Catalog
1 Rupee - Cawnpore issue
| Issuer | Government of India |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Rupee |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in a single brown-sepia tone and mirrors the obverse layout closely, with the crowned portrait vignette of King George V at left within a circular medallion inscribed 'GEORGE V KING & EMPEROR'. The central panel repeats the promise clause in cursive lettering over an oval guilloche, with 'ONE RUPEE' in bold type, beneath the 'Government of India' heading. A vertical 'RUPEE' stamp appears at upper right, with prefix, serial number, and a manuscript signature of the issuing officer at lower right. |
| 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 | P#1a - signature: S. Gubbay watermark: rayed star in plain field at right P#1b - signature: A. C. McWatters watermark: rayed star in plain field at right P#1c - signature: H. Denning watermark: rayed star in plain field at right P#1d - signature: H. Denning watermark: rayed star in square at right small letters in last line on back P#1e - signature: A. C. McWatters watermark: rayed star in square at right P#1f - signature: H. Denning watermark: rayed star in square at right large letters in last line on back P#1g - signature: S. Gubbay watermark: rayed star in square at right |
| Comments |
The Cawnpore issue of the 1917 Government of India 1 Rupee was a wartime production necessity, not a deliberate regional experiment. With Bombay and Calcutta printing operations under strain, Cawnpore — now Kanpur — was brought in as an additional production centre, making this one of the few instances where the place of printing was also the designated place of payment.
The proliferation of signature and watermark combinations documented under this single Pick reference reflects years of continuous printing across multiple Finance Secretaries. The shift from the plain-field rayed star watermark to the rayed star in a square, and the variation in letter size on the reverse, allow reasonably precise sub-variety dating — Denning's tenure alone accounts for three distinct die combinations.