₹10 — Ten Rupees
The artwork
Front: King George VI in the Imperial State Crown and robes of state, facing left in an arched frame — the Emperor of India as he appeared on every Reserve Bank note of the war years. Facing him, an empty arch for the watermark. Between them the promise to pay, guaranteed by the Central Government, with TEN RUPEES in shaded capitals and ghosted 10s beneath. Signed C. D. Deshmukh, Governor; serial A/28 060726.
Back: A single-masted dhow under sail, the lateen rig taut, set in an ornamental panel — a nod to the coastal and Arabian Sea trade that carried much of India's commerce. The denomination is repeated in Indian scripts around the vignette, with the numeral 10 in the corners and fine guilloche work filling the field. Quiet, mercantile imagery rather than imperial.
In circulation
Issued from 1943 under the Reserve Bank's wartime authority and carried on through independence, Deshmukh's signature spanning both. The King's effigy was dropped in 1950, when the Republic substituted the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath on a redesigned ten-rupee note; George VI issues were withdrawn over the following years.
Details
- IssuerReserve Bank of India, guaranteed by the Central Government
- CurrencyRupee (₹)
- DenominationTen Rupees
- Collectedon the India journeys, 1992–2026
- SeriesKing George VI portrait issue
- SignatureC. D. Deshmukh, Governor
- WatermarkHead of King George VI, in the blank arch at left
- PrinterIndia Security Press, Nashik