1 rupee 1940
Market Prices
113 salesAbout This Note
This is a PMG 67 EPQ graded 1 Rupee note from India issued in 1940 under British Administration, featuring King George VI in profile on the front and the Government of India seal on the back. The note displays exceptional paper quality with crisp, uncirculated condition and exhibits the characteristic green and black color scheme with intricate guilloche security patterns. This high-grade example represents a well-preserved specimen of early Indian currency from the pre-independence era, notable for its multilingual reverse design and formal British imperial iconography.
Common. This is a regular issue of the 1940 Indian 1 Rupee note (Pick 25a) from a large print run during the British Administration period. Secondary market data shows consistent availability with numerous sales across all condition grades, with ungraded circulated examples selling for $5-20 regularly, and PMG-graded examples in the 63-65 range selling in the $55-120 range historically. The PMG 67 EPQ grade represents excellent condition but not exceptional rarity, as the note type itself was issued in significant quantities. Market pricing and population data confirm this is a common collectible rather than a scarce issue.
Issued during the final years of British rule in India, this 1940 note depicts King George VI, whose reign encompassed the transitional period leading to Indian independence in 1947. The front features the royal portrait in a circular medallion with the Ashoka lion emblem below, symbolizing British imperial authority over India, while the reverse displays the Government of India seal and text in multiple Indian languages (Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Bengali), reflecting the administrative structure of British India and the recognition of India's diverse linguistic regions during this period.
The obverse features a formal portrait of King George VI positioned in profile facing left within an ornate circular medallion on the right side of the note. Below the denomination text 'ONE RUPEE' is the Ashoka lion capital emblem, the state emblem of India, representing imperial authority. The reverse displays the Government of India seal as a circular ornamental emblem on the left side, with the denomination repeated in English and transliterated in six major Indian regional languages (Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Bengali) positioned across the note. Both sides feature elaborate decorative guilloche work forming intricate border patterns in green and black, with cream-colored field paper. A watermark area is indicated by blank oval spaces on both the obverse (left side) and reverse (right side). The serial number W/11 2577716 is printed in black.
FRONT SIDE: 'GOVERNMENT OF INDIA' (English), 'ONE RUPEE' (English), 'KING GEORGE VI' (English), Serial number 'W/11 2577716' (English), 'FOR GOVERNMENT OF INDIA SECRETARY FINANCE DEPARTMENT' (English). BACK SIDE: 'GOVERNMENT OF INDIA' (English), 'ONE RUPEE' (English), 'एक रुपया' (Hindi: One Rupee), 'ایک روپیہ' (Urdu: One Rupee), 'ஒரு ரூபாய்' (Tamil: One Rupee), 'ಒಂದು ರೂಪಾಯಿ' (Kannada: One Rupee), 'ఒక రూపాయి' (Telugu: One Rupee), 'একটি টাকা' (Bengali: One Rupee).
This note was produced using intaglio (engraved) printing, evident from the crisp, deeply impressed lines characteristic of the guilloche security patterns and the sharp definition of portrait details and text throughout the design. The precision of the fine line work, the consistent ink saturation, and the embossed quality observable in the uncirculated state are hallmarks of intaglio security printing. This was the standard technique for Indian government currency production during the 1940s, executed by the Government of India's designated security printers.
This example is identified as Pick 25a, the standard variety of the 1940 1 Rupee note. The serial number W/11 2577716 indicates the W/11 prefix series. The note exhibits 'Exceptional Paper Quality' as noted by PMG, and includes a spindle hole at issue, which is consistent with the original production specifications for notes of this period. No rare or unusual overprints or signatures variations are evident in the visual analysis.
