Tuesday, January 24, 2012

A collection of facts about Indian Paper Money by Mr. Rezwan Razack, author of ‘The Revised Standard Reference Guide to Indian Paper Money

Bank of Hindostan, a Private Bank issued the first banknotes of India in 1770. The lowest denomination in early issued banknotes was Rupees Ten and the highest was Rupees Ten Thousand.


Bank of Hindostan - Sixteen Sicca Rupees


The early banknotes were exchanged for silver or gold coins or vice versa.

One Silver Rupee


One Gold Mohur
There were banknotes with denominations of Rupees Four, Rupees Fifteen and Rupees Sixteen.
Sixteen silver coins were equivalent to One Gold Mohur of equal weight. One Gold Mohur weighed 11.59 grams.
The earliest surviving issued banknote is by The Bank of BengalTwo Hundred and Fifty Sicca Rupees note dated 3rd September 1812.



Bank of Bengal - Two Hundred and Fifty Sicca Rupees
OLDEST surviving Indian Bank Note - Serial No.108 dt. 3rd September 1812

Early banknotes had manuscript signature, date and serial number.

 
Madras Government Bank - Two Star Pagodas
The Government of India took over the issue of banknotes in 1861 from the Private and Presidency Banks.
The Uniface or one-sided notes of Government of India were in circulation from 1861 to 1930.
Government of India - Twenty Rupees - Uniface with Portrait of Queen Victoria
The first Rupees Five notes were Uniface and issued in 1871 by Government of India.
Government of India - Five Rupees - Uniface with Green under print
The only notes to have serial numbers in all four corners were from the Uniface Note series.
Initially the Uniface Notes, notes with the Portrait of King George V & King George VI had the Circle of Issue printed on the notes.
Portrait Note of King George V - One Hundred Rupees - Cawnpore
Circles of Issue Cawnpore and Kurrachee are now spelt Kanpur and Karachi.
The only issued type that does not have a title on the note, either Government of India or Reserve Bank of India.

Portrait Note of King George VI - One Hundred Rupees - Kanpur
The notes of Rupee One were first issued in 1917 with the Portrait of King George V. 25% of these Rupee One notes were issued in a booklet of 25 notes.
Portrait Notes of King George V - One Rupee
Portrait Notes of King George V - A booklet of 25 One Rupee Notes

Portrait Notes of King George V - A bundle of 25 One Rupee Notes
The second issue of Rupee One notes dated 1935 took place in 1940 with the Portrait of King George V, who died in 1936.
The 1935 Rupee One is the only note with Serial Number on the reverse.
Portrait Notes of King George V - One Rupee - Serial Number on Reverse
The One Rupee note had the year inscribed in the image of the coin on the Reverse from 1917-1994.

Government of India - One Rupee - with Coin dated 1917
Government of India - One Rupee - with Coin dated 1990
There was an issue of Rupees Two Annas Eight or Rupees Two and a Half in 1918.
Portrait Notes of King George V - Rupees Two Annas Eight
The Reserve Bank of India was established in 1935 as a central note issuing authority.
The Rupee One notes of Government of India were treated in Government accounts at par with metallic coins.
The Secretary of the Finance Department, Government of India, signed these Rupee One notes.
Government of India - One Rupee
The first Rupees Two notes were issued in 1943 with the Portrait of King George VI.
Reserve Bank of India - Two Rupees - with Portrait of King George VI
Notes issued by Government of India and Reserve Bank of India were overprinted for use in Burma.
Reserve Bank of India - Five Rupees - Burma
Notes issued by Reserve Bank of India were overprinted ‘Government of Pakistan’ in 1947 at the Nasik Press for use in Pakistan until 1948.
Reserve Bank of India - Rupees Five with Government of Pakistan Overprint
Notes of Independent India were first released in 1949 in Rupee One and Rupees Ten and later in all denominations in 1950.
Government of India - One Rupee
Notes of all denominations issued by the Reserve Bank of India after independence have the Ashoka Pillar and the Seal of Reserve Bank of India.
Reserve Bank of India - Twenty Rupees
The Mahatma Gandhi Birth Centenary Commemorative Issue in 1969 is the only the commemorative issue by the Reserve Bank of India.
Reserve Bank of India - One Rupee - Mahatma Gandhi Commemorative Issue
Reserve Bank of India - Two Rupees - Mahatma Gandhi Commemorative Issue
Reserve Bank of India - Five Rupees - Mahatma Gandhi Commemorative Issue
Reserve Bank of India - Ten Rupees - Mahatma Gandhi Commemorative Issue
Reserve Bank of India - One Hundred Rupees - Mahatma Gandhi Commemorative Issue
Notes of denominations Rupees One Thousand, Rupees Five Thousand and Rupees Ten Thousand were demonetized in 1978.
Between 1978-1987, the highest denomination in circulation was Rupees One Hundred.
Reserve Bank of India - One Hundred Rupees
Notes of Rupees Five Hundred were re-introduced on 23rd October 1987 with the Portrait of Mahatma Gandhi.
Reserve Bank of India - Five Hundred Rupees with Portrait of Mahatma Gandhi
There is Braille feature in the Mahatma Gandhi Series notes for the visually challenged.
Reserve Bank of India - Twenty Rupees - Brialle Feature : a Rectangle above the Ashoka Pillar
Reserve Bank of India - Fifty Rupees - Brialle Feature : a Square above the Ashoka Pillar
Reserve Bank of India - One Hundred Rupees - Brialle Feature : a Triangle above the Ashoka Pillar
Reserve Bank of India - Five Hundred Rupees - Brialle Feature : a Circle / Dot above the Ashoka Pillar
After an interval of 22 years, notes of Rupees One Thousand were issued in 2000.
Reserve Bank of India - Rupees One Thousand - with Portrait of Mahatma Gandhi
Rupees One Thousand of Mahatma Gandhi series has Serial Numbers in two different colours.
The denomination in Hindi numeral appears in a Rupees Two note. The only instance in Republic India notes.
Reserve Bank of India - Two Rupees
Denominations of Rupees Five Hundred upwards to Rupees Ten Thousand were demonetized in 1946. The Denomination of Rupees One Thousand, Rupees Five Thousand and Rupees Ten Thousand were re-introduced from 1954 to be demonetized again in 1978.
Star or Replacement notes were issued from 2006.
Reserve Bank of India - Ten Rupees - Star or Replacement Note
The year of issue is printed on the reverse of the notes from 2005 onwards.
Reserve Bank of India - Five Rupees - 2010
Reserve Bank of India - Ten Rupees - 2006
Reserve Bank of India - Fifty Rupees - 2011
The only Governors of the Reserve Bank of India who did not sign a note are Mr. Osborne Smith and Mr. Ambegaonkar. However, Mr. Ambegaonkar signed the Rupee One Note as the Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
The vignette of the Sailing Boat or Dhow remained on the reverse of the Ten Rupees for over 40 years.
Reserve Bank of India - Rupees Ten - Sailing Boat on the Reverse
There is only one instance of Republic India notes printed by the American Banknote Company in U.S.A. in 1997-98.
Notes of Government of India and The Reserve Bank of India of the same type that were in circulation in that period were printed in a different colour and issued for use in the Trucial and Gulf States of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Muscat and Oman from 1959-1966.
Government of India - One Rupee - used in Gulf
Reserve Bank of India - Five Rupees - used in Gulf

A special issue of Rupees Ten and Rupees One Hundred were issued in 1959 to Indian Haj Pilgrims for exchange with local currency in Saudi Arabia.

Reserve Bank of India - Ten Rupees - HAJ

Reserve Bank of India - One Hundred Rupees - HAJ

The Nizam of Hyderabad was given the privilege to print and issue their own currency in 1917-1918.
Osmania Notes of Hyderabad - One Rupee

The Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir had issued notes with limited circulatory liabilities in 1877.
The Princely States of Morvi and Dhrangadhra issued currency notes of limited liability known as Havala during the metal shortage experienced in World War I.
Morvi State Havala
Dhrangadhra State currency note
The shortage of metal during World War II necessitated 36 Princely States mostly in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Sind, Baluchistan and central provinces to issue paper tokens instead of coins, some with the value of One Pice or 1/192nd of a Rupee.



Cash Coupon of Princely State of Bundi
Cash Coupon of Princely State of Navalgad
Prisoners of World War I and World War II were issued coupons of denominations Half Anna to Ten Rupees for use within the Prison Camps.
Prisoners of War - Two Annas Coupon
The Colonial Territories of Portugal in Goa used notes issued by the Department of Public Finance initially and later Banco Nacional Ultramarino.
Governo Geral Do Estado Da India - Five Rupias
Banco Nacional Ultramarino issued notes in odd denominations of Escudos 30, 60, 300 and 600.
Banco Nacional Ultramarino - 60 Escudos
The Indo-French territory of Pondicherry used notes issued by the Banque De L'Indo-Chine for use in their colonial territories in India.
Banque De L'IndoChine - Fifty Rupees


35 comments:

  1. sir i have huge collection of coin and notes of india
    coin from 1835 to 2013 and notes from 1968 to 2000

    total collection itme 1500
    i want to sell this

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hai I am from andhra Pradesh my name is dinesh I want to buy your offer plz contact me 7416603647

      Delete
  2. Sir, We have a 02 Rupees and Eight annas note,is there any buyer in India for Same,

    ReplyDelete
  3. jeevan sharma sir, what is the selling price for the two rupee eight anna note ?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Am having 100rs Calcutta edition c.d.deshmukh east India company note 5 rs mahatma gandhinote 10rs yatch note2rs satilite note and some rare old coins interested persons to buy con mobile09944058396 email brammaprabaav@gmail.com.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have 10 Rupee Coupon of Prisonors of War.
    Interested buying persons can contact me at 09831263354 or mail me srimalyasen@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nice posting with good narration.Guidance for the new collectors. Hope to see some more posting in future.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have a 2 Rupees and note,coin is there any buyer in India

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have good collection of notes and coins bundle(100piece)of one rupee montok singh 1994,10 rupee of black boat note with 786 note 2rupee tiger note unused c.e.jones note1940 of one rupee etc.and coin anyone interested to buy may contact- jairaijai9@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have good collection of notes and coins bundle(100piece)of one rupee montok singh 1994,10 rupee of black boat note with 786 note 2rupee tiger note unused c.e.jones note1940 of one rupee etc.and coin anyone interested to buy may contact- jairaijai9@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes I want to buy your offer plz contact me 7416603647

      Delete
  10. I have good collection of notes and coins bundle(100piece)of one rupee montok singh 1994,10 rupee of black boat note with 786 note 2rupee tiger note unused c.e.jones note1940 of one rupee etc.and coin anyone interested to buy may contact- jairaijai9@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have good collection of notes and coins bundle(100piece)of one rupee montok singh 1994,10 rupee of black boat note with 786 note 2rupee tiger note unused c.e.jones note1940 of one rupee etc.and coin anyone interested to buy may contact- jairaijai9@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have good collection of notes boat note and coins 2 rupee tiger note unused bundle 10 rupees boat note bundle with one note 786, 1rupee bundle of montoke singh ahluwalia 1994 one rupee note 1940 C.E.Jones peacock note etc.and good collection of coins
    if any body is interested to buy connect me jairaijai9@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thank you Sir for posting such useful post. I came through a website named Mintage World (www.mintageworld.com). It provides information on coins, stamps and notes. I do refer your blogs as well as Mintage World blog. Both are very beneficial.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thank you for sharing an awesome blog on Indian Bank note which provides really very great information.


    History of Indian Notes

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks sir for valuable information,
    Hi friends if you have good collection and you want to sale .you will get good price but as per the norms of delars of same. Pls contact me - pankajkumar.mali00@gmail.com 9883414987

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I want sell my coin from my collection. 1 rupee 1978 & 1980.
      1 rupee signed by Dr Manmohan singh 1976.
      If interested mail me at krishnasonsassoicates83@gmail. Com

      Delete
    2. I have old rare coins and notes collection also 786 series notes collection I want to sell contact me 7775940074 or WhatsApp

      Delete
  16. I have 1945 10 rupees note banco nacional ultramarino I want to sell it
    Keppler999@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great and Amazing indian Bank note, thanks for sharing this wonderful information.
    Bank Note Of India
    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  18. 9922411198 any one interested contact me 1945 note

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hello sir. I have some old indian notes and tons of old coins. Two of my old coins are from the 17th and the 18th century respectively. A buyer is ready to give me 50,000 for each but according to me that's less. Please contact if interested.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Respected sir I have a new 500 rs note with 000786 no if u r into.plz contact me genius.yadav@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. Respected sir I have a new 500 rs note with 000786 no if u r into.plz contact me genius.yadav@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  22. I have ten thousands and one thousands note 1943 and on note picture is subhash Chandra boss please cont. Me 9785630933

    ReplyDelete
  23. I have ten thousands and one thousands note 1943 and on note picture is subhash Chandra boss please cont. Me 9785630933

    ReplyDelete
  24. I have a twelve year national plan saving certificate at 1971 dated original print i want to know thats worth

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi I am Saller I have a antec notes and coins I want to sale to both CD Deshmukh one rupee note 1995 Montauk Singh Ahluwalia full I have 5 rupees note 3Deer 5Deer 7Deer CD Deshmukh I have 10000 rupees note in Eagle note 100 rupees Lion note 1 Pecock Three Pecock Five Pecock I have 1982 v rare 6gram Coin I have 1985 10 gram Coin and extract RAR please contact me 891 957 1255

    ReplyDelete
  26. I have many old rare coin and paper currency any one interested to buy email me h.k.d.9756833631@gmail.com
    What's app no. 8924034681
    Mo. No. 8299338415

    ReplyDelete
  27. I have a full bandal 1rs notes 1991 Montak shing and other notes and coins please contact

    ReplyDelete