Statute Details
- Title: Coins to Be Issued on 27th October 1998
- Act Code: CA1967-S507-1998
- Type: Subsidiary Legislation (SL)
- Authorising Act: Currency Act (Chapter 69)
- Key Authorisation Provision: Section 17(5) of the Currency Act
- Enactment/Notification Date (as shown in timeline): 2 October 1998
- Commencement/Issue Date of Coins: 27 October 1998
- Status: Current version as at 27 March 2026 (per the extract)
- Parts: Not applicable (instrument is structured as a schedule/notification)
- Key Sections: The operative content is in the Schedule (denominations and characteristics of coins)
What Is This Legislation About?
This instrument is a Singapore subsidiary legislation notification made under the Currency Act (Chapter 69). In plain terms, it is an official public notice that the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore will issue certain coins on a specified date—27 October 1998.
The legal mechanism is important: rather than creating a new currency regime from scratch, the notification identifies the denominations and physical/technical characteristics of the coins that will be issued. It therefore functions as a “specification notice” tied to the Currency Act’s broader framework for Singapore’s coinage.
For practitioners, the key point is that this is not a general regulatory statute governing everyday conduct. It is a currency issuance instrument—a formal step that gives legal certainty and public notice about what coins will exist, what they are worth, and how they are characterised.
What Are the Key Provisions?
1. Legal basis and purpose (notification under section 17(5) of the Currency Act)
The instrument states that it is made “pursuant to section 17(5) of the Currency Act” and is “hereby notified for general information.” This language signals that the notification’s function is to inform the public and to provide an official record of the coin specifications.
2. The specified issue date: 27 October 1998
The notice is explicitly tied to a future date: the coins “to be issued on 27th October 1998.” In practice, this matters for legal and operational reasons—e.g., cash handling, vending systems, banking operations, and public awareness. The issuance date anchors when the specified coins are intended to enter circulation.
3. Denominations and characteristics are set out in the Schedule
The operative content is described as being “shown in the Schedule.” Although the extract provided does not reproduce the Schedule’s detailed table, the legal effect is clear: the Schedule contains the denominations (the monetary values) and the characteristics (typically including physical features such as size, composition, design elements, inscriptions, and other technical identifiers).
4. The issuing authority: Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore
The notice identifies the issuing body as the “Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore.” This is relevant to questions of competence and validity: the instrument is not issued by a general ministry or private entity, but by the statutory authority empowered under the Currency Act to manage coin issuance.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
Structurally, this instrument is straightforward. It is essentially a single notification with an Enacting Formula and a Schedule. The Schedule is the substantive component: it lists the coin denominations and their characteristics. There are no “Parts” in the usual sense, and the extract indicates that the key content is located in the Schedule rather than in multiple numbered sections.
In legal research terms, this means that when advising clients or verifying compliance (for example, in cash-processing contexts), the practitioner’s primary task is to locate the Schedule and extract the relevant coin specifications. The rest of the instrument primarily provides the legal basis, the issuance date, and the identity of the issuing authority.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
This notification applies in a broad, public-facing way. While it is made under the Currency Act, it is “for general information,” meaning it is intended to be accessible to the public and to market participants who need to know what coins will be issued.
In practical terms, the instrument is relevant to: (i) financial institutions and payment service providers that handle cash; (ii) retailers and cash automation operators (e.g., coin acceptors and vending machines) that must recognise new coin types; and (iii) any party involved in coin distribution, exchange, or authentication. Although the notification itself may not impose behavioural duties, it forms part of the legal background against which coin recognition and circulation operate.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Even though this instrument is brief, it is legally significant because it provides authoritative specifications for coinage. In currency systems, ambiguity about denominations or physical characteristics can create operational risk and disputes—particularly where machines, counting systems, or contractual arrangements depend on precise coin identification.
From an enforcement and compliance perspective, the instrument’s importance lies in its role as a public record and a legal anchor for the coin specifications. If a party’s systems fail to recognise a coin type, or if there is a dispute about whether a particular coin matches the official characteristics, the Schedule becomes the reference point for determining what was officially intended to be issued on the stated date.
For practitioners advising on matters involving cash handling, currency authenticity, or regulatory compliance, the key takeaway is that this notification is not merely informational in a casual sense—it is a subsidiary legislation instrument made under statutory authority. That means it carries formal legal weight as part of Singapore’s currency framework.
Related Legislation
- Currency Act (Chapter 69) — in particular, section 17(5) (the enabling provision for coin denomination/characteristic notifications)
- Legislation timeline / “Timeline” and “Authorising Act” references — for locating the correct version and related notifications issued under the same authority
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Coins to Be Issued on 27th October 1998 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.