Statute Details
- Title: Coins to Be Issued on 10th January 1997
- Act Code: CA1967-S534-1996
- Type: Subsidiary Legislation (SL)
- Authorising Act: Currency Act (Chapter 69)
- Authorising Provision: Section 17(5) of the Currency Act
- Legislative Instrument Number: No. S 534
- Commencement / Issue Date: 10 January 1997 (coins to be issued on this date)
- Status: Current version as at 27 Mar 2026
- Core Content: Notification of the denominations and characteristics of specified coins
- Key Instrument Structure: Enacting formula + Schedule
What Is This Legislation About?
This subsidiary legislation is a formal notification issued under the Currency Act to inform the public (and market participants) about the specific coinage that will be issued on a particular date—here, 10 January 1997. In practical terms, it is not a broad policy statute that creates a new regulatory regime; rather, it is an instrument that sets out the technical and legal specifications (denominations and characteristics) of coins that the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore (the “Board”) is authorised to issue.
The legal significance of such notifications is that coinage is a matter of national monetary system design. Denominations and physical characteristics (such as design features and other identifying attributes) must be clearly defined so that coins can be recognised as legal tender, used reliably in commerce, and distinguished from other tokens or foreign coinage. By publishing these details in a schedule, the legislation ensures that the coin specifications are accessible and authoritative.
Although the extract provided is brief, it reflects the typical structure of coin-issue notifications in Singapore: a short enacting formula referencing the enabling provision, followed by a schedule listing the coins’ denominations and characteristics. The instrument is therefore best understood as a public notice with legal effect, anchored in the Currency Act’s framework for coin issuance.
What Are the Key Provisions?
1. Enabling authority and notification purpose. The instrument states that it is issued “pursuant to section 17(5) of the Currency Act.” This is crucial. Section 17(5) provides the legal mechanism for the Board to issue coins and for the Government to notify the public of the coin specifications. The notification’s role is to make the technical details official and publicly available “for general information.” In other words, the legal effect flows from the Currency Act, while the subsidiary legislation supplies the specific coin details for the relevant issue date.
2. The specified issue date: 10 January 1997. The notification is explicitly tied to a single date: coins to be issued on 10th January 1997. This temporal linkage matters for practitioners dealing with historical coinage, disputes involving payment, or questions about whether a particular coin was part of the official series issued on that date. If a coin was minted or circulated outside the specified issue date, the legal classification may differ, and the instrument provides a reference point for the official issue schedule.
3. The Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore. The instrument identifies the issuing authority as “the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore.” This matters because the Board is the statutory body responsible for currency administration under the Currency Act. For legal analysis, it confirms that the coin specifications are not merely administrative preferences but are connected to the statutory issuance function of the Board.
4. The Schedule: denominations and characteristics. The core substantive content is “as shown in the Schedule.” Even though the extract does not reproduce the schedule’s table, the legal requirement is clear: the schedule sets out the denominations (e.g., the face values) and the characteristics (the physical and design attributes that identify the coins). In practice, “characteristics” can include features such as design elements, inscriptions, edge or other distinguishing marks, and other technical specifications that enable recognition and verification. For lawyers, the schedule is the authoritative source to consult when determining what coins were officially specified for that issue date.
5. Citation and administrative references. The extract includes a bracketed reference: “[BCCS 03/05/035; AG/LEG/SL/69/96/1].” While these references are primarily administrative, they can be useful for practitioners seeking the underlying drafting file, internal approvals, or legislative processing records. In disputes or research, such references can help locate the authoritative version and related materials.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
As a subsidiary legislation instrument, the structure is intentionally concise. The document comprises:
(a) Enacting formula. This sets out the legal basis for the notification, explicitly referencing section 17(5) of the Currency Act.
(b) The Schedule. The schedule is where the substantive specifications reside. It is the operative part for identifying the coins’ denominations and characteristics.
(c) Publication and versioning information. The legislation platform indicates that the instrument is “current version as at 27 Mar 2026,” and includes a timeline showing the original issue date and the instrument number (SL 534/1996; No. S 534). This versioning is important for ensuring that practitioners consult the correct consolidated or current form of the instrument, particularly where amendments or reprints may occur over time.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
This notification applies primarily to the monetary system and, indirectly, to all persons who interact with Singapore coinage—members of the public, businesses, financial institutions, vending operators, and payment processors. While the instrument itself is framed as “for general information,” the legal effect of specifying coin characteristics means that it informs how coins are recognised and treated as part of Singapore’s official currency.
More specifically, the instrument is relevant to:
- The Board of Commissioners of Currency, as the issuing authority whose coin specifications must align with the published schedule.
- Entities that accept or handle coins (retailers, banks, cash-handling vendors), because they must ensure their systems and staff can identify the official denominations and characteristics.
- Legal practitioners and courts in payment disputes or evidentiary questions about whether a particular coin corresponds to the official series issued on 10 January 1997.
Because the instrument is a notification rather than a regulatory code, it does not typically impose duties or penalties on private parties in the way that a licensing or enforcement statute would. Its practical applicability lies in the authoritative definition of coin specifications.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Although the text is short, the legislation is important for several reasons. First, coinage is foundational to commercial transactions. When coins are issued, their denominations and characteristics must be unambiguous so that payments are valid and so that automated and manual coin recognition systems can function reliably. By publishing these details in a schedule, the instrument reduces uncertainty and supports consistent treatment of Singapore coins.
Second, the instrument provides a legal reference point for historical coin identification. In disputes involving payment, fraud, or counterfeit allegations, parties may need to determine whether a coin was part of an official issue and whether it matches the specified characteristics. The schedule—though not reproduced in the extract—would be the key evidentiary document for such analysis.
Third, the instrument demonstrates how Singapore’s currency law operates through a combination of primary legislation (the Currency Act) and subsidiary notifications. The Currency Act provides the overarching authority and legal framework; the subsidiary legislation then supplies the specific technical details for each coin issuance. For practitioners, this structure is a useful model when researching other currency-related instruments: always identify the enabling provision in the Currency Act and then consult the schedule in the relevant subsidiary notification.
Related Legislation
- Currency Act (Chapter 69) — including section 17(5), which authorises the notification of coin denominations and characteristics.
- Legislation timeline / related “Timeline” materials — useful for confirming the correct version and instrument number (e.g., SL 534/1996; No. S 534).
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Coins to Be Issued on 10th January 1997 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.