Article 4 retains the British Indian silver rupee as the standard coin of East Africa and Uganda, governing money transactions unless expressly agreed otherwise. ^[1]

Article 5 provides subsidiary coins expressed in cents or hundredths of a rupee. ^[2]

Articles 14 and 16 authorise local government currency notes, payable on demand in current coin and legal tender with a Currency Board-office exception. ^[3]

Turning points

1835

Account-unit observation

Act XVII addresses discharge of engagements in Company rupees and expressly preserves particular payment clauses in sicca-denominated contracts. ^[4]

1862

Issuer and design change

Crown coinage followed Company coinage in the rupee system. Change of sovereign and coin design, not a new unit of account. ^[5]

19 May 1898 order, recited in 1905; not first Indian rupee

Earlier standard order recited

The 1905 order recites a 19 May 1898 order making British India’s silver rupee the East Africa Protectorate’s standard coin. ^[6]

15 August 1950: Republic coin issue

Republic coin issue

RBI describes monetary continuity during 1947–1950 and dates the Republic's distinctive coin issue to 15 August 1950. ^[7]

1957-04-01

Subdivision reform

India decimalised the rupee without changing its value or name. Subdivision reform stays on the rupee line. ^[8]

1959-05-11

Territorial currency separation

India introduced a separate rupee-note currency for Gulf circulation. The original domestic notes were displaced through a regional changeover; no modern peg is being promoted into ancestry. ^[9]

Sources and evidence

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“Indian rupee.” The Family Tree of Money. © Field Technologies, Inc. Reader edition 2026-10-13; research dataset v44. https://familytreeofmoney.org/currency/FTM000285.html

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