Rare Indian Bank Notes From Shipwreck Double Estimate
Two 10-rupee bank notes that were recovered from the wreck of the SS Shirala, which was sunk by a German U-boat on July 2, 1918, sold for more than double their pre-sale estimates at Noonans Mayfair on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, in a sale of World bank notes. They were each estimated at £2,000-2,600 but fetched hammer prices of £6,500 and £5,500 respectively [lots 474 and 475].
As Andrew Pattison, Head of Banknotes Department at Noonans commented: “The two notes were bought by collectors of Indian notes, within India. There was interest from multiple very serious collectors, with the amazing story of the notes certainly providing an added incentive to bid.”
Before the sale, Thomasina Smith, Worldwide Head of Numismatics at Noonans,…