Catalog
1 Rupee
| Issuer | Government of India |
|---|---|
| Year | 1935 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Rupee |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Dark blue-grey note with a crowned royal cipher at top centre below the legend GOVERNMENT OF INDIA; to the right, an intaglio circular medallion carries a uniformed portrait of King George V inscribed GEORGE V KING EMPEROR, with the denomination Re.1 at upper right. The left panel presents multilingual denomination text in vertical columns of Indian scripts set over a fine guilloche underprint, flanking the large central numeral 1 and inscription ONE RUPEE. A facsimile signature of the Controller of the Currency appears at lower right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain light-grey reverse centred on a circular vignette at left enclosing the inscriptions ONE RUPEE / INDIA / 1935 within an ornate floral and foliate border. A decorative key-shaped guilloche panel extends to the right, terminating in an elaborate scrollwork cartouche bearing the royal cipher GRI. Denomination text in multiple Indian scripts is arranged in a vertical column at the far right margin. |
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| Comments |
The Government of India 1 Rupee note occupied an unusual constitutional position: it was technically a government currency note, not a Reserve Bank of India issue, which is why it bore the Finance Secretary's signature rather than a Governor's. This distinction persisted for decades and explains the administrative lineage running through the entire 1 Rupee series regardless of design changes.
J.W. Kelly served as Finance Secretary during a transitional period — the Reserve Bank of India had only just been established in April 1935, and the question of which authority would control small denomination notes was still being worked through. The 1 Rupee remained firmly in government hands.