Modern coinage of Brunei

[Figleaf]

Heath was turning a coin issue into a political propaganda tool. He was out to convince voters. The sultan's issue is, as you rightly remarked above, a vanity project. He doesn't need voters. Heath therefore had a motive to get involved in the distribution. The sultan just needs enough sets as presents for his friends and followers. He does not have any motive to get involved in the distribution of the rest. On the contrary. If sets are exported, so is the glory of the sultan. He has no need to advertise himself domestically, like Heath.

There's no chance that the Brunei powers that be will even react to a request for information. In those circumstances, you have to look for other sources of information, preferably of a statistical nature and that does not include one guy finding one coin in circulation calling it a rare event. Such statistical information is in the price. That is not an unusual analysis.

The GDP/head of Brunei is not bad, but not good either. Moreover, it is likely that the income distribution is quite uneven, with the sultan and the sultan's hangers on, those involved in the oil industry and the financial sector, the airline, the beer brewer and maybe some large hotel owners claiming the lion share. In other words, Brunei has more than enough poor people. If word spread that coins of this series will bring some extra money from foreigners, they would have been found and shipped out and they would have been available on eBay now. If the price on eBay is high, that is a major indication that is statistically plausible the coins did not circulate, which is rational behaviour.

Peter

[<k>]

The sultan just needs enough sets as presents for his friends and followers. He does not have any motive to get involved in the distribution of the rest. On the contrary. If sets are exported, so is the glory of the sultan. He has no need to advertise himself domestically, like Heath.

You absolutely cannot second-guess the Sultan's motives. You are not inside his head. Moreover, humans typically desire lots of things beyond their needs, which is why we have a climate crisis. Perhaps the Sultan has in general a paternal view of his people and wanted them to share his celebration by issuing a few such coins into circulation. It really is not beyond the bounds of possibility.


Here at least is what we do know. I quote the salient points from the article that eurocoin linked to:

More than 92,000 students in the country will receive commemorative 50 cent coins minted to mark the the Golden Jubilee of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.

Autoriti Monetari Brunei Darussalam (AMBD) announced last month that a portion of the 500,000 new coins will be set aside to be distributed to schools, while the remaining coins will be put into circulation as legal tender.

The coins will be distributed to 92,439 preschool, primary, secondary and sixth form students from 234 schools. They will each receive the 50 cent coin which comes in blister packaging.

The central bank in a statement said that, “This 50 cent coin is a special gift to the students, distributed by AMBD, to allow them to own one of the latest currencies in conjunction with the Golden Jubilee. It is hoped that this special gift will be appreciated by the students and serves as a precious reminder of the golden jubilee of our beloved Sultan, who cares deeply for the people, religion and country”.

Did any coins other than the 50 cents coin circulate? As yet we do not know. Perhaps eventually we will. 

[Pabitra]

Somewhere down the line, in this thread, the distinction between a single 50 sen coin and a set got lost.

Do I recall single 50 Eurocent coin of Vatican City, given to all visitors of WMF Berlin, at face value, few years back Or Luxembourg 2 Euro, picked up in a cafe in Luxembourg OR 1 Ngultrum picked in in Phuentsholing, Bhutan in a Pan ( Betel leaf ) shop as not a rare event? In such case, I will have no nostalgic memories of my numismatic travels to write about when I sit down to write my memoirs.

[eurocoin]

There's no chance that the Brunei powers that be will even react to a request for information.

To my own surprise, I just received an extensive reply from the Monetary Authority of Brunei. They provided a lot of information but nothing that we didn't already know. Will see if I can still get information out of them that is needed to convince certain members.

[Figleaf]

Surprising indeed, but if it's an off-the-shelf reply that doesn't answer your questions, it becomes less surprising already. I hope you will be successful in getting more information out of them. Thanks for the effort.

One of my acquaintances spent time in Brunei as a helicopter pilot. He is my best source on life there, but he was there ages ago. However, recent media reports on items such as women's discrimination, in particular in penal law and application of sharia law, show much the same picture as his stories. This is a closed, autocratic, strictly controlled society depending on foreigners and with a totally skewed income distribution, much like Saudi Arabia. That - and the assumption that the sultan is mentally sane - is exactly why I can make a pretty good guess of the sultan's motivation.

Peter

[eurocoin]

According to the Monetary Authority of Brunei, the 1 sen, 5 sen, 10 sen and 20 sen coins first issued in 2017 will together with their standard 50 sen coin form the standard circulating coin series of Brunei and will continue to be produced for general circulation in years to come.

The 2017-dated 50 sen coin of which 500,000 pieces were produced (92,000 of which were given to students), was a commemorative coin.

[malawi]

Thank you  eurocoin !! excellent research

So we will have coins of the new series with new dates in the future

[Figleaf]

As eurocoin noted, practically none of the information is new. You will find almost all of it upthread. It doesn't explain the high prices for the 2017 coins on eBay. What is new is that he has opened a communication channel with the powers that be, that they plan to issue the 2017 types in later years (though there is no information on whether the date on them will be frozen or actualised) and that the 50 cents 2017 is considered a commemorative issue. That much we have gained. Moreover, eurocoin has pledged to continue his discussion with them.

Peter

[malawi]

not all coins of the 2017 series have high prices

now they are sold in large quantities on ebay 1 sen and 5 sen 2017  ; price only 0.99 Dollar

[Big_M]

Has anybody translated the commemorative text in Arabic script on the 50 sen coin?

[<k>]

This is a closed, autocratic, strictly controlled society depending on foreigners and with a totally skewed income distribution, much like Saudi Arabia. That - and the assumption that the sultan is mentally sane - is exactly why I can make a pretty good guess of the sultan's motivation.

Sorry, I can't accept this. It reeks of determinism: Francis Galton, Pavlov, B F Skinner et al. That's a dangerous philosophy, rampant in the 1930s. In fact, in psychological terms we are all individuals.

[Pabitra]

Surprising indeed, but if it's an off-the-shelf reply that doesn't answer your questions, it becomes less surprising already. I hope you will be successful in getting more information out of them. Thanks for the effort.

One of my acquaintances spent time in Brunei as a helicopter pilot. He is my best source on life there, but he was there ages ago. However, recent media reports on items such as women's discrimination, in particular in penal law and application of sharia law, show much the same picture as his stories. This is a closed, autocratic, strictly controlled society depending on foreigners and with a totally skewed income distribution, much like Saudi Arabia. That - and the assumption that the sultan is mentally sane - is exactly why I can make a pretty good guess of the sultan's motivation.

Peter

sultan of Brunei ( or more exactly his brother's) activities have long been interesting readings in tabloid in UK

See

How Sultan of Brunei?s notorious playboy brother threw sex parties, gave boob