Malaysian Numismatic Books by Saran Singh from 1974 to 2017

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Mr. Saran Singh, Writer, Numismatist & Collector

For those of you who collect Malaya/Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei coins and banknotes, you must have heard of the name "Saran Singh" before. He is perhaps Malaysia's most prolific numismatic writers. His books are more than just catalogs of numismatic collectibles, they chronicle the historical aspects of the numismatic artifacts as well, which makes all the difference as a result his books are highly sought after by serious collectors and numismatic researchers.

To honor his achievements and contributions to the numismatic community, we have compiled the full list of his books on Malaysian numismatics for your reference. For those who collect numismatic literature, this will be a useful guide on what's out there. There are a total of 8 books listed, arranged in chronological order and we have assigned reference numbers GC1 to GC8 for these highly sought after items.We have included useful information such as release date and the price of the book at the time is was issued. Other key data such as size and dimension and weight of the books are also included.

Cat#	Book Title & Details	Copies	Year	Price
GC1	The Catalogue of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Coins (1700-1974) Author(s)      :  Saran Singh Publisher      : Malaysia Numismatic Society (MNS) Pages            : 92 pages, paperback Dimensions   : 23.6 x 19.3 x 0.6cm Weight          : 217g Printer           : International Cultural Enterprises, K.L. Notes            :  While the book itself was ready to be published as early as March 1973, financial constraints had delayed its printing to May 1974 with some portions of the book had to be left out due to the high printing cost. Eventually only a paperback/soft cover edition was released in December 1974. The book was sold out in in 1976.	1,000	1974	M$9
GC2	Standard Catalogue of Coins and Banknotes of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (1700-1976) Author(s)      :  Saran Singh, Mohd Kassin Haji Ali, CC Low & Tony Lye Fong Nge Publisher      : Malaysia Numismatic Society (MNS) Pages            : 403 pages, hardcover Dimensions : 26.8 x 19.3 x 2.8cm Weight          : 1.08 kg Distributor     : World Monetarium, K.L. Notes            : Better financed (private funding rather than from the MNS) and this time complete with standardized reference numbers, the book was released on 3 October 1976. It was sold out 5 years later.	1,000	1976	M$30
GC3	Pictorial Guide to Grading of Malaysian Coins & Banknotes Author(s)      :  Saran Singh Publisher      :  Malaysia Numismatic Society (MNS) Pages           :  143 pages, hardcover with dust jacket Dimensions  :  25.0 x 17.5 x 1.5 cm Weight          :  380g Printer           : Academe Art & Printing Services Sdn Bhd Notes            :  Officially released on 2nd December 1987 at the MNS 10th Anniversary Dinner at the Federal Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. The mid to late 1980s was the start of the numismatic grading era, the timely release of this book provides a guide on the grading of coins and banknotes. It also covers coin cleaning and preservation as well as how to identify fakes. The book was sold out in 2 years.	1,000	1978	M$15
GC4	Standard Catalogue of Coins and Banknotes of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (1786-1980), First Edition Author(s)      :  C. C. Low & Saran Singh Publisher      : World Monetarium, K.L. Pages           : 100 pages, paperback Dimensions    : 21.7 x 15.5 x 0.5 cm Weight          : 217g Distributor     : World Monetarium, K.L. Notes            : A smaller sized book that covers the coinages with a distinctive red colour paperback with gold hot stamped title and embossed company logo of the late Mr. C.C. Low’s World Monetarium, Kuala Lumpur. This is somewhat a lesser known book and rarely seen.	1,000	1980	M$15
GC5	The Encyclopaedia of the Coins of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei 1400-1986 Author(s)      :  Saran Singh Publisher      : Malaysia Numismatic Society (MNS) Type              : 696 pages, hardcover Dimensions : 29.8 x 21.0 x 3.0 cm Weight          : 2.08kg Printer           : United Selangor Press Sdn Bhd, K.L. Notes            :  This book was officially released on 28 September 1986 to coincide with MNS Auction Number 69 at the Federal Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. This is by far the most comprehensive book on Malaysian numismatics, dating back to 1400; with 21 chapters and 4 appendices. It took Saran 4.5 years to research and write. The most notable fact of this book is that it contains illustrations of 1,500 coins and token of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei issued in the last 500 years in ACTUAL SIZE.  For numismatic researchers and writers, it is advisable to obtain this edition for your reference. Subsequent editions may not illustrate the coins in the actual dimensions. In addition, a separate volume of “Price Guide” was issued free along with the book, 58 pages, 29.8 x 21.0 x 0.6 cm, 193g. As of end of 1989, there were only 30 copies left for sale.	850	1986	M$67
GC6	Malaya & Sarawak Coupons Author(s)      :  Saran Singh Publisher      : Malaysia Numismatic Society (MNS) Pages            : 39 pages, paperback Dimensions    : 29.8 x 21.0 x 0.3 cm Weight          : 178g Printer           : The Pepin Press, K.L. Notes            :  The contents of this book was an extension of what was published in the Malaysia Numismatic Society 21st Anniversary Souvenir Book (1969-1989).	350 with hand written serial #	1990	-
GC7	The Encyclopaedia of the Coins of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei 1400-1967 Author(s)      :  Saran Singh Publisher      : Malaysia Numismatic Society (MNS) Pages            603 pages, hardcover Dimensions    : 26.5 x 19.3 x 3.5 cm Weight          : 1.75kg Printer           : International Stamp & Coins Sdn. Bhd. Notes            :  Book production by Mr. Steven Tan                         Released in Feb 1997	1,000	1997	RM90
GC8	The Encyclopaedia of Dry Rubber Export Coupons of Malaya, Netherlands East Indies and Ceylon (1922-1942) Author(s)      :  Saran Singh Publisher      : Kelab Warisan Numismatik Malaysia                          (KWNM) Pages            : 302 page, hardcover Dimensions    : 29.0 x 22.5 x 2.5 cm Weight          : 1.70kg Printer           : Percetakan Osacar Sdn. Bhd. Notes            : Book design and layout by alphaNumis Copies          :  700 printed, with serial number on the  bottom of inside cover ISBN              :  978-967-14658-0-6 Released in 16 December 2016, the research for this book took 2.5 years to complete. It is a follow up 2nd edition of the book with the similar title published (GC6 above) in 1990. Officially launched on 8 January 2017 as a KWNM publication at the MNS auction, this edition covers the detailed history of rubber export coupons for Malaya, Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia) and Ceylon. The book also documents and catalogues petrol ration coupons, share certificates and government bonds. This book went on to win the prestigious International Banknote Society (IBNS) Book of the Year 2016 award, the first Malaysian publication to do so. Mr. Saran Singh was assisted in the research, book design and layout by Gilbert C for this ground breaking book.	700  S/N : 000 to 699	Dec 2016	RM300

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Bank Negara Seminar on Numismatic Grading [ 20 May 2017 ]

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Fig. 1 : Sasana Kijang, BNM  Kuala Lumpur

Back in mid April 2017, I was contacted by an official from Bank Negara Malaysia (the Malaysian Central Bank). The call was from none other than the curator of the Numismatic Museum of Bank Negara himself, inviting me to conduct a seminar on numismatic grading. Of course I agreed to do it without any hesitation whatsoever! Mainly because it is indeed an honor and privilege to receive such an invitation from the best numismatic museum in the country! 


The event was scheduled for 20 May 2017, 2:30 p.m. at the auditorium at Sasana Kijang, Kuala Lumpur and the duration is expected to be 2 hours. With about 6 weeks to go I immediately set about preparing the content of the seminar.

For a start - why talk about numismatic grading and not any other topics? For most people numismatic grading equals to graded coins or banknotes stored in slabs of plastic with the grading company logo and a number between 1 to 70 indicating the grade. But grading is much more than just a number, it is a important aspect in determining the value of the collectible that every collector and numismatist must learn and understand. Failure to do so will increase the risk of overpaying for something, especially when acquiring ungraded / "unslabbed" items.

Fig 2. Opening slide for the seminar

The main objective of the seminar was to provide a high level view of the numismatic grading and its origins, while trying to keep the technical aspects of it at a minimum - which many perceive to be difficult to learn. It is hoped that attendees will come away from the seminar being able to make sense of grading and what it means to the collector.

Fig 3 : Grading a coin ....

Fig 4 : Relationship between grade and value

Fig. 5 : BNM's invitation letter & momento.

Fig. 6 : The very "rare" Asia School of Business commemorative silver coin
(Although not officially stated I have been told that there are only 100 minted)

Fig. 7 : The reverse of the commemorative coin

With a total of 126 presentation slides, packed with vital information, the seminar did generate some interest in grading, resulting in a question and answer session which lasted more than 1 hour. We wish to record our thanks and appreciation to Bank Negara Malaysia Numismatic Museum for organizing such an event that promote the hobby of numismatics. It is indeed a honour to be amongst the select few who has been invited to speak at the MAG Theatre of Sasana Kijang.

Fig. 9: Technical specifications for the Asia School of Business (ASB) Commemorative silver coin 2016.

Fig 8. Logo of ASB. Source : http://www.asb.edu.my/

To top off this honour, I was presented with a momento from BNM as a token of appreciation - and much to my surprise it turned out to be the much sought after "Asia School of Business" commemorative silver coin. This coin was never issued to the public, which makes it difficult to obtain for the average collector. While not officially stated, I have been told that only 100 of these coins were minted. It was released on 23rd February 2016 to coincide with the ground breaking ceremony for the new campus building that was officiated by our then BNM Governor Tan Sri Dr. Zeti Akhtar Aziz. The Asia School of Business is a collaboration between BNM and MIT Sloan School of Business, one of the top business schools in the United States.

The Asia School of Business offers Master in Business Administration (MBA) courses here in Kuala Lumpur - being one of the top schools in the world, its fee is certainlynot cheap! This world class 20 month full time course will set you back by RM265,000 for Malaysian students and RM365,000 (USD85,000) for international students.

The official press release from BNM for the ground breaking event can be found here.

And of course it does not end here, we are planning for more seminars in the near future. The new seminars will be announced via our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/alphanumis

In the meantime, HAPPY COLLECTING !!!

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