Sarawak cent 1941

Started by mrbadexample, April 16, 2016, 10:38:59 AM

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mrbadexample

Hi all,

The 1941H Sarawak cent, KM#18, has an estimated 50 extant examples from 3 000 000 minted.

What happened to the rest?

Thanks,
MBE

Figleaf

Mint records indicate that Sarawak cents were minted with dates 1941 and 1942. A few of the 1941 have survived (none were found in Sarawak), none of the 1942 coins are known (they may have been dated 1941). There are a few circumstances to consider, like the U-boat threat and military demand for copper and aluminium in Britain, but I think there is another element in play.

If records say minting continued in 1942, it is a fair bet that the 1941 and 1942 coins were intended to be shipped together in 1942. The Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor took place on 7th December 1941. The same day, there were raids on the Philippines, Malaya and Singapore. The following day, Malaya was invaded. On 10th December, the Repulse and the Prince of Wales were sunk, reducing the British fleet to a handful of destroyers and instantly making the local Dutch fleet the most powerful in the area (until the battle of the Java sea.) That made Sarawak a dangerous place to go for a freighter.

Maybe the coins lingered on in UK vaults for a while, but it would have made sense to re-melt them and use the copper and aluminium for more aggressive purposes. The survivors may have come from a small, overlooked batch stored in the wrong place.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

andyg

There are certainly more than 50 about - probably more likely a few hundred I suspect.
always willing to trade modern UK coins for modern coins from elsewhere....

mrbadexample

What you say certainly makes sense Peter - minted but either lost in transit or not shipped and subsequently melted down.

Can I ask where you obtained the data from the mint records?

Figleaf

Not shipped. If they had been shipped, they would have figured on the bill of lading and insured by Lloyds. Those records would have survived, even if the ship had not.

Source: The Guidebook and Catalogue of British Commonwealth Coins by Jerome Remick, Somer James, Anthony Dowle and Patrick Finn, 3rd edition, Winnipeg 1971. See attachment.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

mrbadexample

Thanks once again Peter. Sounds like a useful reference that. :)

sinial

From A Numismatic History of the Birmingham Mint by Sweeny

sinial

Quote from: andyg on April 16, 2016, 11:30:56 AM
There are certainly more than 50 about - probably more likely a few hundred I suspect.

Definitely agree.
It will not appear 5-10 times per year in various auctions if only 50 pieces exist.

sinial

And here is mine.

mrbadexample

Very nice sinial! It's nice to hear that there are likely more than 50, I might stand a chance of finding one yet. :)

malj1

There is one on eBay today.

...at a price!  ::)
Malcolm
Have a look at  my tokens and my banknotes.

mrbadexample

Quote from: malj1 on April 28, 2016, 11:21:40 PM
There is one on eBay today.

...at a price!  ::)

Pockets not quite that deep.  :o