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1 Rupee - George V
| Issuer | East African Currency Board |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Portrait of King George V in an ornate guilloche frame at right, rendered in red intaglio. The issuer title 'The East African Currency Board' and denomination 'ONE RUPEE' appear in large script lettering at centre, with the denomination also rendered in Arabic and Hindi scripts. The date 'Mombasa, 7th April 1920' and three manuscript signatures of Board members appear at lower centre, with the serial number repeated at lower right. A fine guilloche border frames the entire note. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | ONE RUPEE ONE RUPEE |
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| Comments |
The East African Currency Board was established in 1919 specifically to create a unified currency across British East Africa, replacing the Indian rupee that had circulated in the region for decades. This 1920 note is among the earliest issues under that mandate — the board had barely found its administrative footing when these were printed.
De La Rue's involvement here is unsurprising; they held the dominant position in colonial currency printing throughout this period. What is worth noting is how short-lived the rupee denomination proved: the board switched to a florin-based system in 1921, then moved to the shilling standard in 1922, making the entire rupee series effectively obsolete within two years of issue.