Malaysia Money Matters (new Malaysia coins) 五彩錢幣

如果你是在七月後才打算來馬來西亞旅遊, 請不要被手上拿的錢幣給混淆了. 看著同樣額度卻全然不同的兩款錢幣, 別以為那是玩具鈔還是假鈔, 那是馬來西亞新出的錢幣啦 :P

If you're about to visit Malaysia after July 2012, don't be surprised and confused by the new notes that Malaysia National Bank is publishing soon. Here's a blink of how they look like.

Beautiful & colourful ya? These new Malaysian banknotes themed "Distinctively Malaysia" reflects the diversity and richness of Malaysia's national identity and show the world how beautiful Malaysia is through its 2D way. If you want to see the 3D one, come and experience its beauty in Malaysia~!!

According to wikipedia (Malaysian Ringgit), this is the Malaysian ringgit third series coinage and fourth series banknote designs. Let's take a look back to history before we see the new one.

Coinage: first series (1967), second series (1989), third series (2012)
Banknote: first series (1967), second series (1982), third series (1996), fourth series (2007-2012)

The reverse side has BANK NEGARA MALAYSIA wording which literally means Malaysia National Bank in Malay, with our national flower Hibiscus (Rosa Sinensis) blooming beautifully. The bigger digits are the value and the minor one is the year it's minted. The obverse side has 14 dots which carry the meaning of 13 States and collective Federal Territories (Kuala Lumpur, Labuan & Putrajaya as one). Five horizontal lines indicating the five principles of Rukunegara (National Principles).

Lets start with 50 cents, not the singer but our biggest bling bling coinage (on left top). Finally we have something GOLD again after the $1 coin was demonetised and withdrawn from circulation on 7 December 2005. Well, it's not actually made from gold, but nickle brass clad copper. The 50 sen coin is more distinctive than the other denominations. The round shape of the coin has nine indentations, forgoing the original "BANK NEGARA MALAYSIA" lettering. The obverse does not feature the five horizontal lines, but instead a latent image security feature is placed over the coin, where lettering of the denomination "50" and "SEN" can be seen when the coin is tilted slightly.

(photo source)

The obverse features different motifs for each denomination. For example, the motif on 50 cents is of sulur kacang design. You can see this kind of pea-tendrills-design on traditional Malay wooden sculpture such as Malay traditional house, keris and even sometimes on the batik shirt. This motif shown the artistry design adopted from nature.

                                     (photo source)



Bunga melur (Jasmine flower) design is on the foreground of the new 20 cents with "destar siga" design on the background. The jasmine flower is widely used in Malaysia and culturally significant among the three major races in Malaysia. The Malay plant it as decoration, the Chinese drink it with green tea, the Indian consecrate it to the deities. Its aromatic scent makes it an important part of traditional ceremonies like weddings and prayers. It is also a popular motif in traditional arts and crafts like embroidery and silverwork. On the new 20 sen coin, the jasmine flower is featured with a 'destar siga' cloth motif in the background.
                                      

 (photo source)

The 'orang asli' (aboriginal tribes) of Malaysia are talented in weaving indigenous leaves and plants into decorative items such as headbands, sashes and skirts for traditional rituals and ceremonies. Each tribe have their own weave pattern that is often inspired by their belief system and surrounding environment. On the new 10 sen coin, this heritage is represented by the unique weave pattern of the Mah Meri tribe in Peninsular Malaysia.

The 'destar siga' cloth is an indigenous form of fabric weaving that originates from the Kadazan Dusun tribe in Sabah. Used as a headdress during traditional ceremonies, it is woven mainly from yarns of black thread and accented by multi-coloured threads into various geometric patterns and flora and fauna inspired motifs. On the new 5 sen coin, the 'destar siga' pattern is prominently featured, accompanied by the 'sulur kacang' as a background motif.

Here is a video of the design of the coins.

More to come. The new banknotes of Malaysia. click me :)

Reference:
Bank Negara Malaysia
Wikipedia Ringgit Malaysia