A rare ‘Hajj note’ of Rs 100 from the 1950s was sold for Rs 56 lakh in London. RBI had issued it for Haj pilgrims in Gulf countries. These notes, made to stop illegal purchase of gold, are now prized among collectors.
An old 100 rupee note has been sold for Rs 56 lakh. You might be surprised, but it is true. The Rs 100 ‘Hajj note’ issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in the 1950s has been sold for Rs 56 lakh in a London auction. These notes were valid only in some Gulf countries. This rare note has great value even today.
Rs 100 note sold for Rs 56 lakh
The serial number of this note sold for Rs 56 lakh is HA 078400. These Haj notes were issued by RBI for those Indian pilgrims who went to Gulf countries for Haj pilgrimage. Pilgrims used to buy gold for Haj pilgrimage, which led to illegal export of gold from India. This currency was introduced to stop this illegal purchase of gold. This note was not valid in India. In 1961, Kuwait introduced its own currency, which was soon adopted by other Gulf countries. Due to this, the production of Hajj notes stopped in the 1970s. Nowadays, these notes are considered very rare and currency collectors are buying them at high prices.
What is the specialty of Hajj notes?
Hajj notes had many special identities. Their serial numbers started with HA, which made them easy to identify. These notes were valid only in some Gulf countries like United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. The color of Haj notes was also different from normal Indian notes.
Last year also the note was sold at an expensive price
Not only this year, these notes were also sold at expensive prices in May 2024. In an auction held in London, two old Rs 10 notes were auctioned at a high price. One note was sold for Rs 6.90 lakh and the other for Rs 5.80 lakh. The notes auctioned at that time were issued on May 25, 1918, in the last years of the First World War. The notes were on the British ship SS Shirala, which was sunk by a German U-boat with a torpedo on July 2, 1918. The sinking of SS Shirala is a major historical event. The notes of that era have a special historical significance, that is why they have such high prices in the 21st century.