To avoid risky transport from UK during WWII, this series of notes were printed by lithography process in Currency Note Press (CNP) of Government of India in Nashik. Water-mark: Ratnapura Raised Lion with whip on paper manufactured by Messrs Portals Ltd.
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| Brownish Green 114x64 mm - Rs 1 note |
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| Mauve 127x76 mm - Rs 2 note |
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| Brown 140x89 mm - Rs 5 note |
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| Blue 152x102 mm - Rs 10 note |
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| Purple 165x114 mm - Rs 50 note |
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| Green 178x127 mm - Rs 100 note |
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| Purple 191x140 mm - Rs 1000 note |
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| Green 191x140 mm - Rs 10000 note |
Red SPECIMEN stamped in the blank round window left on front used for Water-Mark. In the middle for all but the Rs5 and Rs10 where it is diagonal at +45° with SPECIMEN in Black on the Rs5.
Prefix
with 000000
Serial once in Rs 1, 2 in upper-center and in all higher denominations,
twice lower-left and upper-right.
The Currency Note Press, Nashik ('CNP Nashik') was established
in 1928 as a Security Press to print high quality banknotes for the
Government of India.
Some Specimen Notes of this Series are seen with the CNP Specimen logo.
The Rs 1, 5, 10, 50 and 100 are illustrated in the 2021 CBSL 70th
Anniversary Book The 70 Year Journey of Currency Issue and Management
by Shellomi H. Gunawardena & W. M. K. Weerakoon Pages 44-46.
There are two sets among collectors in Sri lanka and CBSL has displayed two sets in faded state attached with gum to a display board 😢 at the CBSL Economic History Museum in Colombo Sri Lanka.
Over the last 25 years, I have never seen the Rs1,000 or Rs10,000
having been sold on Auction.
The lower denominations up to Rs100 do come rarely on Auction.
In 2014 July 15 Spink listed a specimen set of 6 notes Rs 1-Rs100,
Auction 14009 lot 525
and was unsold with estimate of £3500-4500
In 2018 September 28 Baldwin St James Auction listed similer specimen set of 6 notes
Rs1-Rs100 Lots
2174-2179 and was unsold with total estimated value of £60,000-75,000
In 2025 May 25 Noonans Auction Listed similer specimen set of 6 notes
Rs1-Rs100 Lots
1312-1318 and was unsold with total estimated value of £40,000-48,000
The Unc Specimen notes were scanned at 300 dpi and displayed
at 25 dpi.
I thank Late Mr Tuan Sallay for them.