100 Rupees Bank of Madras

The Bank of Madras was one of the three Presidency Banks established under British colonial administration, and its notes occupied an unusual legal position: they were not legal tender in the strict sense but were accepted for government transactions across the Madras Presidency. Perkins, Bacon & Petch — the London firm better known for printing early postage stamps including the Penny Black — produced the plates, which accounts for the high quality of the intaglio work typical of their output in this period.

The eighteen-year date span reflects reissue of the same plate series rather than continuous fresh production. Watermarking was the primary security measure, as was standard for Presidency Bank notes before the introduction of more sophisticated controls in the later Victorian period.