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Portrait Notes of King George VI : 1937 - 1949
With the death of King George V in 1936 and the subsequent coronation and abdication of King Edward VIII, King George VI was crowned in 1937. This led to a redesign of Indian paper money with the portrait of the new king. This side profile portrait of King George VI was first issued and later changed to a front profile because Japanese forgeries of Indian banknotes necessitated a design change. A security thread was also introduced in 1943. In the Rupees 100 note there was only a change in the watermark but for Rupees 5 and 10 denominations the designs changed radically. The reverse of these notes were also designed aesthetically depicting the British pride in India – from the gentle Indian Buck in Rupees 5, the elephant in Rupees 10 and the ferocious tiger in Rupees 100, exotic animals found favour. The sailboat on Rupees 10 was the longest surviving motif for over 40 years. These first notes were issued by the Reserve Bank of India in 1938 at the Currency Note Press in Nasik. Monetary exigencies of World War II resulted in the second issue of 1 and 2 Rupees notes in 1940.
1 Rupees
2 Rupees
5 Rupees
10 Rupees
100 Rupees
1000 Rupees
10000 Rupees
