Straits Settlements is a former British Crown colony on Asia's Malay Penninsula. Coins in 5, 10, 20, and 50 cent denominations all show the reigning British monarch (Victoria, Edward, George) on one side, and an encircled denomination on the other. These coins are made of silver. In general, these are valuable coins.
What are the coin denominations of Straits Settlements?
Straits Settlements is a former British Crown colony on Asia's Malay Penninsula. Coins in 5, 10, 20, and 50 cent denominations all show the reigning British monarch (Victoria, Edward, George) on one side, and an encircled denomination on the other.
What is a 1920 Straits Settlement 5 cent coin made of?
If you have a 1920 Straits Settlement 5 cent coin, you must determine if it is made of silver or copper-nickel. The silver coins are very valuable. Look at the graphic below for a side-by-side comparison of the low-value and high-value pieces.
What does Straits Settlement stand for?
The Straits Settlements ( Malay: Negeri-negeri Selat, نݢري٢ سلت; Chinese: 叻嶼呷 / 海峽殖民地) were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under direct British control as...
What happened to the Straits Settlements?
The Straits Settlements came under its control in 1858 before being split under direct British control as a crown colony on 1 April 1867. In 1946, following the end of World War II and the occupation by Japan, the colony was dissolved and reorganised.
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Overview
The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under British Raj control in 1858 and then under direct British control as a Crown colony on 1 April 1867. In 1946, following the end of the Second World War and the Japanese oc…
The Settlements
The first settlement was the Penang territory, in 1786. This originally comprised Penang Island, then known as the 'Prince of Wales Island'. This was later extended to encompass an area of the mainland, which became known as Province Wellesley (now Seberang Perai). The first grant was in 1800, followed by another in 1831. Further adjustments to Province Wellesley's border were made in 1859, and with the Treaty of Pangkor in 1874. Province Wellesley, on the mainland oppo…
History and government
The establishment of the Straits Settlements followed the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, by which the Malay archipelago was divided into a British zone in the north and a Dutch zone in the south. This resulted in the exchange of the British settlement of Bencoolen (on Sumatra) for the Dutch colony of Malacca and undisputed control of Singapore. The Settlements were largely Chinese in pop…
Population
The following are the area and population, with details of race distribution, of the colony of the Straits Settlements, the figures being those of the census of 1901:
The population, which was 306,775 in 1871 and 423,384 in 1881, had in 1901 reached a total of 572,249. As in former years, the increase was solely due to immigration, more especially of Chinese, though a considerable number of Ta…
Finance
In the early nineteenth century, the most common currency used in the East Indies was the Spanish dollar, including issues both from Spain and from the new world Spanish colonies, most significantly Mexico. Locally issued coinages included the Kelantan and Trengganu keping, and the Penang dollar.
In 1837, the Indian rupee was made the sole official currency in the Straits Settl…
See also
• Federation of Malaya
• History of Malaysia
• History of Singapore
• Governor of the Straits Settlements
Further reading
• Straits Settlements Blue Book, 1906 (Singapore, 1907)
• Straits Directory, 1908 (Singapore, 1908)
• Journal of the Straits branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (Singapore)
• Sir Frederick Weld and Sir William Maxwell, severally, on the Straits Settlements in the Journal of the Royal Colonial Institute (London, 1884 and 1892)
External links
Media related to Straits Settlements at Wikimedia Commons
• WorldsStatesmen Singapore, listing the chief administrators