Catalog
1 Rupee Bhopal; PoW Camps
| Issuer | Bhopal Prisoners of War Camp |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941-1945 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Rupee (1770-1947) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Printed entirely in green, the voucher is framed by an intricate guilloche border of fine lathe-work. A large central guilloche rosette medallion occupies the middle of the note, with the denomination "ONE RUPEE" overprinted in bold black letterpress across its face. The inscription "PRISONERS OF WAR" arcs along the upper border and "CAMP" along the lower, with "BHOPAL" in black overprint below the central medallion; denomination numerals "Re. 1" appear in cartouches at both left and right margins. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | PRISONERS OF WAR ONE RUPEE Re.1 BHOPAL CAMP |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
During the Second World War, British India operated numerous prisoner of war camps, and several issued their own scrip to control internal commerce and prevent detainees from accumulating currency usable outside the wire. Bhopal's camp scrip belongs to this scattered, poorly documented category — the issuing authority was a military administration, not a financial institution, which is why standard banking records are thin.
POW camp currency from the subcontinent is consistently underrepresented in major collections. Much was destroyed at war's end as a matter of policy, and surviving pieces rarely surfaced through conventional dealer channels.