2020-12-08 Tue

The Spink sale of world paper money in London on 4th November brought some amazing pieces of collectibles. Of the many with five-figure estimated prices, one stood out an Indian Philatelic Rarity.

It was an unissued example from British India’s Bank of Hindostan with the denomination of 250 sicca rupees. It is considered among the first Indian bank notes. The banknote that was presented in the auction was undated.

The black and white issue is part of a series also including 50-, 100-, 500-, and 1,000-rupee denominations, all with the same design, of English text and the value in the center and a tiger seated at the bottom, within an ornate border containing Hindi, Bangla, and Persian texts. These, along with most other of the bank’s notes, were never issued.

This unissued example from British India’s Bank of Hindostan with the denomination of 250 sicca rupees attracted the highest price in Spink’s auction in London, realizing the equivalent of about USD 78,950.

Image Courtesy: coinworld.com