THE EAST AFRICAN CURRENCY BOARD ONE RUPEE THESE NOTES ARE LEGAL TENDER FOR THE PAYMENT OF ANY AMOUNT MOMBASA MEMBERS OF THE EAST AFRICAN CURRENCY BOARD
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.
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.