Old Money Notes Singapore: Are They Worth Anything in 2026?

Clearing out the cupboards before Chinese New Year can turn up a tin of old Singapore notes. Almost every one of them is worth exactly what's printed on it. Every note Singapore has issued since 1967 is still legal tender, so a Bird Series $50 still buys you $50 of groceries. A few old notes do sell for more to collectors. That depends on the series, the condition and the serial number. Here's how you can spot the ones worth selling, and how to bank the rest.

Is your old note worth more than what's printed on it?

For almost every old note, it isn't. MAS treats every note and coin it has issued since 1967 as legal tender, so each one is worth at least its face value, and for most notes that's all.

A black dog pulls a blanket off the top of its crate and curls up hidden underneath it — Me, when the biscuit tin of old fifties turns out to be worth exactly fifty each. via GIPHY

That covers all four note families: the Orchid, Bird, Ship and current Portrait Series. A discontinued $1,000 Portrait note or a 1980s Ship Series $10 spends the same as a fresh note from the ATM.

So if you're sitting on a pile of old fifties and hundreds, the easy move is to deposit them at your bank. The bank checks they're genuine, then puts the face value into your account. You don't have to find a buyer or wait for one.

A few old notes do sell above face value to collectors. Whether yours is one of them comes down to three things, and people tend to overrate all three.

Series and rarity: how many were printed and how long they stayed in use, since notes from a short run, or in an odd amount like the $25, are harder to find.
Condition: a crisp note that was never used is worth far more than a soft, folded one. Creases and stains wipe out the extra value fast, and so do pinholes.
Serial number: bidders like running sets, low numbers, repeated digits and solid numbers (like 888888).

Which of the four note series is your note from?

Singapore has issued four families of notes since independence. Once you know which one yours is from, you know roughly how old your note is and how common it is.

Singapore currency note series at a glance
Series	In circulation	Notable denominations	Status
Orchid	1967 to 1976	$1, $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, $500, $1,000, $10,000	Oldest; still legal tender
Bird	1976 to 1984	$1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $500, $1,000, $10,000	Legal tender
Ship	1984 to 1999	$1, $2, $5, $10, $50, $100, $500, $1,000, $10,000	Legal tender
Portrait	1999 to present	$2, $5, $10, $50, $100 (plus discontinued $1,000 and $10,000)	Current series

Why do collectors hunt for the Orchid $25?

It's the only $25 note Singapore has ever put into circulation. The Orchid Series ran from 1967 to 1976, and the $25 came out on 7 August 1972. It was withdrawn in 1979, and the Bird Series that followed swapped it for a $20 note.

That short run and odd amount make it the one Orchid note collectors go looking for. On Singapore marketplaces, used ones are listed from tens of dollars to a few hundred. Condition and serial number decide where yours lands, and clean, high-grade ones are listed higher.

These are asking prices, so a sale can close lower. Treat each one as what a seller hopes for, since no buyer has paid it yet.

Why is there no $1 note in your wallet?

The Portrait Series left out the $1 and the $500 on purpose. It came out on 9 September 1999, and those are the notes in your wallet today.

That's why no $1 note has been printed in decades, even though older $1 notes are still legal tender. Today's $2, $5 and $10 are polymer, the plastic-feeling ones, though all three started out on paper in 1999. The $50 and $100 are paper.

The $1,000 and $10,000 were part of this series too. They're being phased out, and that matters for what they're worth to a collector.

Is a $10,000 note still worth $10,000?

It is, and a $1,000 note is still worth $1,000. Both are still legal tender, and you can deposit either one at a bank for its full face value.

MAS stopped issuing them to cut the risk of money laundering. It announced on 2 July 2014 that it would stop issuing the $10,000 note from 1 October 2014.

The $1,000 Portrait note was next. MAS announced on 3 November 2020 that it would stop issuing it from 1 January 2021. The aim was to get ahead of the money-laundering and terrorism-financing risks that big notes carry.

So few were ever in public hands that a big note in mint condition sometimes sells slightly above face value. The premium is thin next to the cash you've tied up, though. You also take on the risk of storing a note that large and proving it's real. For most people, the bank is the sensible place for it.

If you're weighing whether to keep cash in old notes or put it to work, the compound interest calculator shows what waiting costs you. A $1,000 note in a drawer earns nothing while inflation chips away at it.

What do collectors actually pay for old notes?

Usually less than the listings suggest. A marketplace price is what the seller is asking, and a listing isn't a sale.

The biggest jumps come from running sets in mint condition. A single used note rarely gets near them. The listings below are examples from Singapore marketplaces. Read each one as a ceiling, since that price is only what a seller asked.

'Wah, $338 for twenty $1 notes ah?' is a fair reply in the family chat. That's a set of 20 with serial numbers in a row, and it's still only an asking price.

If you've got small notes in a running set, they carry the biggest premium for their size. Complete runs are scarce now, and they were cheap to put together back then. Big notes carry small premiums for their size, because their face value is already large and clean ones are still around.
If your note is folded, soft or stained, it usually sells for little above face value, whatever the series. Condition does most of the work.

Sample collector listings versus face value
Note	Face value	Typical listing	Premium
Orchid $1, set of 20 running	$20	around $338	very high
Bird $1, 3 pieces running	$3	around $90	very high
Bird $20	$20	around $60	high
Ship $10	$10	around $18	modest
Ship $500	$500	around $525	thin
Bird $1,000	$1,000	around $1,150	thin

How can you tell if your note is worth selling?

Run this checklist on every note first. Most notes fail it, and that's fine: a note that fails just goes to the bank at face value.

Condition: was it never used, with no folds, soft corners or stains, and crisp paper all over? Hold it by the edges. One crease moves it down a grade.
Serial number: low numbers (like 000123), solid numbers (888888), radar numbers that read the same backwards, and running sets all add value.
Series and amount: an Orchid $25, the first prefix of a series or an odd amount is worth checking. A common Ship $50 isn't.
Completeness: if you have a sealed set with serial numbers in a row, it beats the same notes sold one by one.
Is it real? Fakes of older notes exist. A serious buyer will want to check yours, and an honest seller is happy to let them.
Special runs are their own group. Commemorative and special-prefix notes, like the festive ones in our guide to new notes for Chinese New Year, are made for collecting and gifting. Their resale price follows what collectors want, whatever the face value.

Where can you sell old notes, and what should you watch for?

You sell them privately to collectors, because MAS has no buy-back above face value. Your real options are local marketplaces and dealers.

Carousell and Shopee: the biggest pools of local buyers. Post clear photos of both sides and the serial number, and say what grade it is.
Banknote and coin dealers: faster and safer for high-value notes. They buy at trade prices, though, so you'll get less than the marketplace asking price.
eBay: you reach a wider audience for rarer pieces. Count the fees and the risk of posting overseas, though.
Collector groups and meet-ups: handy for a realistic value before you sell.
Price from completed sales. A note listed at $338 that has sat unsold for months isn't worth $338. Start from what similar notes actually sold for, and take some off for any flaw.
A deal that feels too good usually is. Meet in person and pay in cash, or use a payment method with buyer protection when the note goes by post.

How do you swap old notes for their face value?

Take them to a commercial bank where you have an account. You don't need to go to MAS for ordinary notes, and if yours are common, or you just want the cash, this is the easy route.

The bank checks the notes are genuine, then puts the face value into your account. That works for your current notes too, and for the everyday Orchid, Bird, Ship and Portrait notes collectors don't want.

What if your note is torn or damaged?

What you get back depends on how much of the note is left. Under the Currency Act, a damaged note has no value by right. MAS can still award value for one out of goodwill, at its absolute discretion, if nothing suggests it was damaged on purpose.

For a genuine note that passes that check, MAS goes by the part that's left. At least two-thirds of the note gets you full face value. More than a third, but less than two-thirds, gets you half. A third or less gets you nothing. For a $1,000 or $10,000 note, at least five complete digits or letters of both serial numbers also have to be there.

Take damaged notes to a commercial bank where you have an account. The bank checks and assesses them, then pays in any value awarded. A note that's too far gone, or looks torn on purpose, may get nothing. Damaging a note on purpose is an offence, so don't test it.

If you have a jar of loose change rather than notes, our guide to converting coins into notes covers the cheapest ways to turn it into spendable money.

Can you spend Brunei notes in Singapore?

Yes, at par, so B$1 is worth S$1. That's under the Brunei-Singapore currency interchangeability agreement, which has been in place since 1967.

Brunei notes are customary tender here, which means a shop can take yours but doesn't have to. If one says no, any bank here will take Brunei currency as a deposit at par, free of charge.

What about old Singapore coins?

Your coins follow almost the same rules as notes. Singapore has minted three series of circulation coins, and every one is still legal tender. You can spend a 1968 cent or a 2013 dollar at face value.

None of them has been demonetised, or taken out of use as money, so you've got no deadline to spend or swap them.

The everyday coins in your coin jar are worth barely more than face value. Where there's a premium, it sits with early First Series coins in mint condition, scarce years and error strikes. It also sits with the silver and gold commemorative coins the Singapore Mint sells, rather than the loose change you spent.

If your jar is mostly ordinary coins, all you want is spendable money without paying a deposit fee. Our guide to converting coins into notes covers the cheapest ways to do that.

Singapore circulation coin series
Series	In circulation	Denominations	Status
First	1967 to 1985	1c, 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $1	Legal tender; not demonetised
Second	1985 to 2013	1c, 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $1	Legal tender; not demonetised
Third	2013 to present	5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $1	Current series

Are commemorative coins worth more than face value?

You pay more than face value for them from day one. The Singapore Mint sells coins made for events, anniversaries and the zodiac at a premium, often struck in silver or gold.

Six things set their market value. They're condition, theme, rarity, how unusual the design is, collector demand and supply, and for coins, the metal they're made of. A silver or gold piece also carries the value of the metal inside it, which moves with the bullion price.

There's no guarantee these go up in value, or that you can resell them for what you paid. MAS, which issues the currency, stays out of the resale market.

To find out what your piece is worth, ask banknote and coin dealers or the Singapore Mint, the same places that check and buy them. Whatever collectors pay, you can always get the face value back. A commemorative note or coin can be banked, or redeemed at MAS, for the amount printed on it.

Is banana money or an old Malaya dollar worth anything?

Not as money, because only the four MAS series are legal tender. Two older kinds of notes might turn up in your family's tins, and they behave nothing like a Bird Series fifty.

Japanese occupation notes were issued from 1942 to 1945. They're nicknamed banana money for the banana tree on the larger notes, and they became worthless the moment the war ended. They're not legal tender, and no bank will credit them.

Their value to you is purely historical, and prices are low. The Japanese printed them in huge numbers, with no serial numbers on the higher amounts.

Malaya and British Borneo dollar notes were used here before the Orchid Series. They were demonetised after Singapore issued its own money, so your bank won't exchange them either.

Genuine ones in good condition do interest collectors, and the Queen Elizabeth II portrait issues are the ones people look for. You'd be selling them as antiques on the collector market. Check they're real before you pay good money for any of these, because copies are common.

Should you treat old notes as an investment?

Not as your main plan. The notes that fetch real premiums are specific and scarce, they depend on condition, and you can't buy them at face value today.

Cash kept as physical notes earns nothing. It loses buying power to Singapore's inflation rate every year, so the cost of holding it quietly adds up against you.

Collecting old Singapore notes is a fine hobby if you enjoy the history and buy carefully on condition. Keep it a hobby, separate from your retirement plan.

If your real goal is to grow your money, notes in a drawer can't help. Read up on a high-yield savings account or a simple diversified portfolio instead. Sentimental value is real, and it's worth keeping a note or two for. Just don't count it as a financial return.

The MoneyBees take: what we'd check first

We'd check the condition before looking up the series. A folded or stained note from any series usually sells for little above face value, and your bank pays the full face value today.

Selling swaps that sure money for time and risk. In the table above, a Ship $500 is listed at around $525, and selling it means finding a buyer and a safe way to get paid.

What settles it is whether your note is crisp and never used, or carries a serial number collectors chase.

Frequently asked questions

Are old Singapore notes still legal tender in 2026?

Yes, every note and coin MAS has issued since 1967 is legal tender. That includes all Orchid, Bird, Ship and Portrait Series notes, and the discontinued $1,000 and $10,000 notes. You can spend them, or deposit them at a bank for their face value.

Are old Singapore notes worth more than face value?

Most of them aren't worth a cent more than face value. A few sell above it to collectors, and rarity, condition and serial number decide which ones. A folded or stained common note rarely gets any real premium.

Which old Singapore note is the most valuable?

Among circulation notes, the Orchid Series $25 stands out. It came out on 7 August 1972, and it's the only $25 note Singapore has ever circulated. Running sets and notes with special serial numbers, in mint condition, also fetch the highest premiums.

Where can I sell my old Singapore notes?

Carousell and Shopee reach the local market, specialist banknote dealers suit high-value pieces, and eBay reaches a wider audience. There's no official buy-back above face value, because the collector market is private.

Can I still use a $10,000 or $1,000 note?

Yes, both are still legal tender, so your bank credits the full face value when you deposit them. MAS stopped issuing the $10,000 note from October 2014 and the $1,000 note from January 2021.

What do I do with torn or damaged notes?

Take them to a commercial bank where you have an account. If a note is genuine and wasn't damaged on purpose, MAS can award value out of goodwill, at its absolute discretion. At least two-thirds of the note gets full face value, more than a third gets half, and a third or less gets nothing. A $1,000 or $10,000 note also needs five complete digits or letters of both serial numbers. The bank assesses the note and pays in any value awarded.

Are Brunei notes accepted in Singapore?

Yes, at par (B$1 = S$1), as customary tender under the long-standing interchangeability agreement. Shops can accept them but don't have to, and banks will take Brunei currency as a deposit at par, free of charge.

Are old Singapore coins worth anything?

Ordinary ones are worth their face value. All three circulation coin series, from 1967 on, are still legal tender and have never been demonetised. A premium only comes with early First Series coins in mint condition, scarce years, error strikes, and the silver and gold commemorative coins the Singapore Mint sells. Everyday change from a coin jar is worth what it says.

Is Japanese occupation banana money worth anything?

Only to collectors, and not for much. Banana money, the Japanese occupation notes of 1942 to 1945, lost all its value when the war ended. It isn't legal tender, so no bank will exchange it. It was printed in huge numbers, so most pieces sell for very little, and any value it has is historical.

Does the Singapore Mint buy old notes and coins?

The Singapore Mint and banknote and coin dealers are where you get commemorative and collector pieces valued, and dealers are where checking and buying happen. MAS itself stays out of the resale market. Whatever a dealer offers, you can always get the face value of a genuine note or coin back at a bank or MAS.

Sources

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This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change, so verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.

Junxiong-WFG Organisation is an authorised representative of AIA Financial Advisers Private Limited (Reg. No. 201715016G).