Type
Bi-coloured Notes
Vignette
Vignette of Tiger seated on an octagonal panel in bottom margin.
Obverse
BANK OF HINDOSTAN in top centre, CALCUTTA on either side. Blue underprint that extends in the margins. Denomination in an Arabic numeral above with denomination in numeral and words in Persian, Hindi and Bangla in an Oval panel on left and right margins. “Bank of Hindostan” in Bangla, Persian and Hindi within octagonal panel in bottom margin with a tiger seated on top. Entered by manuscript signature and For the BANK OF HINDOSTAN. Manuscript date, serial number and payee’s name. Printed at Perkins & Bacon, London using Patent Hardened Steel Plate. Engraved by Ashby, London.
Reverse
Denomination in words in Hindi, Persian, Bangla on top and numerals below it. 16 SICCA RUPEES / SIXTEEN 16 in centre.
Watermark
Looped pattern along all four sides in the border. In centre BANK OF HINDOSTAN written in Bangla, English and Persian in three lines
Note
- Date of withdrawal: 1829.
- “On demand” precedes promise text.
- Signature to right identified as Nath Alexander.
- It was a practice to write the serial number in local script by hand on either sides of the note, in this case its Bangla.
- The Arabic numeral on oval panels on either side is written as a ‘Arabic Siyaq’ number. The numeral system was prevalent in south Asia as ‘Raqm’ - derived from Arabic ‘Siyaq’. This originated from the practice of writing numbers in words in Arabic. These were later shortened as abbreviations and thus represent the numerals as distinct monograms.
Table
| Type No. | Denominations | Remark |
|---|---|---|
| 1A.1.2.1 | 4 Sicca Rupees | 1823 - 1829 |
| 1A.1.2.2 | 10 Sicca Rupees | 1823 - 1829 |
| 1A.1.2.3 | 16 Sicca Rupees | 1823 - 1829 |
| 1A.1.2.4 | 20 Sicca Rupees | 1823 - 1829 |
