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COWRIE SHELLS ON SIGNAPORE BANKNOTESThis article from the Singapore Mothership site discusses the use of cowrie shell images on Singapore banknotes. -Editor
The cowrie shells can be found to the top right of Yusof Ishak’s head and each denomination features a different type of cowrie. For instance, the $2 note features the money cowrie.  The $10 note features the most commonly-found cowrie in Singapore, the wandering cowrie.  And the cylindrical cowrie can be found on the $50 note.  Yes, they look more like abstract art than actual shell prints, which is why most people will not be able to tell that they’re there on our money. The patterns do look pretty similar to one another too. But upon closer inspection, you will find that the shape of the shells have very subtle differences. Take a look at them side by side for comparison:  The article also discusses the role of cowrie shells as money. -Editor
To read the complete article, see: Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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