Two Types of British Currency in India with Same Denomination

History of British India currency notes is extremely fascinating when you explore the different categories in depth. Let’s take a look at two types of British Indian currency notes which carry the same denomination today.

20 Rupees Uniface Note of Queen Victoria

These old British India notes bore the denomination 20 Rupees and were issued for Bombay Circle on 10th June 1864. The uniface notes depicted a portrait of Queen Victoria while the other side was left blank. They were produced using handmade white paper and had a dimension of 16cm X 30cm. These historical British Indian currency notes featured the signatures of J.A. Ballard and S.K. Lambert, while the letter “C” was used as the prefix.
Queen Victoria portrait was shown inside a floral wreath in the top left corner. Other texts included 'Government of India'; Serial numbers with prefix on both sides of the promise text; Denomination in words in Bangla and Persian; Circle between printed mirrored dates on both sides; Denomination in numerals in Persian and Bangla; The name of Sub-Circle as an overprint; Hand stamped signature 'For The Government Of India’. The watermark featured the text GOVERNMENT OF INDIA in bold letters.

20 Rupees Uniface Note of Government of India

 Here is another beautiful example of currency of British India bearing the denomination 20 Rupees, issued for Lahore or Calcutta circle. These Uniface notes were made of handmade white paper or moulded paper. They had a breadth of 12cm and length of 17cm. These British India notes featured the signature of A.F. Cox and the prefix EA. The Language Panel included four languages namely, Urdu, Hindi, Kaithi and Bangla.
The obverse side featured other texts such as Government Of India'; Serial numbers; two sets of mirrored dates, Circle of Issue, promise text; Denomination panel, '20/Rupees' in a hexagon; 'For The Government Of India', Green underprint consisting of Irregular ovals under the serial number and a big 'Twenty'. The watermark contained wavy lines inside a wavy rectangular panel; INDIA; GOVERNMENT OF INDIA; Vertical RUPEES inverted on both sides; Plate number in an alphabet and week and year of manufacture in four digits.

If you are trying to build a set of british currency in India, then don’t forget to look for notes from these two distinct categories.

Banknote Collecting Supplies for Different Types of Collectors

When it comes to the hobby of collecting banknotes, you will find all kinds of collectors. Amateur or novice collectors are not too keen about doing research or learning about the history behind old banknotes. They are mostly interested in building a collection of banknotes from different parts of the world. Expert notaphilists on the other hand, dig deep into the history of banknotes and keep researching to increase their knowledge base. There are certain collectors who are passionate about collecting banknotes that feature fancy serial numbers, while there are others who treasure rare banknotes as an investment and sell them later for a higher price. No matter which category you fall into, you wouldn’t be able to make your mark in this hobby if you don’t invest in the right kind of banknote collecting supplies.

Novice Collectors:
Good quality banknote accessories help you in organising your collection in a decent way. You can categorise your banknotes based on different parameters such as country name, denomination, year of issue etc. When you present what you have neatly in a banknote album, you are surely going to impress a few admirers. 

Expert Notaphilists:
A branded banknote collection album is a must for an expert notaphilist. Most notaphilists have an index, using which they browse through their collections quickly. Finding a particular note for research is almost impossible if you don’t organise them in banknote collecting supplies. 

Image Courtesy: www.mintageworld.com

Serial Number Enthusiasts:
Collectors who hunt banknotes with special serial numbers generally want to arrange their sets in a specific format. They might also want to slide in a piece of information in banknote sleeves along with their notes. This way, people who view these sets will get a clear idea about the significance of a particular set or note. 

Rarity Seekers:
Maintaining the condition of rare and precious notes is extremely important. If you fail to do so, then you might have to sell them at a lower value in the future. Banknote accessories protect your collection from dust, moisture and other external elements, thus ensuring that the condition of your note remains intact for a long period of time. 

To cut the long story short, investing in quality accessories is unavoidable for any collector.

Understanding Indian Notes and their Broad Categories

There are so many varieties of Indian notes that it sometimes gets very difficult to study them. The best way to analyse the history of Indian notes is by doing your research category-wise. Notes of India are broadly classified into five categories. Let’s understand each one today.

Early Indian Banknotes

The East India Company issued currency notes in India for three different presidencies namely, Bengal Presidency, Bombay Presidency and Madras Presidency. These notes were issued by semi-government banks as well as private banks. The Bank of Hindostan was the oldest bank of India which issued Indian notes from 1770 to 1832.

British India Notes

After the revolt of 1857, India directly fell under the authority of British Crown. Old notes of India issued after this time period were known as British India Notes. Initially, uniface notes featuring a portrait of Queen Victoria were issued. Banknotes depicting a portrait if King George V and King George VI were also issued later.

Princely State Issues

Only one princely state has issued currency notes of India, and that is Hyderabad. These banknotes depicted beautiful designs and Persian texts. Notes in denominations such as 1 rupee, 5 rupees, 10 rupees, 100 rupees, 500 rupees and 1000 rupees were issued by Hyderabad. Collectors are always keen on acquiring examples of these amazing princely state issues.  
 Colonial Notes

Apart from Britain, several parts of the Indian subcontinent were colonised by other European powers such as the Dutch, French, Portugal and Danes. Rare notes of India issued by these Governments fall under this category. These wonderful banknotes of India were circulated only within a particular territory.  

Republic India Notes

Notes of India issued after independence are known as Republic India notes. Today, the Reserve Bank of India issues banknotes of denominations such as 5 rupees, 10 rupees, 20 rupees, 50 rupees, 100 rupees, 500 rupees and 2000 rupees. 1 rupee notes are issued by the Government of India.


 If you are interested in collecting Indian Notes, then it is important to understand these broad categories first. Once you start reading about the history of Indian banknotes, you will start enjoying your hobby even more!  

Stamp Collecting Accessories Are Essential for all types of Collectors

When it comes to the hobby of Stamp Collecting, you will find all kinds of collectors. Some are interested in doing research and increasing their knowledge, while many others are keen on acquiring rare postage stamps. Even though their intent may be different, all of them would understand the importance of quality stamp collecting accessories.

Topical collectors
Most stamp collectors and philatelists have a specific area of interest. Depending on the topics they like to read or research about, they pick up a theme and try finding postage stamps which fall under that particular theme. Philatelic supplies are required to organise your collection based on these topics. If you keep storing stamps haphazardly, there are chances that you might misplace them. It is almost impossible to put together a unique set, unless you organise them in stamp collecting albums.

Love for Rarities
There are some expert collectors who are always on the lookout for rare postage stamps. They attend auctions and invest in these rarities so that they can sell them later at a better price. Stamp collecting accessories are absolute must-haves if you want to preserve the condition of these rare stamps. Old postage stamps are very delicate and they can easily get damaged if necessary precautions are not taken. So, always keep your rare beauties safely in branded stamp stockbooks, just like you safeguard diamonds in a secure locker.

Image Courtesy: www.mintageworld.com

Knowledge Seekers
Postage stamps can reveal a lot of information about various aspects of a country. Through this hobby, collectors get a chance to upgrade their knowledge. They also get a window to learn about various cultures, traditions, historical facts, personalities, wildlife, architecture, art and more from different parts of the world. When you store your stamps in stamp collecting supplies, you can easily browse through your collection in a systematic manner whenever you want to explore something new. Stamp binders are great, as you can keep on adding more stamps to your collection dynamically, as and when it grows along with your knowledge.

Young Students
Youngsters and school-going kids can gain a lot through this hobby as it offers a fun way to learn many concepts. Apart from that, when kids are asked to protect their stamps using stamp collecting sheets, they invariably become more responsible by nature. Moreover, children can sometimes be very careless, which is why keeping your collection secure in stamp stockpages is important, especially when kids are handling it. 

No matter which category you fall into, if you are a passionate collector then you must always store your valuable possession in good quality stamp collecting accessories, so that your future generations can marvel at your collection and take your legacy forward.