T S Sinnathuray, affectionately known as Sam or “Judge” to his friends and peers, is the doyen of the Singapore numismatic fraternity. He is arguably the most renowned numismatist in Singapore and is also regarded as an expert on Singapore and Malaya postcards. Those who know Sam personally also know that he is always ready to offer his guidance and advice to any new or budding collector who seeks them.
Apart from other public appointments, Sam had been a long-serving Judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore, retiring as Senior Judge in 1997. During his tenure, Sam tried many famous cases. Sam is currently the Chairman of the Singapore Note And Coin Advisory Committee.
To fellow coin, banknote and postcard collectors, Sam is, of course, better known as an active director and the co-driving force behind Mavin International Pte Ltd, the other being his fellow director, P C Cheung.
Although he also collects postcards and banknotes, Sam’s first love is for coins. Over a period spanning more than 35 years, he collected widely and passionately. Sam's main interest is the circulation pieces of the British Colonial issues. His collection stretches literally from Australia to Zanzibar. As a collector from the “Old School”, it just had to be by both date and variety too, not to mention “a few” proofs.
Another area of interest are coins of the ASEAN states of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam (including the French colonial issues!). Despite this expanse, Sam still could not resist straying into other areas like Japan and Switzerland, apparently because Singapore was briefly ruled by Japan during the War and Switzerland starts with the letter “S”.
What has been gathered together over these decades, will be sold in stages by Mavin as part of the Sinnathuray Collection. Mavin has already sold the bulk of Sam's banknote collection. In this auction, we offer a selection of coins of Australia, Fiji and New Zealand, graded and encapsulated by NGC and NCS in their latest Edgeview® Holders. For new collectors, there are also type sets of the same countries.
Sam, of course, hopes they will find good homes wherever they may ultimately end up in the new global village of the 21st century. That said, he also admits that he “would still keep one good set (or two) for my children”.
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