Summary

1 Cent, Issued by Straits Settlements, Malaysia, Penang, Malacca, Singapore, 1845
Minted by Calcutta Mint, India

Obverse Description

Head of the Queen wearing coronet or diadem ornamented with a scroll facing left; around, VICTORIA QUEEN. The ends of the coronet are connected by a band which is partly hidden by the hair. The hair is drawn into a knot decorated with beads behind the head

Reverse Description

Within a laurel wreath, ONE / CENT; around above, EAST INDIA COMPANY; below, 1845

Edge Description

Plain

Significance

The date 1845 on the copper issues for the Straits Settlements does not indicate the year in which a coin was struck. An East India Company ruling dated 22 April 1835 specified that "The year of the dies will represent the era of the alteration of the coins and will not need to be changed until a new coin shall be ordered to be struck". This ruling was applied to the Straits issue, it was 1862 before a new design was introduced. The 1845 coins did not arrive until May 1847 so all copper coins introduced to circulation between that date and 1862 bore the date 1845.
Reference: Pridmore, Fred. Coins and Coinages of the Straits Settlements and British Malaya 1786 to 1951, pp.34-35

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