Catalog
20 Rupees
| Issuer | Government of the East Africa Protectorate |
|---|---|
| Year | 1905 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Black letterpress text on white paper, with the issuer title in bold serif capitals within an ornate guilloche-framed heading panel at top; the central field carries the promise-to-pay legend in copperplate script above the denomination TWENTY RUPEES in large bold letterpress, flanked by numeral 20 counters at each side. Below the denomination, the value is restated in a horizontal band incorporating Arabic and Gujarati scripts, with the place and date of issue, Mombasa, 1st September 1905, in manuscript script below. A manuscript signature appears to the right above the printed legend FOR THE CURRENCY COMMISSIONERS, with the De La Rue printer's imprint at lower left. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE GOVERNMENT OF THE EAST AFRICA PROTECTORATE PROMISES TO PAY THE BEARER ON DEMAND THE SUM OF TWENTY RUPEES FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE EAST AFRICA PROTECTORATE Mombasa, 1st September 1905 FOR THE CURRENCY COMMISSIONERS |
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| Comments |
The Government of the East Africa Protectorate began issuing paper currency in 1905, making this among the earliest notes produced for British East Africa. The Protectorate itself was a patchwork administrative entity — the British India Rupee was already the dominant currency in coastal trading ports, and these notes were essentially an attempt to formalize government paper alongside the coin already in circulation among Indian merchant communities in Mombasa and Nairobi.
De La Rue's involvement guaranteed a technically competent product, but distribution across a territory with almost no banking infrastructure meant many notes never traveled far from government paymaster offices.