On 5 October 1967 Hassanal Bolkiah ascended the throne as the 29th Sultan of Brunei, and for the golden jubilee of his reign the country issued a commemorative 50 ringgit. The main celebrations fell on 5 October 2017; a quarter of a century earlier, in 1992, the Sultan had marked the silver jubilee of his reign.

The polymer note was unveiled on 4 October 2017, on the eve of the jubilee. The front is in yellow, the royal colour, with a new portrait of the Sultan in ceremonial uniform. The Sultan’s coronation itself took place on 1 August 1968.

On the reverse the Sultan, called «the People’s Monarch», meets members of the public. The Spark Live security feature shows a rolling bar that shifts from green to gold when the note is tilted.

The commemorative note was issued in 500,000 pieces. From 9 October 2017 it could be exchanged at face value at the country’s banks and their branches.

For a Brunei collection this is the commemorative note for the golden jubilee of the Sultan’s reign, with a known issue size, and for a collection of royal jubilees it shows the monarch among his people. UNC condition means the note has never circulated: no folds, no wear, no soiling, even corners — just as it left the press.

Collectors who focus on a single country will find its other banknote issues in the VPcoins catalogue as well.