Heritage notes comprise all the Orchid, Bird, and Ship notes—iconic designs that are no longer in production but remain cherished for their historical and sentimental value, reminding us of moments of the past or people who were dear to us. The Orchid series started in 1967 and ended in 1976, the Bird series was used from 1976 to 1984; and the Ship series was issued from 1984 to 1999. Even when a series was officially discontinued, its notes would still continue to be used for some time afterwards—until the same denomination in the next series was released. For example, the Ship series was launched in 1984, but the Ship $100 note only came out in 1987. So, the Bird $100 note was still used in the meantime, even though the Ship series had already started in 1984. This was common because, before the Portrait series, the different denominations in each series were released in stages.

Although these older notes are no longer being printed, they are still legal tender. This means you can use them to pay for things in any shop in Singapore. But don’t use them for spending or exchange them at a bank, because you’ll only get their face value. These heritage notes are worth more to collectors than the value printed on them.