Mr Razack finds JB Taylor on an Uniface note!

Government of India, 50 Rupees, 10 March 1920, Red Underprint, Calcutta, 

Signed by James Braid Taylor.  

Image Courtesy: Rezwan Razack 

India's biggest collector of banknotes, Rezwan Razack shared recently with me this myth buster note. I had never heard of J.B. Taylor sign on uniface note! This note establishes the fact that, J.B. Taylor signed few notes. This note has serial number RD/41 43972. Mr Razack is recognized as the author of standard reference guide in Indian Paper Money [1]. I find this coming year to be fun and I am staying buckled to note all what I see and will see! Happy New Year my readers and well wishers!!! 

My Top 10 Rare Early Banknotes of India

1*

Bank of Bengal, 1819, Uniface Series, 250 Sicca Rupees, Serial Number 8246A, issued at Calcutta, signed by first Accountant Henry Tyler of the bank, later Bank of Bengal merged with Bank of Bombay and Bank of Madras to form Imperial Bank of India, which is now known as State Bank of India. Bank of Bengal was the earliest governmental bank in India who issued notes as early as 1812. These notes were cancelled by the bank after making payment to the bearer and took the signature of the Secretary off!  

2* 

Bank of Bengal, 1825, Commerce Series, 100 Sicca Rupees, Serial number 14450, issued at Calcutta, signed by the second accountant H. Henderson of the bank, The signature cut off by the bank and stamped cancelled after paying the bearer. 

3*

Bank of Bengal, 1833, Commerce Series, 100 Sicca Rupees, Serial number 38189, issued at Calcutta, signed by H. Henderson, Cancelled and sign cut. 

4*

Bank of Bengal, 1835, Commerce Series, 50 Sicca Rupees, serial number 47848, issued at Calcutta, signed by the third Accountant H.I. Lee of the bank, Cancelled and cut sign.

5*

Bank of Bengal, 1836, 10 Sicca Rupees, Serial number 34473, issued at Calcutta, signed by H.I. Lee, cancelled and cut sign. 

6*

Bank of Bengal, 1852, 100 company's Rupees, Serial number 40928, issued at Calcutta, signed by H.I. Lee, cancelled and cut sign. 

7*

Bank of Bengal, 1853, 50 Company's Rupees, Serial number 08962, issued at Calcutta, signed by C.N. Cooke accountant of the bank, cancelled and cut sign. 

8*

Bank of Bengal, 1857, 10 Rupees, Britannia series,Serial number 41001, issued at Calcutta, cut from the center, the two halves were sent part-wise for payment to prevent theft or robbery.

9*

Bank of Bombay, 1860, 10 Rupees, Town Hall at the center, Mt Stuart Elphinstone and Sir John Malcolm to the left and right, Serial number A14518, Coat of Arms of East India Company at bottom. 

10*

Bank of Madras, 184X, 3000 Rupees, proof on card, Equestrian statue of Sir Thomas Monroe at the center, Specimen, I have two examples of this note, this is the best grade. 

Note: All notes are from my collection and are not for sale. 

  

My Top 5 World Banknotes!

It takes a joy to last forever and a feeling to ignite you again and again! Banknotes collecting is a new hobby granulated in rich collectors for the urge of knowing money and its history. Banknotes sometimes dispense needs and buys you freedom but here banknotes buys you information with beauty connoisseur-ship. Collecting is never been easy as a collector tend to save it nor to consume it!  My top 5 banknotes if you ask... I have a list which I am sharing with you. These banknotes are not only rare but speaks about history of the bygone era which must not be forgotten. It is a challenge because banknotes are destroyed by the issuers when it phases out. Such challenges are prevalent in collecting notes of the British colonial rule around the world, e.g. India. 

1) BLACK DRAGON NOTE:  In my list the note which I have ranked number 1 is from China. This banknote is a rarest banknote I have ever seen. In around 1909 the Qing dynasty restructured both the Imperial banks and the issuing authorities to establish the Kwangsi Bank. In the modern history of Chinese banknotes Kwangxi became the earliest province to have a bank. At that time, Xuan Tong Year 2 (1909), Kwangsi Bank issued their banknotes known to the Nan-Ning people as the "Ooi-Long note". This literally means black dragon note, and is highly sought after by collectors. The "Ooi-Long Note" was printed in Japan, with a print run of two hundred thousand for the 1 yuan denomination and two hundred thousand pieces for the 5 yuan denomination. According to a press release in Nan-Ning dated 9 June 2006, a collector chanced upon one of these rare examples of a $5 note in a Nan-Ning market place in April 1994, purchasing it at a very high price. The note was subsequently repurchased by Chinese officials. 

1909, Kwangsi Bank, 1 Yuan banknote, Extremely rare, 

Sold for over £80,000 at Spink Hong Kong Sale in 2010.

Curtsey: SPINK

2) AUSTRALIAN 10 SHILLINGS NOTE: The first Australian currency note, bearing the ten shilling denomination, celebrates its centennial in 2013 as the most valuable pieces of Australian numismatic history in existence. The 10 shilling note, with the serial number M000001, was issued on May 1, 1913. The official numbering ceremony took place at the government printing works, which was then located at the King’s Warehouse at the western end of Flinders Street in Melbourne. The serial number was printed on the note by means of a hand-operated press by the Honourable Judith Denman, the five-year-old daughter of then Governor General Lord Denman. The note was then presented by Prime Minister Andrew Fisher to little Judith. And then the note disappeared from history, not to see the light of day for nearly 90 years! Other face values from £1 to £1,000 followed during the years 1913–1915, but the 10 shilling was the very first denomination - and the serial number M000001 the very first of these!

1913 10 Shillings banknote

Image Curtesy: Talismancoins.com

3) $ 1000 NOTE OF GENERAL MEADE: In a signature auction of Heritage Auctions (USA's leading auction house of collectibles) held between 24th April and 28th April 2013; Heritage sold this banknote for US$ 2.5 million. It is recorded as the unique banknote in the auction and bid was opened at US$ 1.2 million. The only other example is reported to be housed in the National Numismatic Collection of the Smithsonian Institution. As the museum was lucky enough, as it was transferred there by the treasury department shortly after printing. The 1891 $1,000 note  has similar basic design features with the famous "Grand Watermelon" note of 1890, which is well-known among collectors, despite being the more common of the two notes. A spectacular example of the note once held the previous US world record, after selling for US$2.2 million at Heritage Auctions back in 2006.  Another example of the Grand Watermelon sold for US$1.5 million in the present auction, as one of only seven examples known to exist. 

General Meade Portrait used on banknotes 

The only known example of 1891 $1,000 treasury note with the portrait of General Meade. 

Image Courtesy: HA 

4) ONE MILLION POUNDS NOTE: It was one of only nine given to the UK by the U.S. in President Harry Truman's Marshall Aid plan after World War Two. This note (below) was sold by SPINK for £80,000. These notes were issued in August 1948. Only two notes were in circulation of this type. The green banknote is number seven of the nine given to the UK. It is believed two of the notes were later given as mementos to the respective U.S. and British Treasury secretaries at the time. Marshall Aid, named after U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall, was funding for Western Europe from the U.S. between 1948 and 1951. The notes were only in use for six weeks and were never meant for public circulation. They were only intended for internal use between financial institutions to track money, reported the Daily Telegraph. Number 000007 was sold in a private sale for £8,000 ($13,000) in 1977 and listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the highest denomination privately owned at the time. It says: 'This Treasury note entitles the Bank of England to payment of one million pounds on demand out of the consolidated fund of the United Kingdom.' The U.S. loaned the money at the time because it thought a strong Western Europe would help be a buffer to contain the rise of Russian communism. 

 £1 miilion pounds note.

Image Courtesy: BBC UK 

5) 1938, RESERVE BANK OF INDIA 10,000 RUPEES! On 1st April 1935, Reserve Bank of India started its public operations and they began issuing notes in 1938. Out of their first issues in 1938, Rs. 10,000 note is very rare signed by Sir James Braid Taylor (2nd Governor of RBI). Less than 5 examples known to exist and two specimens remain in the RBI Monetary Museum and Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford (UK) respectively. A pleasing rare note and never seen in any auction catalogue for past 15 years. They demonetized the note in 1957 and notes were returned to the bank for exchange, which were shredded.  

1938, RBI Rs. 10,000 note! 

Image Courtesy: Kishore Jhunjhunwalla 

N.B. THIS LIST IS PURELY MY PERSONAL PREFERENCE AND NOT AN OFFICIAL LIST, These notes are not from my collection.