Malaysia New Commemorative Coins - Good News for Coin Collectors

If you collect coins either as a hobby or investment, then there's good news. Malaysian Central Bank, Bank Negara, recently launched the new Malaysian Commemorative Coins 2012 which were issued in the denominations of 5 sen, 10 sen, 20 sen and 50 sen. See photo above for image of coins.

This is the third in the series of Malaysian coins. The first series of Malaysian coins were introduced in 1967 whilst the second, in 1989.

Later this year, a new series of Malaysian banknotes will also be issued. So if you are a banknotes collector, then this is good news.

The design motifs of the new coin series were inspired by Malaysian culture and heritage. It is in the form of nature, flora and fauna, and traditional handicraft. (see photo)

These new coins are now in circulation since 16^th January 2012. A perfect timing to coincide with the Chinese New Year. As part of the Chinese New Year tradition, ang pows , or red packet that is filled with money, will be given out to youngsters or the unmarried, when they come to visit during the Chinese New Year. Usually it will be new bank notes, but with the new coins, it will be a novelty to put these new coins instead. A pretty heavy ang pows to be carrying around!

Our Malaysian currency, previously known as Malaysian dollars, is now known as Malaysian Ringgit. This change happened in 1993 and what was M$ is now replaced by RM (Ringgit Malaysia). However internationally the currency code, MYR, is more widely used.

There were several New Malaysian Commemorative Coins and Banknotes issued when these happen. If you are a collector, you may find it on eBay or Amazon.com. However, you have to do a search on a regular basis, as it is not available for sale all the time.

The RM1 is divided into 100 sen and the current exchange rate varies between US$1 = RM3.20 to RM3.00. To give you a feel of our cost of living, a can of Coca Cola will cost you about RM1 at the supermarket (i.e. about US$0.32) It used to be cheaper than that, but the prices of goods have now gone up. I guess that's why the new coins are smaller and lighter, 'cos we got to carry more to pay for what used to cost less!

The existing coins (see photo below), which has been in circulation for more than 20 years, will gradually be phased out and replaced with these new coins. So if you are a coin collector, it's a good idea to start collecting the old coins now.

Collecting the old coins will be another great idea, either for future sales or for keep; to realise its value or worth. Again another Good News for Coin Collectors.

These new coins are claimed to have incorporated the latest improvements in minting technology that have counterfeit resistance security features. Even the new metal alloy is designed for durability against wear and corrosion.

The coins are also designed to assist the visually impaired to differentiate the different denominations through its dissimilar sizes and the edge designs. (see photo below)

One side of all the new coins, shares the same motifs i.e. our national flower, the hibiscus. It also has the coin's face value, year of minting and the words 'Bank Negara Malaysia', which is the coin's issuing authority.

The design on the reverse side, varies and are as follows:

50 sen coin value : New Malaysian Commemorative Coins - Good News for Coin Collectors

The motif featured on the new 50 sen coin value is the pea tendrils, a design that is traditionally used by the woodcarvers and silversmiths. See photo below for image of coins. If the coin is tilted slightly, the latent image of 50sen can be seen. This is one of the security feature of this new coin. (See photo above). The other security feature is the fine lines in the motif background.

The coin is of Alloy Nickel Brass Clad Copper and measures 0.89 inches (22.65mm) in diameter and weigh 0.2 oz (5.66 gm)

20 sen coin value : Malaysia New Commemorative Coins - Good News for Coin Collectors

The 20 sen coin design motif is that of jasmine flower, a flower that has a cultural significant value among Malaysia's three major races. Malaysia is a multicultural and multi ethnic country with Malay, Chinese and Indian being the major racial components in the country.

The security feature is the 'destar siga' cloth motif that is set in the background to the jasmine flower. See photo below for image of coins.

The coin is of Nickel Brass and measures 0.81 inches (20.60mm) in diameter and weigh 0.147 oz (4.18gm)

10 sen coin value : New Malaysian Commemorative Coins - Good News for Coin Collectors

The design motif on the new 10 sen coin is the unique weave pattern of one of the aboriginal tribes of Malaysia. See photo below for image of coins. They are good at weaving indigenous leaves and plants and turn them into sashes, headbands and skirts, used for their traditional ceremonies.

The coin is stainless steel and measures 0.74 inches (18.80mm) in diameter and weigh 0.105oz (2.98gm)

5 sen coin value

Malaysia New Commemorative Coins - Good News for Coin Collectors

This is the smallest coin denomination in our Malaysian currency. We used to have the 1 sen coin but is slowly being phased out by rounding up or down of the sales value to the nearest 5 sen. So we have less coins to carry!

The new 5 sen coin motif features the 'destar siga' cloth design (see photo below for image of coins). This is a fabric weaving design from the Kadazan Dusun tribe, in Sabah, one of the states in Malaysia. The fabric is usually woven from yards of black thread and superimposed with threads of various colors. It is used as a headdress during traditional ceremonies.

The security feature is the pea tendrils set as the background of the 'destar siga' pattern.

The coin is stainless steel and measures 0.70 inches (17.78mm) in diameter and weigh 0.061oz (1.72gm)

Thanks for dropping by and reading this hub Malaysia New Commemorative Coins - Good News for Coin Collectors. If you are keen to know more, the Malaysian Central Bank, Bank Negara's website is here.

If you are interested in writing, for fun or otherwise, join Hubpages. It is free and its fun. Signing up for Hubpages is simple, you can do that by clicking here.