This is a relatively niche pack of cards issued by the International Stamp & Coin Sdn. Bhd., Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Each suit displays the same images of Malayan dollar banknotes issued by the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Malaya, immediately prior to and after the Japanese occupation of the Malay Peninsula (1942-1945). Banknotes in denominations of 1, 5 and 10-dollar notes had been printed in the UK for circulation in British Malaya in 1940 but with the exception of the 10-dollar note, none of these notes were ever put into circulation by the Straits Settlements Government.

Notes from 1 cent to 10,000 dollars had been printed in Britain either before, or during, the occupation but had not previously been sent to Malaya. These were subsequently issued after the War, with the result that the original date of issue (1941 or 1942) remained in place. The notes of this series from 1 cent to 10 dollars were dated 1 July 1941, those of 50, 100 and 1,000 dollars 1 January 1942. The pack displays all the “new” notes together with the 1940 “old” 10-dollar note (on the 9 of each suit). This old note was gradually withdrawn as the new issue became adequate for the country's needs. The notes display the figure of George VI, King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. See the box►

Above: playing cards featuring King George VI Currency Notes, Malaya 1941-1942, issued by the International Stamp & Coin Sdn. Bhd., Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia The original banknotes were printed by Thomas De La Rue & Company Limited, London. I assume the playing cards were printed in Malaysia. There are no clues either on the cards themselves or on the box of a production date. The words "Souvenir playing cards" is on both sides of the box.

NOTE: The term "British Malaya" loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. On 1 April 1946, the Malayan Union officially came into existence, combining the Federated Malay States, Unfederated Malay States and the Straits Settlements of Penang and Malacca under one administration. The capital of the Union was Kuala Lumpur. The former Straits Settlement of Singapore was administered as a separate crown colony. The Malayan Union was unpopular and in 1948 was dissolved and replaced by the Federation of Malaya, which became fully independent on 31 August 1957. On 16 September 1963, the federation, along with North Borneo (Sabah), Sarawak, and Singapore, formed the larger federation of Malaysia.

FURTHER REFERENCE

• Colnect: Banknote catalog › Malaya › Banknotes►