations that formed the economic backbone of the Straits Settlements' trade network.

The obverse features a horizontally-oriented design with a yellow field enclosed by a decorative green border composed of repeating circular dot patterns—a common security element of the period. At the top center is the Straits Settlements coat of arms with three seated figures representing the three main settlements (Singapore, Penang, and Malacca). The denomination appears in a circular stamp on the left side in green, and the promise to pay is rendered in green text. The reverse displays the Singapore coat of arms housed within an ornamental octagonal shield, surrounded by elaborate baroque-style red scrollwork and flourishes in a symmetrical arrangement. The cream/tan paper stock shows significant age-related deterioration.

FRONT: The primary promise reads 'THE GOVERNMENT OF THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS Promises to pay the bearer on demand at Singapore TEN CENTS Local Currency for value received.' Denomination appears as both '10 CENTS.' (in circular stamp) and 'TEN CENTS' (in text). Serial number: 27189 with prefix 'P'. Chinese character 角 (jiao) indicates the currency unit. A signature or designation 'Geretti' appears near the bottom. BACK: 'SINGAPORE' appears above the central octagonal shield, with '10 CENTS' inscribed within or below the coat of arms emblem.

Letterpress and intaglio engraving, typical of early 20th-century government banknote production. The catalog data indicates FMS (Federated Malay States) as the printer for all P-6 variants. The fine detail work on the coat of arms and the ornamental scrollwork on the reverse are characteristic of intaglio engraving, while the text and colored borders suggest letterpress overprinting. The color scheme of yellow (obverse) and red (reverse) was applied through separate printing passes.

This note is identified as Pick-6c, one of four cataloged variants for the 10 Cents denomination. The PMG population report lists P-6a, P-6b, P-6bs, and P-6c as distinct varieties, all printed by FMS. All variants share the same basic design but may differ in serial number ranges, signatures, or subtle printing characteristics. The serial number 27189 with prefix 'P' and the 'Geretti' signature visible on this example are consistent with the P-6c variety designation. The handwritten date notation '6.04.1920' on this note's collection record confirms issue dating.