Catalog
1000 Rupees
| Issuer | Reserve Bank of India |
|---|---|
| Year | 1939 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Security Printing Press, Nasik |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central vignette of a tiger within a large circular guilloche medallion, flanked by ornate decorative borders with peacock motifs at the upper corners. The denomination "BURMA 1000 RUPEES" is lettered at left, with "ONE THOUSAND RUPEES" inscribed along the lower panel in both English and Burmese script. The overall design is executed in a single brown-orange colour with intricate lathe-work surrounds. |
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| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Watermark area visible as plain oval panel on obverse left side |
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| Comments |
The Reserve Bank of India was barely five years old when this note was issued, having been established in 1935 to take over currency functions from the Controller of Currency. The 1000 Rupee denomination was a high-value instrument — at a time when annual wages for many Indians were well below that figure, these notes moved primarily between banks, merchants, and government treasuries rather than through ordinary commerce.
Printing at Nasik had begun in 1928 under the Government of India press, making it one of the few colonial-era security printers operating on Indian soil rather than in Britain. By 1939, the facility was producing notes for the newly sovereign central bank, though British oversight remained intact throughout the war years.
The 1000 Rupee denomination was demonetized in January 1946 — notes of this series were withdrawn with little warning.