Catalog
20 Kyats
| Issuer | Union Bank of Burma |
|---|---|
| Year | 1958 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Third kyat (1952-date) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Portrait of General Aung San in military uniform and peaked cap, set within a circular intaglio vignette at right, against an intricate guilloche underprint in mauve tones. The centre panel carries the denomination in bold Burmese script over a radiating floral rosette, flanked by elaborate scrollwork borders with numeral corner pieces. Two serial numbers appear in red Burmese numerals, one at upper right and one at lower left. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Watermark |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Burma's 1958 issue came during a particularly turbulent stretch — the civilian government under U Nu had temporarily handed power to General Ne Win's caretaker administration that same year, following the formal split of the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League. The Union Bank was itself a relatively recent institution, having replaced the Burma Currency Board only in 1952, and the series printed by De La Rue represented one of the first fully sovereign note programs produced after that transition settled.
De La Rue's involvement here is unremarkable by their standards — Burma was among dozens of newly independent states contracting London security printers through the 1950s. The watermark is the sole mechanical security feature on the issue.