Collectors rush for old rupiah

SURABAYA: Rare old rupiah notes bearing images of the rhinoceros, the deer and the late first president Sukarno are hot properties for collectors willing to pay millions of rupiah.

Antara reported from Surabaya that numismatists were particularly interested in the Rp 25 note with the picture of the protected one-horned rhinoceros, the Rp 10 note with the image of a deer and the Rp 1,000 note with the image of the independence proclaimer, Sukarno.

The items are extremely rare, said numismatist Herlambang.

The first two notes issued by the government in 1957 were now worth Rp 2 million per note, he said. The 1960 Rp 1,000 note sells for up to Rp 250,000 each. Meanwhile, notes issued in 1948, particularly the Rp 75 note, can be worth Rp 1.5 million each.