15 Rupees Bank of Madras

The Bank of Madras was one of the three Presidency Banks established under British colonial administration, and its notes circulated alongside those of the Bombay and Bengal Presidencies in a deliberately fragmented system — none of the three had authority to issue notes beyond their own presidency. The 15-rupee denomination is an oddity by any standard, reflecting a transitional moment when Indian currency was still partially anchored to the old sicca rupee accounting system rather than a fully decimalized structure.

Perkins, Bacon & Petch brought their intaglio security printing expertise to this series, the same firm responsible for the first adhesive postage stamps. Their anti-forgery techniques were considered state of the art for the period.