Straits Settlements 1901 50 cents
This specimen was lot 32246 in Heritage sale 3076 (Long Beach, CA, September 2019), where it sold for $1,020. The catalog description[1] noted, "British Colony. Victoria 50 Cents 1901 AU58 NGC. Obv. Crowned bust of Queen Victoria left. Rev. "50" in beaded circle with date and value below. Lustrous and well struck, with only the slightest touch of rubbing on the highpoints. Only three pieces in MS62 have been certified finer than this near-uncirculated example." This type was struck in 1886-1901 and all the dates are scarce to rare. This denomination was 13.57 g until 1905, then 10.10 g (1907-08), then 8.42 g (1920-21). None were issued after 1921. The Straits Settlements began as a miscellaneous group of trading stations in Southeast Asia and gradually developed into what is now Malaya.
Recorded mintage: 120,000.
Specification: 13.58 g, 0.800 fine silver, 31 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM 13.
- [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano and Warren Tucker, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Auction 3076, featuring the Allen Moretti Swiss Collection and the James Mossman Collection of Canadian Coinage, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2019.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
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