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2 Annas WWII Cash Coupon
| Issuer | Government of Bikaner |
|---|---|
| Year | 1940-1945 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Square-format coupon printed in brown on plain paper, with rounded corners. A concentric circular vignette occupies the centre, enclosing the large numeral '2' flanked by the split legend 'AN' and 'NAS'; the inscription 'GOVT. OF BIKANER' arcs along the left border in uppercase letterpress. The Devanagari legend 'दो आना' (Two Annas) is printed in brown below the central circle. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | TREASURY BIKANER |
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| Comments |
Bikaner State issued these wartime cash coupons under the emergency fiscal measures that constrained princely state finances during the Second World War. Small-denomination scrip of this kind filled a genuine gap — metal coinage had largely disappeared from circulation as strategic metals were redirected to the war effort, and the Government of India's own small change supply was severely disrupted by 1943.
Two annas sits at the lower practical threshold for paper scrip; anything smaller would have been functionally useless in daily transactions. Bikaner's coupons circulated alongside similar emergency issues from other Rajputana states, none of which saw significant survival rates due to the fragile paper and the redemption drives that followed the end of hostilities.