Catalog
20 Sicca Rupees Calcutta Bank
| Issuer | Calcutta Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1824-1829 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Rectangular |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is dominated by a central ornamental rectangular panel enclosing the legend 'Calcutta Bank' in Gothic lettering, surrounded by an elaborate engraved guilloche border with decorative rope-twist and rosette corner ornaments. |
| Reverse lettering | Calcutta Bank |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Calcutta Bank was chartered in 1824 and collapsed just five years later, making its note issues among the shortest-lived of any Indian presidency bank. This 20 Sicca Rupee note falls within that entire window of operation — there was no "early" or "late" period to speak of.
The sicca rupee was a Bengal-specific denomination, heavier than the surat rupee and officially valued at a slight premium. Its use on private bank paper in the 1820s was already becoming anachronistic; the East India Company was actively working toward a unified coinage standard that would render the sicca obsolete by 1836.
Surviving examples from any Calcutta Bank issue are genuinely rare — the bank's failure triggered a financial panic in Bengal, and redemption pressure would have pulled most notes out of circulation quickly.