It is extremely difficult to acquire or find rare Bank Notes. But you can always read about them and their history to enhance your knowledge. Let’s take a look at two odd denomination banknotes that were issued for two different presidencies, Bengal presidency and Bombay presidency during the colonial period.

16 Rupees Note of Bengal Presidency:

These old currency banknotes bore the denomination 16 Rupees and were issued for Bengal presidency. They were made of handmade white paper and had the dimension 16cm X 30cm. The year date was absent on them and they were issued from 1823 to 1829. The interesting aspect about this note is that the same design was also used to issue 4, 10 and 20 Sicca Rupees notes. The vignette featured a seated tiger an octagonal panel. The obverse side depicts a blue underprint that touches the margins. The reverse side depicts the denomination in words and numerals in Hindi, Persian, and Bangla. The text 16 Sicca Rupees/Sixteen 16 appears at the centre. The watermark on these vintage Indian bank notes shows Ashokan Pillar on the left. The text “On demand” is printed before the promise text. It also features a signature of Nath Alexander on the right.

5000 Rupees Banknote of Bombay Presidency:

These wonderful early bank notes of India bear the high denomination 5000 Rupees and were printed on handmade white paper for Bombay presidency. They had a width of 15cm and a length of 30cm. Like the earlier example, the year date is absent on this note as well. They were also issued as specimen proof on card. The same design can also be found on 5 and 1000 Sicca Rupees from Bombay presidency. The vignette shows a street scene near Bombay Town Hall. Custom House and St. Andrew’s Church, Palm tree of Bombay Castle can be seen in the background. The obverse side depicts the texts ‘The Bank of Western India’, denomination in Gujarati and Marathi numerals; Promise text, ‘The Bank of Western India’, denomination in words, manuscript serial number, manuscript date; denomination panel; ‘Entd. By’ manuscript signature; ‘By Order of the Board’/’Batho & Bingley’/’Managing Director’ and signature. The reverse side of these old bank notes of India depicts the denomination in words and the text “Bank Of Western India”. The watermark shows Ashokan Pillar.

There’s a lot more to explore as a notaphilist when it comes to Indian presidency banknotes! Keep searching and researching, you will surely hit the jackpot some day!