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1 Rupee - George V
| Issuer | East African Currency Board |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central vignette of a hippopotamus in a riverine landscape, set within an elaborate engraved cartouche flanked by symmetrical rosette medallions bearing the numeral '1'. Palm fronds tied with a ribbon ornament the upper border, and a crossed-spears-and-shield device appears at the lower centre. The design is printed in blue-green intaglio throughout. |
| Reverse lettering | ONE RUPEE ONE RUPEE |
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| Comments |
The East African Currency Board was established in 1919 specifically to create a unified currency across British East Africa, replacing the Indian rupee that had circulated in the region for decades. This 1920 note is among the earliest issues under that mandate — the board had barely found its administrative footing when these were printed.
De La Rue's involvement here is unsurprising; they held the dominant position in colonial currency printing throughout this period. What is worth noting is how short-lived the rupee denomination proved: the board switched to a florin-based system in 1921, then moved to the shilling standard in 1922, making the entire rupee series effectively obsolete within two years of issue.