Catalog
10 Rupees
| Issuer | Government of India |
|---|---|
| Year | 1897-1907 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Dark-inked letterpress note with an oval "GOVERNMENT OF INDIA" title cartouche at top centre, flanked by ornamental column devices bearing denomination numerals "10". Central text panel carries the promise-to-pay legend in English, with multilingual denomination panels in Burmese, Tamil, Chinese, and other scripts below. Issue date and place of issue appear at foot, with the authorized signature to the lower right. |
|---|---|
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| Signature(s) | 1897 - Hamilton 1907 - Gauntlett |
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| Comments |
The Government of India's early rupee notes were issued under the authority of the Secretary of State for India, administered through the Controller of Currency in Calcutta. This series predates the Reserve Bank of India by several decades — currency management remained a direct imperial function, with London retaining ultimate oversight. The note circulated across a subcontinent where metallic rupees still dominated everyday transactions, and paper instruments were regarded with considerable suspicion outside major commercial centers.
Two signatories bracket the issue period: Harvey Hamilton served as Controller of Currency from the late 1890s, succeeded by Gauntlett around 1907. Notes bearing different signatures are technically distinct issues despite the shared Pick reference.