Sunday, August 26, 2007

Some Things OLD

I was flipping through some old photo albums when a small angpow dropped onto the floor. Ooooh…..ang pow, huh? I cannot even remember how the angpow ended up among the pages of the album – opened it and found this :-

A ONE CENT note issued ‘IN THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS AND MALAY STATES’ dated 1st JULY 1941… This makes it 66 years old!


And I found this too:-


A ONE RUPEE note issued by the GOVERNMENT OF INDIA dated July 1972....this makes it 35 years old. I remember this note and 2 pieces of unusual-looking plastic 3-D stamps from BHUTAN were given by a friend who was studying in Chandigarh, India at that time.



And I like to show this not-that-old ‘SA-PULOH RINGGIT’ note too. Just about 10 years ago or so, I was back in Penang to clear momma’s cupboard and accidentally found a small stack of 10 pieces of this red-coloured notes neatly wrapped in old and yellowed newspaper and hidden among her beautiful sarongs and exquisite kebayas. RM100 those days, was a lot of money and I guess momma saved and hid the money for emergency-use.


Momma passed on in the early 70s and for many, many years after that, I just could not bring myself to clear her possessions. Each trip I was back in Penang, I would unlock the cupboard, looked at the contents and then locked it back. And when Poppa finally left to join Momma in the mid 90s, I decided to do a thorough clearing of their cupboards….and more than 20 years after she left me, momma still had something for me. I miss Momma and I miss Poppa.

 
posted by nyonyapenang at 6:35 PM, |

60 Comments:

  At 8:22 PM Blogger Ehon said:
wah! why u always find antic one? :D so cool! why i don rmbr seeing the sapuloh ringgit when i was young? hmm..
aiyak... dun sad, dun sad... they are in a better place liao...

i remember that sapuloh ringgit note... together with all the lima ringgit and satu ringgit and lima puloh ringgit :)
  At 9:46 PM Blogger Chen said:
Wow..those are antiques !!!
I have some vague memories about that sapuloh ringgit note.
  At 10:31 PM Blogger Unknown said:
Hi Nyonyapenang,

Wow! That's the first time I see a one cent note. Amazing that. 66 years old? Find out some antique experts as to how to keep it in good order for the next 34 years. I will pick a good price I'm sure, well, unless you're sentimental then, it is important still to know th ebest way to keep it in mint order.

Awww...yes we do miss our loved ones endlessly. Keep the good memories intact. It helps. Cheers dear.
  At 10:58 PM Blogger ilene said:
Doing spring cleaning ah? You know of any genuine coin collectors who are willing to pay a hefty price for all these notes? Actually, I do have a lot but don't know who to turn to. I mean those really trustworthy ones. They are actually my dad's collection which I'm trying to get rid of some of them. No money liow. I now need present currency denomination!
  At 11:22 PM Blogger Will said:
wow antique... should go laminate it up :P
Wow ... good finds ! Maybe I should start looking in my parent's stashes if they have anything like that ...
  At 7:14 AM Blogger  Lee said:
Hi Nyonya, can see you walking down Memory Lane.
Memories are a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.
Memory... is the diary that we all carry about with us.
Pleasure is the flower that passes; remembrance, the lasting perfume.
Footfalls echo in the memory,
Down the passage which we did not take
Towards the door we never opened.
Happy memories, Nyonya, UL.
  At 7:15 AM Blogger J.T. said:
Lovely antiques! I remember that word "Sa-puloh". Ah! memories.

After mum passed away, we did not touch her stuff until a year later. When we cleared her cupboard, we found lots of old stuff - some still looking new. My mum too had a habit of stashing money in between her clothes.

I too miss mum and dad. Seems like only yesterday when they were around.
  At 8:54 AM Blogger famil said:
that one cent got an error in spelling (the jawi).. it was printed 'suat sen' intead of 'satu sen'...

do u realised that our money are the same with the singapore, brunei and the british (the color scheme). Blue is for 1 dollar.. red for 10, brown 20. etc..

yeah it hard to move on sometimes. felt the same with my granpa stuff.. when granma throw them away, i do managed to curi some and hide them on the attic. Now the attic is sealed and those stuff are still there ;p
  At 9:08 AM Anonymous Anonymous said:
I must search see got these oldies in my house or not
:)
I love old things
Old things are good
  At 10:31 AM Blogger Pi Bani said:
Waa.. you got lots of those old stuff at home, don't you? Now I don't feel so old after all... hehehe...
  At 10:37 AM Anonymous Anonymous said:
What a PRICELESS findings.... :)
O_O

NICE!
Ooo..definitely worth much much more than one cent now. Good find!
Must preserve it well.
those are very impressive finds nyonyapenang..I guess ure like ur mama too..keeping away money here and there? :)

*hug hug* im sure u hv always made ur mama and papa proud parents knowing they hv brought up such a wonderful daughter :)
  At 7:36 PM Blogger pearly said:
hi my dearest :
Don't be so sad la , your beloved mum and dad now together ,there never been away there always in your heart ,there are around to look after you, take it that way there are now your angel.

wow ! one cent in pound note you also got huh , is an antiq already keep a few more year your grand cucu can send to E bay to make lot of money xxxxxxx
  At 9:29 PM Blogger zewt said:
wah liao... that 1 cent is more than double my age...

i wonder if i have cleared all my mama's possession...
  At 9:46 AM Blogger sengkor said:
ur house always got money dropped out one.. can i visit ur house ah..?
  At 10:06 AM Blogger savante said:
Mana you jumpa all this money? Disney money? Now old money?
  At 12:22 PM Anonymous Anonymous said:
This nyonya has got money stashed up everywhere!!! Wonder how much she's got in her Swiss Bank account...oops! Frozen already, right? My wife's got lots of Japanese banana money!!! (And what's hers is also mine lah...!!!) Worth at least over RM100 a piece in Melaka. Man said Japanese tourists love to buy.
these monies are older than me!!!

now i feel young!
Hi ehon,
I think I am kinda hoarder lar...hahahah...keeping a lot of junk and all.
The SA-PULOH ringgit note was in circulation in the late 60s and early 70s....you were not born yet. :)

Have a nice day.
Hi Angel,
Thank you for your comforting words. Ya, they are in a better and beautiful place and they are together. :)

You remember the SATU RATOS RINGGIT, LIMA RATOS RINGGIT and the SATU RIBU RINGGIT notes? I did not keep any.
hi dr chen,
BTW, do you know how old an item has be before it can be considered a true antique? More than 50 years or 100 years old?
Hi Ruby,
Ya, that's a good suggestion....should go look for someone who is an expert in things old. I sure need their help on how to keep these 'oldies' in good condition. I do have a few other 'oldies', eg. momma's old nyonya kebaya tops (about 40 years old now) and her silver and brass belts and a pair of completed beadwork for slippers and other knick-knacks. So far, have not had them 'valued' because I have no plans to let them go.

I take comfort in your kind words, Ruby. Thank you so much.

You have a great day.
hi ilene,
no lar....as usual, was looking for something but something else pop out.

re: your priceless loot, perhaps, you can call up our museum curator or something to direct you further.
ya, just have to be careful that you deal with genuine collectors only.

have a great day, ilene.
hi will,
i think i will need to consult some experts liao hor?
hi moz monster,
quick...go look...you may just find some priceless items.
  At 3:46 PM Anonymous Anonymous said:
wah found another treasure...

are you on a treasure hunt mode or something? :) Cheer up ya!
Hi Uncle Lee,
I always look forward to your comments - it is always so beautifully written, so full of meaning, so heart-warming, so thought-provoking and always touching. You are never short of the most appropriate words to boost a happy heart, to cheer a sad heart and to melt all hearts......

"Pleasure is the flower that passes; Remembrance, the lasting perfume."

Wowww.....and woooowww...

Thank you so much, Uncle Lee.
You have a great day.
Hi j.t.,
I took me a very, very long time...more than 20 years to clear momma's cupboard...ahhhhh....I cleared lots in Penang and brought a small load of her sarongs and kebayas and other knick-knacks back with me. I wanna keep them with me.

Momma left when I was in my teens and I sometimes imagine what it would be like to have her with me now. Oh, I miss her.
hi famil,
Oooh! Ada salah eja in the Jawi script? Like that, does that make it a 'freak note' and then worth more?
Woowww....thanks famil, for noticing and highlighting it.

I never realised jugak the similar colour scheme of the notes of the of Singapore, Brunei and Britain. :)

Ya, I know what you mean....your grandma threw it away and you go sorok it. We are sentimental fellows. :)
hi zeroimpact,
spend some time...you may just find a treasure trove in your house. :)
Hi Pi Bani,
"Age appears to be best in some things. Old Wood, Best to Burn. Old Authors, Best to Read. Old Wine, Best to Drink, Old Friends, Best to Keep."

Hang around more with me, and you'll always feel young.

Have a pleasant day.
Hi Shooi,
A warm welcome! Come, let me serve you kopi-oh. :)

I do have a lot of old stuffs here and there, so when I am free and into some spring cleaning, I'll come across things that I have long forgotten.

Please feel free to drop by anytime, Shooi. Your comments are always welcomed.

Have a great day.
hi day-dreamer,
O_o....go check out your parents' loot...you may find some interesting things there. :)
hi king's wife,
i also believe it is worth more than 1 cent now...wah...this note is actually before 2nd World War one. :)
hi winniethepooh,
ya....you got it right there. hahahah...I am kinda like momma, stashing money here and there. In fact, the other day, I accidentally found one envelope of about 50 pieces RM10 notes... leftovers from dunno which year's angpow money.

**hug...hug..** thanks winnie, thanks so much for the hugs. you made me feel so good.
you are such a kind soul and i would love to meet you one day.

have a pleasant day.
Hi Pearly,
Awww...thank you...thank you so much for your kind words.
Ya, poppa and momma are together now and I am sure they are happy and I am lucky to have them look over me, always.

Ya lar, Pearly, I keep alot of junk and old stuffs. Sometimes, keep amd keep and keep until completely forgotten. Then when looking for something, then dig here and dig there, suddenly something else dropped out. hahahaha...

You have a pleasant day.
hi zewt,
hahhaha....it's because you are very young only.
but come to think of it, the note is old...its before WW 2!
hi sengkor,
hahahhahaa....you are so funny. but i suggest you start visiting old, old houses...you may just find money dropping out of the woodwork. really wan...i experience it before. :)
hi savante,
got Disney money, got old money, and got little bit new money and can go mimum kopi with you.

have a nice day.
hi monster mom,
A warm welcome to you. Jemput masuk..let me serve you kopi-susu.

Oh yes, that 1 cent note is almost twice your age. You are a young and beautiful mother and wife.

Do drop by anytime you fancy. You comments are always appreciated.

You have a great day.
hi suituapui,
Oh, you mean my 'sui' account ar? now no more 'sui' liao..no money there lar and it has become 'boh-sui' account.

wah...banana currency going for RM100 a piece! lidat cikgu, OKK liao. ...Orang Kaya-Kaya.
Okie, treat on Sibu foochow mee on you.
hi jl,
hhmmmm....treasure hunt...sounds interesting. okie...i must work on it.

thanks for your kind thoughts, jl. appreciate it lots.

you have a pleasant day.
  At 7:24 PM Anonymous Anonymous said:
Come here nyonya, kopi soh gip you hugs, sigh, I still have all my dad's things kept away even his popcorn and Hacks......
hi firehorse,
**hug...hugsss**
thanks for the hugs....ahh...i feel so much better already.

wow...Hacks and pop-corn? You must have kept them in the fridge. :)
  At 1:03 PM Anonymous Anonymous said:
What great pieces of treasure those are.... :)
  At 3:14 PM Blogger Jonzz said:
Wah such a nostalgic post. I've never seen that 10 dollar note before. Probably cos at that time period, the biggest currency in my possession were made of metal not paper, lol!
Hi Giddy Tiger,
Oh ya, to me those are treasures. Sometimes,I also shake my head in disbelief....I have been keeping them for like sooooo long?
And with shifting house and all that and they are still with me? hahahah...

You have a great day.
Hi Jonzz,
Talking about coins, I am actually looking for my box of coins.
If you have not seen the SA-PULOH RINGGIT note, then I think you have not seen our Malayan square-shaped 1 cent coin.
  At 4:17 AM Blogger J.T. said:
Hi Nyonya

More than 20 years to clear your momma's cupboard is a long time. I can imagine how difficult that was for you. More so, losing her when you were a teenager.

Our moms may not be able to be with us now but they will forever live in our hearts. :)
  At 5:50 AM Blogger  Lee said:
Hello Nyonya, hey! I noticed you changed your profile photo? Is that you and your sister, you on the right with long hair and the gold Rolex watch? Wow! Very nice, Nyonya.
New blog header, new style page, new profile photo, Holy Smoke!
Way to go, Nyonya. OUTSTANDING!
You be cool, UL.
I also got few of those few note from pre merdeka time money....
Hi j.t.,
I used to share the cupboard with momma and when she passed on, I just could not bear to move her things. In a way, I think I felt much comfort when I could still see and touch her clothes. When I moved to KL, I left the old cupboard in Penang and I would open it each time I was back for a visit.
Twenty odd years just passed like that and I finally sat down and sorted out the things and brought some back with me to KL.

Yes, j.t. our beloved momma and poppa will forever live in ort hearts.

Have a pleasant day.
Hi Uncle Lee,
Hahaha....You noticed my new profile pic and you like it very much, ya? Thank you..thank you....I like it too. Wah...the chillie-red colour of the pic sure stands, out ya?

Ah.....that pic of 2 charming girls - just wished it is my sister and me, with long hair and gold Rolex watch on my wrist. hahahah... I like your sense of humour.

Thanks alot for your compliments. You made my day, Uncle Lee.

Have a great day.
Hi Pisanggoreng,
Wow....you have a treasure trove at home!
  At 10:50 PM Blogger Unknown said:
Wishing all of us 'Happy Merdeka'. Take care.
Hi Ruby,
Thank you.

Let me wish you a very HAPPY MERDEKA too....and many, many more to come. :)