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.

Two Fine Examples of British Currency in India you must have in your collection

The history of British India currency notes has always been fascinating due to which currency of British India is studied by notaphilists all across the globe. Let’s take a detailed look at two uniface notes of British India today.

50 Rupees British India Uniface Note of 1861

When it comes to British currency in India, this 50 Rupees note printed on handmade white paper for Calcutta circle on 13th July 1861 is considered to be very special.  These lovely British India notes were also known as Uniface notes as they featured a portrait of Queen Victoria on one side while the other side was left blank. These rectangular notes of British India had the dimensions 16cm X 30cm, featured the signature of H. Hydes and a prefix A.
The obverse of this currency of British India featured a portrait of Queen Victoria in a floral wreath; '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 side; Denomination in numerals in a panel in Persian and Bangla; name of Sub-Circle as an overprint; Hand stamped signature, text 'For The Government Of India; Denomination panel in numerals and words. The Watermark features the text GOVERNMENT OF INDIA, denomination in words and numerals in a rectangle, signature of the finance member of legislative Council, Sir James Wilson, signature of the Governor General, Lord canning, wavy lines in central promise text panel.

1000 Rupees British India Uniface Note of 1867 

British Currency in India was issued in various denominations and designs. This British Indian currency note bore the denomination 1000 Rupees and was issued for Calcutta circle on white handmade moulded paper on 8th July 1867. These rectangular British India currency notes had the dimension 12cm X 17cm and featured designs only on one side. This Uniface Specimen note featured the prefix B and four languages on the language panel namely, Urdu, Hindi, Kaithi, Bengali.
The obverse of this currency of British India featured a Green underprint with two serial numbers; Language panel; Serial numbers on both sides below the language panel; text 'Government Of India'; two pairs of mirrored dates, Circle of Issue, promise text; Denomination panel on both sides; '1000/Rupees' in a hexagon in the top corners; 'For The Government Of India', signature; Irregular ovals under serial numbers and a big text '1000' inside the promise text. The watermark on these old notes of British India featured Wavy lines within a wavy rectangular panel, “INDIA”, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA, Vertical RUPEES, Plate number in an alphabet, week and year of printing in four digits.

Not many would be lucky enough to have a special collection of British Currency in India. Keep looking for them, and let us know if you find anything interesting!

Two Interesting British India Notes of Two Different Categories

There are many notaphilists and collectors who specialize in British India notes. If you want to build an impressive collection, then you must know the History of British India Currency Notes in detail. British currency in India can be classified into four categories namely:
Portrait Notes of Queen Victoria, Uniface Notes of Government of India, King George V issues and King George VI issues. Let’s take a look at one example from two of these four categories to get a better idea.

1000 Rupees Uniface Note of Queen Victoria

This 1000 Rupees was issued for Madras Circle on 31st July 1861. These British India notes had designs only on one side and hence they are called Uniface notes. They featured a portrait of Queen Victoria and were printed on handmade white paper of the size 16cm X 30cm. The obverse features a portrait of Queen Victoria within a floral wreath. Other texts include 'Government of India'; Serial numbers with prefix, promise text, Denomination in words in Bangla and Persian mirrored dates on both sides; the name of Sub-Circle as an overprint; Hand stamped signature at the time of issue “For The Government Of India”; Denomination in numerals and words, signature of Sir James Wilson, signature of Lord canning, wavy lines in central promise text panel. The watermark features the text GOVERNMENT OF INDIA.

100 Rupees Uniface Note of Government of India

This paper money of British India bore the denomination 1000 Rupees and was issued for Lahore or Calcutta circle on 27th November 1883. They featured designs only on one side and were printed on rectangular white, handmade; moulded paper of the size 12cm X 17cm. It carried the signature of Stephen Jacob and a prefix E. The Language Panel    was in four languages namely, Urdu, Hindi, Kaithi, Bangal. The Uniface design featured a Green underprint with two serial numbers. Other elements included Language panel; 'Government Of India'; two sets of mirrored dates, Circle of Issue, promise text; Denomination panel on both sides; '1000/Rupees' in a hexagon; 'For The Government Of India', signature on its right; Irregular ovals under the serial numbers and a big '1000' within the promise text. The watermark features wavy lines inside a wavy rectangular panel. The text INDIA, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA, RUPEES inverted on both the sides, Plate number, week and year of manufacture in four digits.

Though both of these British Indian currency notes were of the denomination 1000 rupees, both of them belonged to two different categories. Keep reading and researching to know more about British India notes.

History Hidden behind Currency Notes of British India

Soon after the renowned sailor and explorer Vasco da Gama from Portuguese landed on the Indian soil, trade routes between the western world and India opened up. Before the sea route between India and Europe was established, we were one of the most budding nations of the world. Our fertile land was suitable for cultivating spices and cotton which the Europeans eyed. That’s the reason why they started making inroads, first with the intention to develop business relationships but later with the only mission to colonize the subcontinent. After a few years, Britishers also initiated trade through the East India Company. It also slowly set up various industries and companies in different parts of the country. Before India was officially declared as a British Colony, early banknotes were issued through Bengal Presidency, Bombay Presidency and Madras Presidency. After that, British India notes were released for circulation. Websites like Mintage World have shared well-categorized information about British Indian Currency Notes in detail. Anyone who is interested in collecting Currency of British India will love this website surely.

British India Notes can be classified into four broad categories. The categories of British Indian currency Notes are Portrait notes of Queen Victoria, Uniface notes of Government of India, King George V notes and King George VI notes. Different collectors are keen on collecting different kinds of British Currency in India, based on their area of interest. Having unique British India Notes in your collection is definitely a big plus.  But it is very important to know the history behind these British Indian Currency Notes so that you can analyse pricing trends in the market. Knowledge can be gained through websites like Mintage World which offers in-depth information about all categories of British currency in India. By learning about these British India Notes, one can not only analyse various events that took place in history but can also understand other aspects like economy and politics.