PREVIEW: THE FRANK GOON COLLECTION PART ONE 25 MARCH

The White Rajahs of Sarawak were a unique dynastic institution, whose absolute rule was accompanied by historic issues of banknotes.

Great rarities from this tradition form an essential part of the outstanding Frank Goon collection, as Noonans’ auction on 25 March illustrates.

The dynasty was established in 1841 by James Brooke, who founded the Raj of Sarawak on the north-west coast of Borneo, having been granted the province of Kuching by the Sultan of Brunei as a reward for his help in defeating pirates and a local insurgency.

The Raj expanded its influence and territory over the next century, following a line of succession through nephews and a son until Charles Vyner Brooke ceded his life interest in the title to the British Colonial Office in 1946. To be sure of the legality of the move, the British government simultaneously passed a Bill of Annexation.

Sarawak ceased being a Crown Colony and became part of Malaysia in 1963. Despite the cessation, the Brooke Dynasty maintains strong links with Sarawak to this day.

With such a rich history, the 20-lot collection of notes associated with the Brookes does not disappoint.

Pre-eminent among them is a Government of Sarawak, $10 note dated 3 July 1922 and with the serial number 3933. It carries a vignette of a young Charles Vyner Brooke, just five years into his rule, at top left, with the coat of arms at top right. Other notes in the collection carry the more familiar portrait of Vyner Brooke from his maturity.

“This is a stunning example of a very rare type. Truly exceptional, it is the only example of this note recorded on the PMG census,” says Noonans specialist Barnaby Faull.

The estimate is S$30,000-40,000.