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4 Annas WWII Cash Coupon
| Issuer | Tonk, Princely state of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1940-1947 |
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| Reference(s) | P#S453 |
| Obverse description | Overall olive-green letterpress print on plain paper. The face is framed by an ornate foliate guilloche border with scrolling leaf and floral motifs filling the entire surround. A central circular seal of the Princely State of Tonk is set within a horizontal band bearing the denomination inscription in Hindi and Urdu scripts, with a small serial prefix panel at the foot. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Plain unprinted paper stock with a single typeset serial number stamped in dark ink at the centre, constituting the sole design element on the reverse. |
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| Comments |
Tonk was one of the few Princely States to issue wartime cash coupons during the acute coin shortage that struck India in the early 1940s. The Reserve Bank of India had suspended normal coinage supply to many smaller states as base metals were redirected to the war effort, leaving local administrations to improvise. Tonk, a Muslim-ruled state in Rajputana, responded with a series of denominations in the small-change range — this 4 Annas piece among them.
These coupons were essentially local scrip, valid only within the state's jurisdiction. Pick S453 is among the scarcer survivors; most were redeemed and destroyed when normal coinage resumed after 1947.