1/2 Rufiyaa / 50 Laari

Pick 1 is the first banknote ever issued by the Maldives — prior to 1947, the islands relied entirely on metallic currency, with locally minted copper and silver coins serving the atoll economy for centuries. The decision to introduce paper money came under British influence during the protectorate period, and Bradbury Wilkinson produced the note to the same technical standard they applied to colonial currency work across the Empire.

The denomination itself reflects the transitional monetary arithmetic of the time: the Rufiyaa was divided into 100 Laari, making this a half-unit note in a system that had only just been formally codified for paper issue.