The Beginning Years

The 1970s was a decade of building and preparing a strong foundation to meet the many challenges ahead. The fledgling mint was earning for itself kudos and proving its mettle on the international scene. In 1972, the Mint won her first foreign commission to mint 20 million pieces of the 50 Centavos circulation coins for the Philippines. In the late 70s, more countries such as Nepal and Samoa (formerly known as Western Samoa) were added to the list. A modern foundry was also added to the existing facilities, boosting the Mint's capability of producing quality coins from base metal stage.

Back on the home front, the Mint proved itself a loyal chronicle of Singapore's eventful history. In 1975, when Singapore celebrated its 10th Anniversary of Independence, BCCS marked this important event with a $10 silver coin and gold coins in denominations of $100, $250 and $500. These coins bear meaningful designs, which attest to the government's success in providing public housing and a harmonious multi-racial society for its residents.

Besides the Mint's core business in minting coins, it also provides an extension to its capability to include customised minting services of military medals, service award medallions and corporate memorabilia.

In 1967, Singapore decided to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. Ten years later, to commemorate the successful contributions by the group towards unity in the region, a $10 silver coin was issued by BCCS. Since then, a commemorative coin is minted every decade capturing the significant changes within ASEAN.