1 kyat 1958
Market Prices
32 salesAbout This Note
This 1 Kyat note from Burma's Union Bank of 1958 (Pick 46) features General Aung San in military dress on the obverse, with traditional Burmese ornamental design elements rendered in pink, green, and black. The reverse depicts a classical sailing vessel with mountain backdrop. While the note shows age-appropriate wear consistent with light circulation—visible creasing in the colored areas and minor foxing—the clarity of the engraving and overall presentation are notable for a note of this era.
Common. eBay market data shows consistent sales at $2-5 for UNC examples from 2013-2025, with no significant appreciation trajectory. Even premium graded examples (PMG 65) sold for $30 in 2018 but represent exceptional grades rather than scarcity. The note was issued during a period of stable currency production by the Union Bank of Burma, and print runs were sufficient to maintain availability in the modern collector market. Typical circulation period notes are readily available.
Issued during the early years of independent Burma following the 1948 independence from British rule, this note commemorates General Aung San, the nationalist leader and architect of Burmese independence (assassinated in 1947). The reverse's depiction of traditional sailing vessels reflects Burma's maritime heritage and cultural identity during a formative period of nation-building under the Union Bank of Burma's monetary authority.
The obverse features General Aung San, the revered nationalist leader and independence hero, depicted in three-quarter military uniform with peaked military cap, rendered in classical engraving style on the right side of the note. The central design incorporates a distinctive lotus or mandala-like ornamental motif in rose-pink, flanked by yellow-green circular medallion areas, with extensive guilloche border work in black and gold. The reverse displays a traditional multi-sailed Burmese dhow or sailing vessel under sail on open water with mountainous landscape in the background, accompanied by an ornate circular emblem featuring lotus design elements on the left. All four corners bear the denomination numeral '1', with decorative chain-pattern borders framing the composition.
Front side: 'မြန်မာ ငွေအစုံ' (Union Bank of Burma), 'ငွေစုံခြင်း' (One Kyat), 'အလယ်ပိုင်း' (Central), 'ဗကုံ' (Burma), 'နံပါတ်' (Number), 'တင်ျုလ' (Issued). Back side: 'UNION BANK OF BURMA', '1', 'ONE'.
Intaglio engraving (line engraving) throughout, evidenced by the fine detail in the portrait, detailed ship engraving with shading, and ornate guilloche patterns in borders and emblems. The note employs multi-color printing with careful registration of black, pink/rose, yellow-green, and gold/tan inks. Security features include elaborate engraved borders and fine line work characteristic of British-influenced banknote production standards of the 1950s era.
The standard 1958 issue (Pick 46) as cataloged. No distinct overprints, date variations, or signature varieties are evident in the visual analysis. The note represents the regular issue of this denomination from the Union Bank of Burma's 1958 series. Watermark confirmed as General Aung San with hat, consistent with catalog specifications for Pick 46.
