The Frank Goon Reference Collection of British Malayan Banknotes

Frank Goon

It has been more than 30 years since I started collecting banknotes from my home country and the surrounding region - an area once known as British Malaya. When I began that journey, I don’t think I could have imagined that my collection would grow in size and scope to such an extent that it would merit not one, but two editions of a book - The Banknotes of British Malaya. Neither did I foresee that my collection might one day merit its own dedicated series of auctions. I began attending auctions in the 1990s and recall them as tremendously exciting events with packed rooms and collectors competing furiously for that special note. I especially enjoyed the gasps of the audience at some special hammer price, and look forward being on the other side of the hammer when the first group of my own notes is offered.

I have two reasons for offering the collection at auction now. Firstly, as I wrote in the forewords to both editions of my book, it has become almost impossible to find anything to add to the collection, and to an extent I regard it as complete. Much of the enjoyment for the collector is the act of collecting and I have derived great joy and personal satisfaction in trying to put together the finest and most complete group of these historical and beautiful items. As any collector will know, the thrill of the chase and finding the elusive missing note in a series is a heady experience, and in my case it is important to say that it has truly been a labour of love.

Secondly, I never saw myself as anything other than a custodian for these wonderful pieces of history, and the time has come to pass them on to their next keepers. I have derived a huge amount of pleasure from the acquisition and ownership of my collection. I particularly love the rare and unique archival material, which early on in my collecting journey was looked upon with far less favour than it is today. These pieces tell fascinating stories about notes that were never made, and decisions of central banks and governments that would have lasting implications for many countries. In this first auction there are many designs and photographs of designs for notes that would have been wonderful banknotes, but may not have fitted the ethos of the issuer at the time.

I have been fortunate to be able to travel all over the world in the pursuit of this hobby, and in the course of my collecting I have met a fascinating and diverse collection of characters, many of whom have become good friends. I fondly recall many lunches and dinners where at some stage a particularly interesting note would suddenly be produced and conversation would ebb and flow on the subjects of rarity, style, appeal and significance. My hope is that many of these fellow collectors, as well as many I have never had the good fortune to meet, will be able to get as much enjoyment as I have from my notes. If these auctions manage that, then I will feel my task has reached a happy and indeed logical conclusion.

A few names I would like to mention in particular are the late and much missed Donald Teo and Ray Marshall, each of whom provided me with some of the rarest and most wonderful items in my collection. Thank you to Anthony Tan and Steven Tan, whose assistance and encouragement were invaluable throughout my years as an active collector. I would like to thank Barnaby Faull for his friendship over the years, along with Philip Skingley and Lim Jit Soun, my assistant and friend, with whose help I produced both editions of the book. Thank you also to Lee Tiow Lip, my companion in more recent years, who has been so supportive throughout the difficult decision to finally sell the collection. Finally, thank you to all the Noonans staff for producing a lovely series of catalogues that really showcase my collection, and for coming to Singapore to host the auction here.

To close, I wish all of my fellow collectors the best of luck with their bids, and if ever they feel proud to have a note with ‘Frank Goon Collection’ as provenance I will feel vindicated and delighted in my endeavours as a collector.

Frank Goon February 2023