Catalog
1 Rupee
| Issuer | Union Bank of Burma |
|---|---|
| Year | 1953 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Second Rupee (1945-1952) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | A large intaglio vignette of a standing peacock with fully spread tail fills the right portion of the note, set within an ornate guilloche border. The denomination numeral '1' appears at upper left and lower right corners, with elaborate foliate scrollwork framing the entire face. Multi-line Burmese script inscriptions occupy the central and lower registers, with a serial number in red at lower centre. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | a peacock, visible in the unprinted circular area on both faces |
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| Comments |
The Union Bank of Burma was established in 1952 as the country's first fully state-owned central bank following independence, replacing the earlier currency arrangement inherited from the colonial period. This 1 Rupee note belongs to the transitional moment before Burma adopted the Kyat in 1952 — making a Rupee-denominated issue from 1953 something of an anomaly worth examining. It may represent stock printed against carryover authorization rather than a fresh monetary policy decision.
Thomas De La Rue's involvement continued directly from the colonial-era printing contracts, a practical continuity that newly independent governments often maintained simply because alternatives took years to arrange.