1st issue: Issued on 30th November 1917 and discontinued in 1926. GOVERNMENT OF INDIA in centre. Silver coin of King George V dated 1917 obverse in top left corner. A rosette red relief underprint in dual tone and ONE RUPEE in Central Denomination panel. Serial numbers on top right and lower left. 1 / RUPEE on top right and bottom left. Signed FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA.

No numerals on the reverse. Stylised G.R.I. – “Georgius Rex Imperator, the official cypher of King George V” in top left with language panel in centre and reverse of 1917 coin in top right.

White, Handmade moulded. All notes subsequent to O/62 and Y/52 onwards with the exception of notes numbered O/70 000001 to 150000 are printed on machine made paper. Printed in England.

Type 1.

Variety a – Star enclosed in a rectangle, GRI on top and wavy lines at bottom. Variety b – Rayed star, GRI on top and wavy lines at bottom. Split in signature and watermark: ‘J’ prefix split in signature: M. M. S. Gubbay to A. C. McWatters. ‘P’ prefix split in watermark. ‘S’ prefix split in signature: A. C. McWatters to H. Denning. ‘X’ prefix split in signature: M. M. S. Gubbay to A. C. McWatters.

1917 1 Rupee coin Some notes with prefix ‘B’, ‘L’ and ‘M’ were in circulation in British East Africa (Presently Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania). Perforations on the left margin: Those notes that were issued in a group of 25 notes wrapped in a paper band are without perforations. 25% of each prefix were stapled in the form of a booklet of 25 notes. These have perforations on the left side. ‘X’, ‘Y’ and ‘Z’ were issued only in a booklet. Some notes with Prefix A,B,C, K, L, M, R were sea sunk in 1918 with the ship S.S. Shirala. Notes of these prefixes were first printed as circle of issue before universalisation on 9th Nov 1918 with the abolition of circle of issue.